A New Look for Grove Hill

YOUNG artists are letting their creative juices flow to give a fresh new look to an estate undergoing massive regeneration.

Properties in Grove Hill will receive a facelift thanks to a new initiative which is seeing young people from the community pick up their paintbrushes and get creative.

Around 35 people aged from five to 18 plan to spruce up the streets in the neighbourhood by designing and painting their own scene on boards that will fit onto the security screens of empty properties.

With the help of artists Derek Mosey and Helen Gaunt, they are each producing a display with a theme of ‘Middlesbrough through a child’s eye’.

The youngsters have been working in two groups at Beechwood Youth and Community Centre and Grove Hill Youth and Community Centre to make the displays, which will be installed during the autumn.

Erimus Building Services, Erimus Housing’s in-house repairs and maintenance team, has provided the boards and painted them white and will glaze the paintings to make them weatherproof once they are complete.

Erimus Housing’s security partner Orbis has also agreed to install the boards free of charge.

Mike Carr, Chair of the Board for Erimus Housing, said: “Grove Hill is in the middle of a huge regeneration programme but this is one of the smaller things we can do to make the estate look more pleasant while the larger scheme is underway.

“Not only will this improve the look of certain parts of the neighbourhood, it gets young people involved in making as difference, gives them something to be proud of and also gives them a pastime and the opportunity to meet new people.”