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New mural to brighten up 'underused' river walk

Naj ModakYorkshire
BBC/Naj Modak Zoe Genders wearing a green cap and dark blue T-shirt stands on a metal bridge railing in front of a large brick building covered in colorful graffiti and murals. The background is softly blurred, showing windows, street art, and a canal or waterway running alongside the building. She is wearing glasses.BBC/Naj Modak
Zoe Genders, a former CBBC prop maker, said it was the biggest project she had worked on to date

A new mural is set to "bring colour and community spirit" to an "underused" river bank.

Sheffield artist, Zoe Genders, has begun creating the artwork on the side of the Sheaf Bank Business Park, next to the Cutler's Walk footpath.

The mural will cover more than 200 sq m of wall alongside the River Sheaf and footway, which connects Sheaf Bank in Heeley with Queens Road.

Genders, a former CBBC prop maker, said: "Cutler's Walk is a beautiful walkway along the Sheaf and I'm really excited to add some pops of colour to encourage more people to walk along the river and maybe even do some bird watching".

The 46-year-old said she was "really chuffed" to be chosen, having previously had her work featured at Pounds Park, Cutlery Works and Bolehills BMX track.

She said the final design had been shaped with the help of young people at Carfield Primary School and Heeley City Farm.

"The workshops have been great and given me a tonne of ideas," Genders said.

"It's been lovely to have local children directly involved in creating inspiration for the mural."

BBC/Naj Modak Zoe Genders wearing a high-visibility vest stands on a ladder painting over graffiti on the white-painted brick wall of a red-brick building. Another person steadies the ladder from the ground. A white work van with its rear doors open is parked nearby, with ladders and painting equipment visible around the site. The scene is outdoors on a narrow pathway beside the building under an overcast sky.BBC/Naj Modak
The mural will be painted across more than 200 sq m on the side of Sheaf Bank Business Park

The mural will be painted on the building's northwestern façade, which looks out across the river and adjacent railway line.

Owner of Sheaf Bank Business Park, Josie Bennett, said they had been a part of the Heeley community for more than 20 years and having a mural that reflects and celebrates that community and heritage was "really special".

"Our building overlooks Cutler's Walk, a beautiful pathway along the River Sheaf that is quite underused at the moment, we hope this artwork will breathe some new life into the area and make it a route people use more often," she added,

Supplied A geometric mural with black, turquoise, white, orange, and yellow shapes decorates the lower exterior walls of a brick corner building. The mural wraps around the street-facing corner beside a grey doorway and is bordered by a pavement, traffic lights, and a bicycle lane.Supplied
Genders has previous installed artwork on the city's Eyre Street

Funding for the project comes from a mix of corporate donations, individual contributions, and local authority funding.

It is hoped the mural will be finished by early September.

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