Colourful scenes of fishing heritage, dedicated depictions of legendary sporting moments and paintings showcasing the history of the high street are all being created as part of an 18-month project that was commissioned by Grimsby Creates whose mission is to ‘transform Grimsby into a vibrant town centre where heritage and creativity are enjoyed’.

This was the introduction we were given by Becky Darnell from the Culture House and Andy Pea a local artist, when they first approached Appleleaf to see if we would be willing to lend our wall to this project and allow an international muralist and illustrator to create a piece of art on our office.

Led by local not for profit organisation Creative Start CIC in partnership with The Culture House, Nomad Remote Digital Studio and Hammond House Productions, this collaborative project has already seen local and regional artists coming together to produce a series of artwork, podcasts, documentaries, and large-scale murals with the support of the dedicated volunteers at Creative Start and other community members. The mural at Appleleaf would be the next large-scale mural they wanted to create as part of the project.

Completed in a week, the mural features ‘Harriet the Haddock’ in a fun and vibrant undersea scene and looks absolutely amazing and really brightens up the street. Rob from the office said Harriet will always bring a smile to his face when he walks in to the office now and we have seen families, children and local business leaders all posing for photos in front of the mural already.

The artwork has been created by International Muralist and Illustrator Jake Klone aka Klonism, Jake has been painting all over the world for many years and has a reputation for his detailed and colourful designs.

Jake says “Harriet the Haddock has landed in Grimsby town to represent the importance and dependence of the fishing trading in Grimsby. A long-standing part of the town that has provided work and steady economic backbone for the town. She wants to be in town to further the haddock name and bring joy and colour to the people and tourists of Grimsby. She’s protecting the Viking Shipwreck of Grim the Viking and the dock tower of Grimsby to protect the heritage of the area.”

Becky Darnell from The Culture House has been managing the project and says “the purpose of Paint the Town Proud is to celebrate local heritage through art with the aim of starting conversation, inspiring creativity and instilling pride within local people.”

“When searching for a location for Jake’s piece, we knew wanted a town central wall and the Appleleaf building on Town Hall Street was perfect. Matthew and Cara responded so well to the bold design and the positive feedback that we received through public consultation suggested that this was exactly the right spot.”

“If this artwork can put a smile on someone’s face, make them look up, give them a sense of pride and even make them want to know more about why it’s there, then we have achieved.”

Not only is the artwork stunning, we really supported the idea and ethos behind the project to add some vibrancy to the town, remembering Grimsby’s vital history and also supporting the work that Creative Start CIC carries out within the community. Next time you are in town or pop in for a meeting you will be able to see Harriet for yourself and we hope you love her as much as we do.

Look out for the next phase of the project which will see Creative Starts CIC leading a team of local artists and dedicated volunteers from the recovery community, to create a large scale version of a Dale Mackie painting, depicting a beautiful high street scene that will be painted on the East Marsh.