Sutton's striking mural adds colour to town centre - what do you think about it?

The amazing artwork by French artist Zabou is on the building occupied by Kim’s Diner, by the Idelwells Shopping Centre, off Portland Square.

The image depicts images of the Walton Stocking Factory representing Sutton’s history of hosiery manufacture, and features a local girl called ‘Freya’ in the foreground.

Freya, is a junior member of Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society and is seen viewing the stars at Sherwood Observatory, symbolising the town’s future. The twelve-year-old and her family visited the mural yesterday (Thursday).

It took Zabou around 32 hours to complete the work, over three-and-a-half days – despite being rained off on Wednesday afternoon.

Delighted with it, Ashfield District Council Leader Coun Jason Zadrozny said the impact of cultural experiences could “not be underestimated” after the mural prompted debate.

“Good art starts conversations, inspires, and encourages creativity,” he said. “The Sutton mural has been doing exactly that.”

"We’ve had hundreds of responses online and in person. We were approached by several residents whilst Zabou was painting it, sharing fantastic comments.”

The project was funded by the government’s Welcome Back Fund

Coun Zadrozny said: “The mural was paid for by the Reopening High Streets Fund, which is ring-fenced for projects like this.”

The council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration Matt Relf said: “We’re so proud of this mural, which represents Ashfield's past and our bright future. We have a long history of being connected to science and technology with the famous links to Ada Lovelace and Sherwood Observatory in Sutton.

"Sherwood Observatory will be benefiting from the Town’s Funding to transform it into a state of the art educational facility. Freya, the girl in the mural, is a young astrologer with a passion for space, who will inspire another generation of young people, just as Ada has.”

The Welcome Back Fund, provides councils across England with a share of £56 million, from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support the safe return to high streets and build back better after the pandemic.

The builds on the £50 million Reopening High Street Safely Fund (RHSSF) allocated to councils in 2020, part of a wider support to communities and businesses.

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