Students paint mural onto garage wall (From Watford Observer)

Francis Combe Academy students paint mural onto wall in Haines Way

3:21pm Monday 17th September 2012 in News By Mike Wright, Chief Reporter

Students at a Leavesden school have given an old garage wall a new colourful lease of life before it gets demolished.

Francis Combe Academy pupils painted the mural onto a compound near Lincoln Court on Haines Way after being invited to by Leavesden Community Group.

The garages, which belong to Watford Community Housing Trust , are due to be demolished by the end of the year.

Mel Beaumont, chairman of Leavesden Community Group, had the idea after seeing a television programme about the restoration of the Cable Street mural in London.

He said: "It struck me that the Cable Street mural captured an iconic moment in time, so I thought it would be good to ask the pupils to do the same thing for the Olympics, even though many of them would never get to go.

"It was pleasing to see their enthusiasm, and the finished result is very, very good indeed. It’s easy to give teenagers a bad name and generalise, but this proves that there’s a great depth of talent to be nurtured."

Twenty students from the school’s art club designed for the Olympic-themed mural montage.

Leavesden Community Group has since given £100 to Francis Combe Academy to thank them for transforming a garage wall.