A new mural at Stowmarket Recreation Ground, created by Get Suffolk Reading and designed by local pupils, is sharing the many benefits of reading with all who use the park.
Pupils from Chilton Primary School and Stowmarket High School contributed ideas for the mural, with the aim to encourage children and young people to get reading.
At the official unveiling event on Thursday 13 July, they were invited to see their inspiring ideas brought to life, with messages including ‘the more you read, the easier it gets’, ‘look for a book’ and a tree with words and feelings they associated with reading.
“This magnificent mural, created with help from local children, reflects what we know about reading and literacy. Just 10 minutes of reading a day boosts mood, reduces stress, improves memory and concentration, and gives children amazing building blocks for the rest of their lives. We work in Stowmarket to show families how fun reading can be – and a picnic with a book by the mural on a sunny summer day could be the start!"
Sarah Maidment, Project Manager for Get Suffolk Reading in Stowmarket
Inviting young people to be part of the mural captured their imaginations and boosted confidence in themselves and where they’re from. They were asked to think about their favourite books and how reading made them feel, with as many ideas as possible incorporated into the end result by local artist Stella Davis.
“Painting this was such a sociable thing to do - the people of Stowmarket are lovely. Children, parents, grandparents all stopped to chat and appreciated what we were doing. What I hope children get from this mural is that with reading you can go whenever you like. Tuck yourself away with a book and go wherever it takes you.”
Stella Davis
Get Suffolk Reading acquired permission from Pentaco Construction and Mid-Suffolk District Council to add some artwork to the temporary structure , then workshops were held to create a piece of artwork that was designed by the community, for the community.
Councillor Tim Weller, Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture and Wellbeing at Mid Suffolk District Council, said: “We were delighted to support this project which gave our community a chance to express itself as well as promoting the joy of reading – and it’s wonderful to see the message shared in such a unique and creative way. Our thanks to the children, Stella the artist, and our partners Pentaco Construction on this fantastic result.”
