Visitors flock to catch artist Matt's Shrewsbury bird mural - with pictures

Matt Sewell has been creating a piece of artwork in St Austin’s Street Car Park, near Montgomery's Tower.

The project is being arranged by the Shrewsbury Recovery Taskforce and Big Town Plan Partnership, which includes Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID, as part of wider plans to make the town centre more welcoming in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Emma Molyneux, of Shrewsbury BID, said a variety of initiatives were taking place, such as the introduction of flags and bunting across town centre streets.

She said: “We are familiar with Matt’s work after seeing his murals in Shrewsbury and were keen to commission him for a new piece of work.

“St Austin’s Street Car Park and Bridge Street is an area of town which sees a lot of footfall, and we thought it would be great to give such a busy part of town a new look.

“The mural will add to the other initiatives around town, including a range of posters and flags, to help give the centre a more positive feel as we all work our way through the coronavirus recovery.”

Councillor Peter Nutting, leader of Shropshire Council, added: “We are delighted to give Matt the go-ahead for this piece of artwork on the wall of the council-owned building in St Austin’s Street Car Park.

“Matt is well known for his bright images of birds and wildlife, and we are really looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.”

Councillor Alan Mosley, leader of Shrewsbury Town Council, said: “The Big Town Plan Partnership is a great example of agencies working together for the long-term good of the town.

“But as well as large-scale strategic projects, the Big Town Plan is about making improvements now, so it’s great that we can work together with talented artists like Matt to give a fresh look to this part of Shrewsbury.”