Finishing touches were being made to a new mural in Stroud on Good Friday.
Mary Colwell, director of Curlew Action, told Stroud Times: “The mural is being painted by a well-known Street artist called ATM. He’s a wildlife street artist and he believes that by bringing endangered wildlife into where people live you can raise a lot more awareness.”
The curlew, a ground-nesting bird, was once a common sight across Ireland and the UK. However, changes to the countryside over the past 40 years has seen a dramatic decline in their numbers. Around 60 per cent of the birds have been lost in England and Scotland since the 1980s.
“To get a curlew painted in the middle of Stroud, particularly to coincide with World Curlew Day, which is always on April 21st, but happens to be Easter Monday, is nice. We’ll have an event in Lansdown Hall on Monday afternoon to celebrate World Curlew Day” added Ms Colwell.
ATM started work on the mural on the wall of the café Fifteen in Kendrick Street on Thursday and hopes to have it finished by Sunday afternoon if the weather isn’t too inclement.
“The cafe owners were really, really helpful. They’re the ones that gave us permission and the Town Council have just supported it, which has been great. People have been stopping and asking questions. Curlews ane endangered right across the UK, but in Gloucestershire, there’s only 20 pairs left and only two chicks fledged last year.
“They’re really critically endangered in Gloucestershire, so the more awareness we can raise the better.”
