A great team of people of all ages came together to lend a hand and paint an undercoat on the subway this weekend, ahead of the artist Paul Shepherd, painting a mural with an ‘under the river Wye’ theme on to the walls.

 The project - the brain child initially of Town Cllr Jem Jenkins Jones was then taken on by Cllr Catherine Fookes and a group at the Town Council led by Cllr Rachel Jupp  - to ensure that we smartened up the subway and the underpass and at the same time, raised awareness of the environment, flora and fauna of Monmouthshire. Both the subway and the underpass will be spruced up and will reflect the river and beautiful landscape around the Wye Valley, but work is starting with the subway first. 

Cllr Catherine Fookes said  “We are so grateful to all the volunteers who came and helped us paint the subway this weekend. We also want to thank Wye Valley National Landscapes for helping to fund this project. The subway is a key route from the Wye Valley and Wyesham into town and it’s so important the space is bright and welcoming.” 

Rachel Jupp said ‘We are so pleased that we have been able to involve young people in the project. We have had a workshop to glean ideas for the designs with Year 8 students from Monmouth Comprehensive School, and this week, there will be a workshop for young people at the Attik.’ 

Cllr Emma Bryn who  is also part of the team commented  ‘I am really excited to see what the youngsters and the artist have come up with – it will be great to see the mural come to life in the next few weeks.’ 

As well as benefitting the young people who use the subway to go to and from all the schools in Monmouth, the project will also benefit women and girls by providing a brighter and safer environment to walk through especially in the evenings. The A40 subway has been the focus of many attempts to make it safe for walkers to Wyesham