Grot spot becomes colourful memorial

Skills for life students from Hopwood Hall College who created a mural at Rochdale Canal.

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STUDENTS with physical and learning difficulties turned a graffiti-strewn grot-spot into a colourful memorial to friends and loved ones.

Young people on the skills for life course at Hopwood Hall College worked with a professional artist to create a mural in a tunnel at the Castleton bridge section of the Rochdale Canal.

The piece, named Forget Me Not, includes the names of people the students have lost hidden in the design.

Skills for life lecturer Mandy Fletcher said: "The wall looks fab, especially compared to how bad it was before our students started working on it.

"Some people would prefer there to be nothing on the walls but I think this is a touching tribute from the students and is a piece of art that genuinely means something."

The skills for life course helps people with physical and learning difficulties improve their English and maths, and covers volunteering, confidence building and using public transport.

The mural was the culmination of a six-month project with the Canal and River Trust to clean up various section of the Rochdale Canal.

The students will continue to visit weekly to maintain the mural and surrounding area, and Mandy added: "I'd like to thank the trust for giving our students the opportunity to do this.

"We've put a lot of work into clearing and maintaining Rochdale Canal over the last six months and it's nice of the trust to give something back."