Brightening up the L&L

THINGS certainly look brighter at a bridge at Blackburn on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal—it's been wallpapered!

Local wallpaper manufacturer Graham & Brown is just one of several local companies in the area who have adopted a stretch of waterway. Its premises  straddle the canal and when the directors were thinking of ways to spruce up the area, papering the bridge seemed an obvious choice.

Adorns the bridge

They commissioned London designer and illustrator Lizzie Mary Cullen to create a giant Blackburn 'canalscape' which is on permanent display in the company's foyer. This was turned into wallpaper and now adorns the underside of Sour Milk Hall Bridge (104) on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. In the picture—Ian Brown, Graham & Brown Director, (left) and Matt Taylor, Canal & River Trust volunteer coordinator, at Blackburn's wallpapered canal bridge.

Ian Brown, a Director at Graham and Brown, explained:

"Graham & Brown is a business rooted in the Blackburn community. A town with a proud past, the canal is a legacy of the times of the Industrial Revolution. Today it not only can tell the story of how Blackburn developed but also create a linear parkland through our town to be enjoyed by all. With the use of art and design our ambition is to restore its value to the wider community.

"To decorate the bridge was a natural step. As a business we are inspired by creative design and the bridge supplied us with a large blank canvas to work on. From feedback we have received from passers-by, the project has added to the beauty of this waterway and many more projects are planned for the future."

Work parties

Graham & Brown's staff and friends regularly organise work parties to keep their adopted towpath spick and span. And they have been joined by other Blackburn-based businesses—B&Q, Asda and New Ground whose staff, customers and clients volunteer their services to keep the city centre canal tidy and litter-free.