Artist rejuvenates High Street with murals
Jenny Kirk/BBCA local artist who paints shop windows for a living has used her talents to help businesses that were being affected by road closures.
Shop owners say trade disappeared overnight when the High Street in Earl's Colne in Essex was shut for essential gas works in February.
When the works finished two weeks ago, Juliet Townsend from Colne Engaine helped them recover by painting window murals on shop frontages for free, to increase footfall.
Townsend said it made her "frustrated and angry" about how it was affecting her shop owner friends, so she decided to do something about it.
Jenny Kirk/BBC"What I do for a living is generating footfall and awareness by painting positive window murals," she said.
"These businesses are not only my friends but they are also my bread and butter.
"So I spent three days painting on the windows to do something positive and cheer everyone up."
When the gas company Cadent closed off the road for six weeks for maintenance and repairs, businesses reported the effect as being 'worse than during covid'.
Jenny Kirk/BBCThe roadworks spanned Valentine's Day and Mother's Day which had a profound effect.
One shop owner says the artwork had definitely made a difference to her takings and that it had "rejuvenated" the High Street.
Suzi Bull who owns a lifestyle shop said: "It was so quiet around here during the works, you could hear a pin drop.
"I don't have enough superlatives to describe her (Juliet), we are all very grateful."
Cadent said they were "very conscious" of the disruption but that the works were "necessary" to ensure a reliable gas supply.
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