A Ramsey commissioner has spearheaded a project which has seen four new murals painted in the town.

In April 2024, Lamara Craine brought forward a notice of motion to the Ramsey Town Commissioners monthly board meeting to approve a mural board artwork project with a budget of £2,000.

This has now led to four new mural boards being mounted on the walls of buildings in the main thoroughfares of Ramsey.

The boards were provided to each artist by Ramsey Town Commissioners, with each artist getting £200 to spend on their time and the required equipment.

The proposal included general themes for the artwork being closely linked to the north of the island.

Themes for the artwork included categories such as Ramsey, the coastal landscape, connections to the sea, the ‘spirit of adventure’ (sailing, cycling, hiking), historic local landmarks, Manx folklore, local industrial heritage, the TT, wildlife, local maps and local iconic buildings.

The ‘Foxglove and the Bee’ is an example of one of these murals, which is mounted on the wall of Bar Logo in Crellin’s Lane.

This was painted by island artist Leanne Higgins, who runs the Pink Seaweed art gallery in the town.

Talking about the town and the mural project, Leanne commented: ‘Ramsey is lovely, and it’s full of people who genuinely care about it.

‘As artists, this was our chance to quietly make some noise about how special this place is. Everywhere you look, there’s creativity, passion, and a real sense of community.

‘It’s turning into a creative hotspot, and I absolutely love that - more, more, more!’

Ali Kennish, bar manager at Bar Logo, added: ‘I think it’s a great idea to brighten up the town, as so many buildings just have bare walls.

‘It’s great to see some colour and life brought into them. I really enjoy seeing Leanne’s artwork on the side of Bar Logo, and I hope to see more around the town in future.’

The artists involved in the project engaged directly with Ms Craine to put forward their designs.

Talking about the project, Ms Craine said: ‘It’s been absolutely wonderful working with some of the incredibly talented artists we have in this island. We’ve collaborated on ideas and worked together so that their incredible skills can be showcased around Ramsey.

‘I’m delighted that the members of the board see the value in having art in our town - increasing the vibrancy, adding character and also improving our culture.

‘They’re great additions to brighten up our streets, give our residents something enjoyable to see and our visitors the opportunity for a selfie.

‘I’m really humbled that our resident artists would give their time and effort for such low reward. They really deserve so much more than we can afford. But I know they do it because they want to make our town a more colourful place to live.’

If property owners in Ramsey are interested in providing a space for artwork boards, they are encouraged to reach out to Ms Craine directly at [email protected] before the end of April.