Artists Elle Koziupa and Betarok75 with The Fire Horse mural in Liverpool
Global Street Art has partnered with Lloyds Banking Group to bring two new community murals to Manchester and Liverpool as part of its Art for Estates programme.
Global Street Art’s community-led Art for Estates programme transforms housing estates with art, at no cost to councils or residents. For over a decade, the programme has brought large-scale public artworks to social housing estates, turning blank or neglected walls into colourful murals that help breathe life into the local area and bring communities together.
This year, thanks to the support and funding of Lloyds Banking Group, the programme has travelled to Manchester and Liverpool for the first time, with two giant new murals in Manchester’s Cheetham and Liverpool’s Chinatown.
This partnership between Lloyds Banking Group and Global Street Art is helping to improve local communities through creativity and collaboration. Lloyds Banking Group is a long-standing champion of the social housing sector and this partnership continues its commitment to supporting individuals, businesses and communities right across the country.
Standing at nearly 100 square metres in Manchester, Hope for Cheetham was created by artist Oskar with a K, in collaboration with local school children and community groups.
Based on suggestions from residents and local youth programme Hope for Cheetham, the mural was designed to bring in themes of nature and positivity. Local school children helped to design the leaves that can be seen throughout the design, sharing words of hope that they wanted to see reflected in the mural. The leaves adorn Oskar’s beautiful typographic message, painted in a bright, autumnal colour palette. The mural took Oskar and a team of artists from Global Street Art five days to paint and now stands as a colourful landmark for the estate.
“It’s created such a buzz in the community already, so many people are stopping to admire it!” said Gemma Batchelor, neighbourhood engagement officer for Jigsaw Homes.
Liverpool also boasts a new artwork in the form of The Fire Horse – a giant 200 square metre mural that celebrates 2026 as the year of the Fire Horse in the zodiac. It’s a powerful landmark for Liverpool’s Chinatown, which is one of the oldest Chinese communities in Europe.
The mural was designed by artists Betarok75 and Elle Koziupa in collaboration with charity Pagoda Arts and the local community. Together, they delivered workshops with local residents, giving people the opportunity to shape the themes and direction of the artwork. In total, 85 people aged 8 – 80 took part, contributing ideas around cultural themes and visual direction.
The artwork combines traditional Chinese symbols and characters – long associated with strength, good fortune and prosperity – with a horse motif reflecting the Year of the Fire Horse, which only occurs once every 60 years and symbolises galvanising energy. Locals also chose the colour palette for the mural – a beautiful sky blue background set against the flaming red of the horse.
Ming Wang of Merseyside Chinese Association Joint Action Group said, “From the very beginning, it got the community and neighbourhood involved – our voices have been heard, our ideas, our stories, heritage and identity.”
Dr Lee Bofkin, CEO of Global Street Art, said, “We’ve been painting murals in housing estates through our Art for Estates programme for over a decade. With the amazing support of Lloyds Banking Group, we’ve started to take the programme nationwide and secure its legacy, providing increased access to art in underserved communities, with two new murals in Manchester and Liverpool. Before painting, both walls were neglected and covered in graffiti tags. Now they stand as giant artworks – local landmarks that communities can feel proud of.”
“This is the first time Art for Estates has had any significant support, so I want to deeply thank Lloyds for being the first to back this project.”
Chris Yau, director, housing and sustainability and regional head of North West at Lloyds Banking Group, said, “Initiatives like this create new ways for people to come together and actively shape their surroundings. Supporting programmes like Art for Estates, which put residents at the heart of creative and social change, is an important part of building places that feel inclusive, distinctive and full of opportunity.”
“We work with housing providers across the UK to support investment not just in homes, but in the wider fabric of communities. Since 2018, Lloyds Banking Group has supported more than £22 billion in new finance to the social housing sector through commercial lending and deal facilitation, helping to deliver more projects that improve neighbourhoods and create lasting social value. This is a great example of how that investment can enable meaningful, community-led change.”
No Comment! Be the first one.