GAINSBOROUGH PRIMARY SCHOOL

Marcus Rashford

Here at MurWalls, we love what we do, every job is a privilege, and our ethos is always to try and give back to the community. However, sometimes a job comes along that is a little bit special, and the mural we painted at Gainsborough primary school in West Ham, east London, is just that. The media coverage has been unbelievable and a very humbling process, so read on to find out about the day we recently created a tribute to Marcus Rashford.

Commissioned by Kids

The children of this school were asked what they would like as a piece of art on the wall of their building. the mural was sponsored by education recruitment company JSD Recruitment. It was then that they came up with the idea to depict Marcus Rashford as a thank you for all he has done for their community and others like it right across the UK. Approximately 3/4 of children who attend their school rely on funding to provide free school meals, and many parents came forward to say that lockdown and, in particular, the school holidays was a real challenge. It was Marcus’s campaign that twice got the UK government to do a U-turn and change the policy on providing free school meals during the lockdown. The school says demand rose to over 50% at the height of the first lockdown, and they are grateful that they were able to help these families. Hearing children say there is very little food at home is heartbreaking, so we understand and fully support their decision to say thank you to this footballing legend.

A Simple Portrait

The children were able to take it in turns to watch our street artist at work, and they were given a chance to learn how to use spray cans properly and safely and understand the legalities of street art and what we do. The headshot of Rashford is based on a photo taken by Paul Cooper; he is seen thoughtfully gazing off into the middle distance. He has received opposition for his work and praise, so this is a fantastic way to show that most people feel nothing but gratitude and no ill-will. Our founder Marc Silver explains ‘People just respect him as a person, that he stood up to the government, he stood up for what he believes in and helped support and change people’s lives up and down the country’.