Volunteers make a splash as University project helps spread positive messages at skatepark

Mumbles Skatepark is now helping to promote inclusion and belonging after being given a colourful makeover inspired by the community.

Park users, their friends and relatives and even the local PCSOs used their artistic skills to create brightly coloured positive words and murals for the latest project by Flip the Streets, the community initiative founded by Swansea University’s Professor Lella Nouri.Flip the Streets works with young people and their wider communities to create collaboratively designed artworks representing their beliefs and values in the physical spaces they use. It supports groups to visually stand out against hate of all kinds on our streets. Its previous projects have seen eye-catching murals taking the place of hateful graffiti and vandalism.

For the Mumbles project Professor Nouri and her team organised two workshops which gave users the chance to come up with ideas about how to represent the skatepark in art form. They were asked what it meant to them to be part of the skate community in Mumbles, what was special about belonging to it and how they could represent belonging and inclusion through the medium of art.

Their suggestions were then turned into two murals by Fresh Creative CIC – one featuring a submarine, to reflect many sea-themed ideas, and the other depicting a Mumbles spray can suggested by one user. A scooter and skateboard were also included to represent the variety of users the skatepark attracts.

Everyone who took part in the workshops, along with staff and volunteers from Mumbles Community Council, took part in a special mural day when they brought the art to life. Around 40 participants ended up contributing to the finished murals.

Professor Nouri, from the School of Social Sciences said: “This was a brilliant example of what Flip the Streets is all about – bringing people together to celebrate the places that matter to them and giving young people and local communities a visible voice in shaping those spaces.

“The energy on the day was fantastic, the energy on the mural day was fantastic, with skaters, families, volunteers and PCSOs all contributing to something positive, colourful and lasting. These murals reflect the creativity, pride and sense of belonging that already exists in the skatepark community, and we hope they will help make the space feel even more welcoming for everyone who uses it.”

Flip the Streets was launched in 2023, initially funded by Race Council Cymru and now through Swansea Council’s Community Safety Partnership. Since then it has help transform areas in Clase, Gorseinon, Manselton and the city centre.