KIDS on a deprived inner city housing estate in London’s East End have been daubing paint on the walls of their playground. But they haven’t been vandalising their neighbourhood with graffiti

By Mike Brooke

KIDS on a deprived inner city housing estate in London’s East End have been daubing paint on the walls of their playground.

But they haven’t been vandalising their neighbourhood with graffiti.

The youngsters on the Chicksand Estate in Spitalfields were asked to add a touch of their talents to a mural to cover an ugly wall.

They were invited by office workers volunteering from one of London’s big law firms and a big City bank to create a playground mural.

SLOGAN

The aim was to make a difference to the area—and it worked. Not a trace was left of the unsightly anti-Semitic slogan that was daubed in the same playground earlier this year.

The office staff got together with the kids and came up with designs for the mural, before spending most of Friday turning their ideas into reality.

The law firm, Allen & Overy, which has its offices in nearby Bishops Square behind Liverpool Street station, is part of the Spitalfields partnership’ with Deutsche Bank, working with community groups, schools, charities, tenants groups and residents’ associations to improve life in the run-down district.

The next goal’ in the project is improving the youngsters’ football pitch on the estate.