Crown Paints brightens community projects in Hull

7 Jan 2020

Leading paint manufacturer Crown Paints invested in charity and community projects throughout 2019, with a number of colourful donations made to great causes across Hull.

Some of the company’s most popular products are manufactured at its facility in Hull and it regularly donates paint to community projects through its Crown Decorating Centre, located on Stoneferry Road, and NIMTECH, a social enterprise based at its HQ.

One of the key projects in the area the company was involved in is the Colours of Spring Bank – launched by Artlink Hull, the project has seen artists Shaz Darley and Skeg paint murals and block colours on a number of houses and properties that are home to local businesses in the area, in order to promote the unity, diversity and community spirit of the area.

Colours of Spring Bank gave local residents the chance to have their say on which colours were used for the murals, narrowing the choices down to a palette of 17 colours of Sandtex 365 All Weather Masonry Paint, to be used across the project.

Shaz Darley commented on the donation, saying: “I can’t overstate what a difference this sort of generosity makes when working within tight budgets on community based projects.

“The completed murals so far look great and we’re excited to be able to make a substantial difference to the area with the help of Crown Paints.”

Crown Paints also donated Sandtex masonry paint to street art collective Bankside Gallery, for its weekend-long takeover of the Preston Road Estate.

The project saw the donated paint used to create blank canvases on 22 empty houses on the estate, which artists then sprayed over with unique graffiti artworks to transform the community.

The takeover saw 130 artists from across the country playing their part in the estate’s transformation, and drew in a number of visitors to watch the process.

Amongst them was Hull local Dora Wilkins, who was born in 1933 in one of the houses that received the Bankside Gallery treatment, and who came along to see how the street-art crew were putting pride back in the community.

Ollie Marshall, of Spray Creative and the Bankside Gallery, commented: “Art can give communities a sense of pride and we get a lot of people – residents and visitors – coming along to see what the artists have created.

“Companies like Crown getting involved has really boosted the project, and the donated paint means that artists can afford to paint more and more frequently, so it really is a massive help.”

A 50 litre Sandtex donation by Crown Paints also saw a local space transformed when it was used to brighten up the Chanterlands Avenue railway bridge.

The Hull City Council initiative allowed artist Andy Pea, part of the Kingston Art Group, to turn the bridge into an open air gallery consisting of different themes and painting styles.

Each wall was treated as an individual canvas, with Andy working with Thoresby Primary School to create the design.

The latest cause to receive a donation from Crown Paints this year was Emmaus Hull, which was provided with Crown Trade Clean Extreme Scrubbable Matt in grey to refurbish its dining room.

The charity works to combat homelessness through providing those in need with a stable place to live and work for as long as is needed, and the refurbished dining room is now a clean and fresh space for its companions to enjoy.

Josie Cawdry, corporate communications executive at Crown Paints, commented: “With our manufacturing facility based in Hull, it’s important for us as a business to help with local causes as much as we can, so we’re delighted to have donated paint to a number of projects in the area throughout 2019.

“We look forward to continuing to be involved with charity and community causes across Hull in 2020.”

Crown Trade,
PO Box 37,
Hollins Road,
Darwen,
BB3 0BG,
United Kingdom,

Phone 0330 0240310
Fax 01254 774414

Visit Crown Trade's website