ARTISTS have transformed a graffiti-covered alley into a brightly coloured work of art.

Urban artist John Bulley joined fellow painters Venus Rubbertazzi and Scotty B to brighten up an alley in Rochford Garden Way, Rochford, with the help of some local children.

The project was one of two creative workshops organised by Rochford Housing which paid for the £2,200 project designed to capture the imagination of youngsters in Rochford Watch This Space, delivered by community organisation Estuary Fringe, saw ten young people transform a piece of wall in Rochford Garden Way into a themed graffiti mural.

Participants came up with a creative design for the wall, with the theme of respect, before creating the artwork itself.

Mr Bulley, 63, said: “The alley was covered in graffiti, with offensive pictures and swear words. We got together with local kids to paint the mural with the theme of “respect”. We painted pictures of the kids and they joined in to help. The alley has been called Graffiti Alley and it looks great.

“Thanks to Venus Rubbertazzi for all her hard work right from day one and to Scotty B for bringing his unique style to the project, it has been a pleasure.”

Children aged eight to 12 also took part in Through Our Eyes, led by Hayley Elizabeth Photography. The children learnt camera skills before they went out into the neighbourhood to capture unique images.

At the final workshop the young residents created photo frames for their two favourite photographs, showcased at an exhibition at the Rochford Methodist Church Hall.

Both projects have encouraged all those who took part to make a positive contribution to their local neighbourhood.

Chris Silvey, Rochford Housing’s resident involvement officer, said: “The two workshops were very popular and it was lovely to see the enthusiasm from the children and their inspirational finished pieces. Rochford Housing is proud to work in partnership with community organisations which involve residents.”

Hayley Duff, from Hayley Elizabeth Photography, added: “It has been a lot of fun and also very rewarding to see what the children have achieved.”