Community leaders are working hard to ensure Spalding is looking its best in time for the flower parade – replacing graffiti with a special piece of artwork.
Spalding Flower Parade organiser Stephen Timewell, and street artist Karl Barfoot have teamed up to smarten up by the town by painting over the graffiti tags which have been blighting the former Calthrops building in Market Place.
This is one of a number of messy graffiti tags which are defacing walls across the town including The White Horse in Churchgate, car parks, phone boxes, the former Hughes building in Sheep Market and the entrance to the Castle Sports Complex.
Mr Timewell has now received permission from the owner of Market Place building to paint over the eyesore by replacing it with a flower mural.
He said: “I just want Spalding to look its best for the parade. I noticed on my way home from work that boarding on The White Horse looks the same, all graffiti.
“It’s just not acceptable.
“This is another example of the community pulling together.”
Mr Timewell and Mr Barfoot have had a discussion on the design to be used which will be painted in the next couple of weeks.
One idea is for Mr Barfoot, who has had artwork commissioned from businesses in the town, is to paint an image of a female with a floral design which is in keeping with the town’s historic flower parade.
He said: “It is quite an honour and I am proud to be asked to do it
“I think it’s cool.
“I will do a rough sketch and draw it up and go from there.”
The artist has campaigned to South Holland District Council for a legal wall to be available and his dream would be to paint a mural above Superdrug in Hall Place.
He said: “Myself and a friend of mine Adam Sadd did a petition for a legal wall but there were rules and they needed plans.
“ We didn’t have that freedom and I felt councillors didn’t understand a legal wall.
“It is to just go and paint there and paint what you want within reason.”
Mr Barfoot, whose art has featured Sir Captain Tom Moore and Breaking Bad character Walter White, said: “Where do you draw the line between graffiti and what is street art.
“Everyone has different tastes.
“ I respect graffiti in a way and it is part of the culture and how it originated.”
Tagging and bombing are terms used in street art which represent the types of graffiti seen in Spalding.
Mr Barfoot said: “You’re never going to stop graffiti.
“You go to cities and it is a scene in itself.
“It is always nice to make a place look nice but the council won’t provide an area.
“ Shops are shut and boarded up and in my eyes that makes the town look just as bad.
“There are street drinkers and loads of things going on so this will be a nice thing to see.”
Although Banksy is not Mr Barfoot’s cup of tea there is a respect in the culture of street art but not from the taggers who have ruined some of Karl’s work.
He said: “In the graffiti world people respect it and other painters respect it.
“Everyone respects everyone.”
He hopes eventually money may be invested by the council for wall art in the town to make it a landmark for visitors heading in.
He said: “If they invested money where it can be seen, such as the wall above Superdrug, it would be a really nice image in Spalding.
“I would love to do a collaboration and have it in more of a public place.”
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