A vibrant, patterned mural has been unveiled at Teviot, as the finished product of a collaborative art project between award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group, housing association Poplar HARCA, Co-Creative Connection and the local community. Under the expert guidance of local artist Rose Hill, founder of Co-Creative Connection, Teviot Estate residents were given the opportunity to discuss, design, and deliver the striking art work, uniting the community through a collaborative creative process.

Keeping the community at the heart of the designs, artist Rose Hill held a series of six community workshops for residents to work on the final design of the mural. Encapsulating the past, present and future of Teviot, inspiration came from a wide variety of sources including the Platinum Jubilee celebrations; the Scottish heritage of the original owner of Teviot; African and Islamic artwork to reflect residents' ethnic backgrounds and flags and rainbows to reflect the inclusivity of the community.

Rose commented: 'It was extremely important that we captured the diversity of this wonderful community in the selected design. Our bold use of pattern and colour visually highlights the fact that beauty can be found in difference; the mismatching patterns uniting to form a cohesive, stunning piece of art.'

Capturing the essence of the regeneration project, references to the sun were used to symbolise a bright future, abundant with opportunities for the residents. Falone Bulsa, a local resident, commented: 'Whilst helping in the creation of the mural, I felt like I was part of something truly positive for our community. Not only has the art outwardly brightened our community, but this project has created an opportunity for all generations to get together and chat every week. Hopefully, I have made some friends for life through this process.'

Coming to an end on the 24th of September, residents had a final opportunity to take part in the painting of the mural at the annual 'Our Teviot' summer festival. Attracting over forty participants, the art piece became a captivating talking point for the wider community, both for those directly involved and the countless keen observers.

Adding to the extensive list of community-focused projects previously held by The Hill Group and Poplar HARCA, this creative venture was proposed as a way to strengthen ties between the local population, aiding in building a foundation of unity, collaboration and inclusivity for future residents.

Kelly Player, Social Value Manager at The Hill Group said: 'Community engagement has always been central to our regeneration plans. We strongly believe that local residents should be placed at the heart of the design process and this mural is a visual reminder of this pact. Its bold, contrasting patterns reflect the multitude of voices that helped create this striking mural. Due to the success of this project, we hope to incorporate similar projects in the future.' 

Ana-Mae Contreras Ramirez, Poplar HARCA,  said: “It's fantastic to see this bold, striking mural come to life in Teviot, taking its place alongside Poplar's tradition as a place for street art.  It's been great to see the community engaged in telling stories about their lives and the place through this artwork.  Residents are at the heart of all our work and we're looking forward to furthering opportunities for the community to drive the Teviot regeneration as it moves forward.”

Extending beyond the deliverance of a comprehensive social value package to the local community through collaborative projects, regeneration plans for Teviot include more than 1,750 new homes, as well as green spaces and play areas community and faith facilities, enhanced public realm, and improved infrastructure.

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About Co-Creative Connection

"I didn't know I could do that!"

​On the third day of our massive mural project in Tower Hamlets (East London), a young woman in a black jumper came up to me and said the above quote. At that moment we realised this could really be a *thing*.

We truly believe that creativity is for everyone, and that day we saw it in action... We believe creativity can make us feel like we belong, connect us, heal us and make the world much more colourful!! Now a year and a half later the Co-Creative Connection has created many community mural projects, partnering with organisations like The Hill Group, Poplar Harca Housing, Higgins Partnerships, The Guinness Partnership, Peabody, Lewisham Homes, Eldon Primary School, Edmonton Green Shopping Centre, and has brought over 1500 of people young and old together to paint, laugh, be creative, learn and make their space their own.

 About Poplar HARCA

Poplar HARCA is an award-winning Housing and Regeneration Community Association in east London. We focus on providing homes and support to residents old and new; helping to create a place where people, communities and businesses can grow and thrive. With our partners, we are currently leading an extensive place-shaping programme for Poplar, attracting a £2.5 billion investment to regenerate, build and create opportunities.

poplarharca.co.uk

About Hill

Hill is an award-winning housebuilder and one of the leading developers in London, the home counties, and the south, delivering both private for sale and affordable homes.  

Now in its 24th year, this family-owned and operated company has grown to establish itself as the UK's second-largest privately-owned housebuilder, with an impressive and diverse portfolio of schemes ranging from landmark, mixed-use regeneration schemes and inner-city apartments to homes in rural communities. 

Employing over 750 staff, the company operates from five strategically located regional offices, with its head office based in Waltham Abbey, Essex. 

Hill anticipates completing over 2,800 homes in 2022 and has a controlled land bank with planning consent of over 6000 units. Around half of the development portfolio is in joint venture to deliver a range of mixed tenure developments, reflecting Hill's commitment to partnerships with government, local authorities, housing associations and private clients. 

Hill has won over 460 industry awards in the past 23 years, including Best Medium Housebuilder at the Housebuilder Awards in 2020 and 2021. Hill also won Best Home, Best Sustainable Development and Best Medium Housebuilder at the WhatHouse? Awards 2021 and has won WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year twice. Hill's prestigious and highly sustainable Knights Park development in Eddington, Cambridge won Best Family Home at the 2022 Evening Standard New Homes Awards. In addition, Hill has been awarded the 5-star status in the Home Builders Federation's annual Customer Satisfaction Survey for the past five years. 

The Hill Group is donating 200 fully equipped modular homes to local authorities and homeless charities as part of a £15m pledge through its Foundation 200 programme, launched in 2019 to mark Hill's 20th anniversary.

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For more information, contact The Oracle Group PR Agency on Tel: 020 8394 2821 or hill@oraclepr.co.uk