THE ARTIST behind the iconic Derry Girls mural has been commissioned by Letterkenny Tidy Towns to create biodiversity inspired street art throughout the town. The exciting project will see award winning artist Karl Porter from UV Arts produce the educational images centred around the theme of bees and pollination.

The vibrant images will be painted on various buildings starting at Upper Port Road ,  continue down the Main Street, and will finish at the Jim McCormack Urban Street Garden which is a tribute to the late Jim McCormack, a former chairperson of the Tidy Towns committee. The street art will form ‘Flight of the Bee’ walking trail, an initiative that not only hopes to promote the important message of biodiversity but also act as a way to draw tourists into both the old and new town centres.

The trail is about 1km in length and takes approximately 30 minutes to walk. It will give visitors and locals alike the chance to follow Queen Bee on her journey and will hopefully encourage people call into the coffee shops and eateries along the way.  The idea is for the images to attract young and old and get the message across that bees are vital  for the preservation of ecological balance and biodiversity in nature. They provide one of the most recognisable ecosystem services, i.e., pollination, which is what makes food production possible.

The committee has been working on the project since the idea was first mooted during the summer and were thrilled to have Karl Porter on board. He is due to start work soon and it is expected to take two to three weeks to complete, weather dependent.

It is hoped that in the future the Tidy Towns will be able to digitise the trail and connect with other points of interest such as the Cathedral Quarter.

Anyone who would like to support the work of the committee can purchase their  2020 calendar which is available from Magees Pharmacy and Brian McCormick Sports & Leisure and online at – https://www.letterkennytidytowns.com/product/2021-letterkenny-tidy-towns-calendar. The calendar is a collection of pictures taken by the Letterkenny people for the ‘Keep it Local, Keep it Beautiful’ photography competition run by Letterkenny Tidy Towns in June.