STREET ART

Heeley Community TARA and Sheffield City Council South Local Area Committee funded a piece of new Street Art.

Alastair Findall from Neck of the Woods Studio worked with us to create designs for a mural to go on the corner of Carrfield Road and Gleadless Road. 

Ideas were collected from Heeley Residents at Heeley Farm Summer Fair and at our AGM in July.  He has also been working with local youth groups to refine the design.

Here is what was said  about the process at our Celebration event at the end of November 2025. It was delivered by his father!

"Alastair sends his sincere apologies for not being here today. He accidentally double-booked after unexpectedly being awarded a grant and mentoring opportunity in Wigan for a project he’s been developing over the past six months, and the dates sadly clashed. He’s genuinely sorry not to be with you.

He wants to thank the Heeley [Community] TARA, the Heeley Community Trust, the South LAC, and especially Caroline Thorpe, Laura Merchant, and everyone at the TARA and the council who supported this project. And he’s sorry he didn’t manage quite as many promised cups of tea — once he’s on a wall, he’s hard to get down, especially with the short days and terrible weather.

He hopes you’ll agree the finished mural brings something fresh and striking to the area. After the community vote earlier this year, feedback asked for a design that felt a bit more feminine and with more reflection of Heeley’s heritage — something he worked hard to include.

The number “1767” appears because it’s both a popular current meme with children — 6–7 — and also the date the old Heeley school was first built, marking Heeley’s shift from hamlet to village. The Heeley Community Trust logo was added to soften the hands and make the piece more inclusive. Other heritage elements include the Crow’s Nest bandstand, the old spelling “Heah-Leah,” meaning a high clearing of woodland, and the turret from Sum Studios, a creative hub in the area. That turret became the microphone in the design, symbolising the energy of people practising and making music locally.

The mural’s title, The Dreamers Show, comes from a ticket sourced from the Sheffield Music Archives. The imagery draws on jazz, brass, R&B and grassroots music culture — something inclusive that reflects all kinds of musical life in Heeley. The main character, the girl playing trombone, isn’t based on anyone specific; she represents young people finding their voice through music. Painting her was a real highlight for Alastair.

This wall means a lot to him — he drives past it twice a day from his home in Woodseats, brings his daughter to the farm here, spends time in all his favourite pubs in Heeley, and works closely with the Heeley Trust on other projects. He’s loved meeting people while painting — even if sometimes he was “in the zone” and didn’t always catch you for a chat.

Alastair is incredibly grateful for the support, the enthusiasm, and the chance to create something for a community he genuinely cares about. Thank you."

And we at Heeley Community TARA thank Alastair for his hard work.  There is no doubt that this project would not have come to fruition without his persistence and determination - liaising with the LAC and the owner of the wall and much, much more.

Photos below from the Celebration event