Mural celebrates story of women’s centre

A 40ft mural celebrating almost four decades of women, community and local history has been unveiled at a Tees Valley support centre.

The artwork now stretches across the outside of Tees Valley Women’s Centre on Upper Albion Street in South Bank and was created by women who use the centre alongside local artist Jessica Leigh.

It charts the organisation’s story from its beginnings in 1987, when a group of South Bank women came together to improve opportunities and quality of life for women in the area.

Their work led to South Bank Women’s Centre officially opening in March 1991, with the organisation since growing to support women from across the Tees Valley.

Today, it provides education and training, employment support, advice and wellbeing services, as well as a safe and supportive environment.

The mural also celebrates South Bank’s wider history and heritage.

Women who use the centre took part in a series of creative workshops with Jessica, sharing memories, experiences and ideas that helped shape the finished design.

Jessica said: “The most important thing from the beginning was that this had to belong to the women at the centre.

“My role was to listen to their memories, ideas and experiences and find a way of bringing all of those different stories together in one piece of artwork.

“There is so much history here, both within the centre and across South Bank, and throughout the workshops you could really feel how much this place means to the women.

“Creating something on this scale which will now be seen by the wider community makes it even more meaningful.

“I hope when people see it, they recognise not just the story of the centre, but something of South Bank and their own community too.”

The artwork was officially unveiled at an event attended by participants alongside local dignitaries and representatives from businesses and organisations that supported the project.

It will now remain permanently on display across the exterior of the centre.

Donna Middleton, centre manager at Tees Valley Women’s Centre, added: “This mural means an enormous amount to everyone here because it tells our story, but it has genuinely been shaped by the women themselves.

“The centre began with a group of women from South Bank who wanted to make life better for women in their community. 

“Nearly 40 years later, that is still at the heart of everything we do.

“Thousands of women have come through our doors over the years, each with their own story, and I think this mural is a wonderful celebration of all of them.

“It celebrates where we have come from, our roots here in South Bank and the women who have made the centre what it is today, but it is also about looking forward to the next chapter.

“To now have that story told across the outside of our building, where the whole community can see it, feels really special.

“Jessica has done an incredible job of taking so many different ideas, memories and experiences and bringing them together into something that feels like us.”

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