A NEW mural on an underpass leading to Dean Court has been unveiled.

The underpass was in a state of disrepair but last year, but after councillor Sharon Carr-Brown took to social media to highlight the issue, AFC Bournemouth decided to commission the art.

The club got creative alternative provision, MBN Arts, involved and students at Iford Academy and artist Owain Nicholls, also known as Humble Cherub, designed the work.

Then, a year and one day after Cllr Carr-Brown’s post, the mural was completed.

At an event to unveil the art with those who had played a part in the mural’s creation, along with Cherries player James Hill, the councillor said she was ‘blown away’ when she first saw the design.

Mike Ness, Sharon Carr-Brown, James Ireland and Humble Cherub (Image: Newsquest) “I tweeted that I had swept this underpass with my colleague, Annemarie Moriarty, and the point was that to make it a much nicer place for the fans who come through here in their hundreds on their way to matches," she said

“It often floods, they literally get wet feet. And so I thought, that's just not on, you know, let's have a bit more pride.”

Jim Frevola, president of business operations at the Cherries, saw the post and got the club involved through its community fund.

Cllr Carr-Brown said: “The whole idea was always to show town and club together to celebrate the best parts of Bournemouth and to celebrate the club. Lots of people within the council really helped us with this."

She added: “Lots of people volunteered as well to do some of the base coat work and the anti-graffiti coating and stuff like that. It's been a real community effort.”

MBN Arts supports vulnerable young people with special needs, focusing on the creative arts to instil key life skills in young people.

Humble Cherub and Mike Ness (Image: Newsquest) They also commission pieces, and Mike Ness, managing director at the provision, said that once the club contacted them, they got Humble Cherub on board.

The students at Iford Academy compiled their ideas and the artist created the designs.

The final design features slogans ‘together, anything is possible’ and ‘up the Cherries’ with a beach theme, incorporating the pier and a range of characters including a crab, Cherries players and fans.

“Those characters came from the ideas that the school brought forward,” Humble Cherub said.

“So it's all based on a beach in Bournemouth and you've got a wayfinder sign showing you one way to Queen's Park, one way to the stadium.

"You've got some football fans sat on a bench holding a banner which says ‘anything is’, which is the 'anything is' from the ‘together anything is possible’.”

(Image: Newsquest) He added: “The mural is supposed to be receptive as well for various generations, from children and adults and football fans.”

The mural also features a tribute to a friend, Nathan, who took his own life a few years ago.

Frevola said when he first saw Cllr Carr-Brown’s post he went over to see the underpass and the club thought it would be good to make it about the town and the club.

On the final mural, he said: “It's fantastic.

(Image: Newsquest) “We were just looking at all the different pieces of the art between the pier and the supporters and the sandcastles.

“I think it captures everything about what Bournemouth is and what this town means, not just to the football club, but to the youth of the club, the youth of the area and the community and the people of the town, how passionate they are about Bournemouth.

“I love it.”