Crawford Bridge now ship shape!

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Artists and pupils have brightened up a forgotten Edinburgh railway bridge, thanks to an anti-graffiti project.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s Community Safety team is running the ShipShape Albion scheme. The council has spent more than £3,000 each year removing spray paint from the Crawford Bridge, which links Albion Terrace to Bothwell Street.

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Now local artists and pupils from Lorne Street Primary School have created more than 90 paintings covered with clear anti-graffiti coating, which have now been fixed to the bridge, deterring taggers and brightening it up.

Local businesses helped by paying for all of the materials.

Councillor Cammy Day, Community Safety Convener, said: “Our Community Safety team came up with the idea following complaints that the bridge was being vandalised by graffiti taggers, and removing it was becoming very costly. So much work has gone into transforming the bridge in what has been a real community effort. Thanks to everyone who was involved, they should be proud of their efforts.”

Artist Ritchie Collins said: “As I was painting, people were telling me about the history of the area and family members that used to work in the old factories I was painting!

“I got put right on a few things too! It was a real history lesson for me and amazing to feel the connection between my artwork, the community and a hidden past.”