Leamington residents get creative thanks to family's community initiative

Residents in a street in Leamington have been getting creative thanks to a family's community initaitive.

The 'art club' was set up by the Bilton family who live in Wathen Road.

It started with Ellie's children putting pictures in their windows and it quickly became a community initiative.

Ellie said: "We set up the art club about six weeks ago following lockdown.

"I have three young kids, (two of whom love to draw) who had enjoyed looking at the rainbows appearing in various windows.

"We put a sign up in our living room window saying art club, with a poster letting people know what the first theme was, and then just waited to see what happened.

"We're in week five of art club, and it has just grown and grown.

"Quite a lot of the houses in our road now take part (mostly those with kids) and the creations are getting more and more spectacular."

As well as residents in Wathen Road, others in neighbouring streets have also joined in and judging of the pictures takes place weekly.

Ellie said: "It was initially just a Wathen Road art club, but we've let others join in if they have wanted to (we've had some notes through the door and been contacted via social media by other families living in neighbouring streets).

"People have to display their pictures in their front room windows by 4pm on a Sunday ready for judging.

"We judged it the first week, but now the previous week's winner gets to be judge.

"The winner has a rosette stuck on their window and then we announce it with a sign in the window.

"We also announce the new theme each Sunday evening so people come past to have a look."

Ellie said she was amazed by response to the initiative.

"The response to it has been amazing," said Ellie. "We set it up to give the kids in our road something to do with their families, but also to help people to feel connected to one another.

"We've started talking to people on our street who we have never met or had the opportunity to talk to before.

"Lots of families are out on a Sunday from 4pm (all adhering to social distancing) looking at what has been created - it really is lovely to see.

"We hope it's also provided something nice for people to look at when they're on their daily walk. A bit of hope and escapism in the middle of a pandemic.

"We got the Doctors from Clarendon Lodge to judge for us the Sunday before last which was lovely, as they're at the heart of the community now more than ever."

To view more of the window art displays go to the Instagram page Wathenroad_Artclub