SCHOOL pupils have turned an area blighted by vandalism into a modern memorial to the dead of World War One, with the help of a street artist.

Students from New Rickstones Academy transformed an Environment Agency gauge station on Witham’s River Walk alongside Scott Irving, of spray can art company Brave Arts.

The project is part of the town's World War One centenary commemorations and took about a week to complete.

Mr Irving said: “There has been a lot of feedback from people walking past. It threw up quite a lot of debate about what’s going on at the moment. It’s very topical.

“Essex Police originally wanted to do a project to combat some of the scrawl they were finding in the area.

“When I went to the place to plan it, it was covered in vandalism.”

Braintree and Witham Times:

Essex Police dropped the project, but continued to fund it when it was picked up by town clerk Jane Coleman.

Mr Irving ran art workshops with Year Eight children with art teacher Hanna Mais, and talked about the history of the town’s involvement in World War One.

The students drew up initial designs for the murals, which Mr Irving then refined.

A group of 14 students then put the finishing touches to the work this week.

Braintree and Witham Times:

Pupils Leo Hassel, James Rowland, Katie Chilvers, Taya Wilson, Sarah Moore, Jacob Eggerton and Milly Adshed-Grant

He said: “We are lucky in Witham because you have got some really good historians. We were able to delve in to that and share it with the kids.

“We read all the journals of soldiers. It wasn’t just an art project, it was an art and history crossover.”

He added: “The Witham war memorial features and under the design there is some text which is directly lifted from the Witham historian’s book.

“It’s nice because it means it has a direct link to the local area.

“It will last as long as it lasts. You can never tell with these things, in terms of whether people will scribble on them.

“Part of getting the kids involved in the local school is to get them feeling a bit of pride in their local area.”

Young artists, included Leo Hassel, James Rowland, Katie Chilvers, Taya Wilson, Sarah Moore, Jacob Eggerton Milly Adshed-Grant, Mitchel Payne, Freddie Bridge and Callum Banks.