New piece of work added to art initiative

HAVING suffered a longer than expected break in frequency due to the onset of winter and then, less predictably, by the arrival of the Coronavirus, the Ladybird Collective street art initiative has been reinvigorated with a new piece by Loughborough Fine Art graduate, Jade Taylor.

We Can Do It is a touching tribute to the country’s unique National Health Service, presented in a classic 1940s period-poster style, befitting an institution that celebrated its 75th birthday on July 5.

The mural took four days to complete and is prominently located on one of Loughborough’s main arterial roads, between Fennel Street Barbers and the Fennel Street Club.

The Ladybird Collective’s Nick Hardy told the Echo: “Jade is a fantastic local artist whose regular work includes prints and commissions through her own Opyre Herd Illustrations (see @theopyreherd).

“She approached us wanting to produce a mural to commemorate the heroic efforts of the NHS, to coincide with its anniversary, and we were delighted to accept her generous offer and welcome her as a Ladybird Collective artist.

“Her mural is brilliantly stylised, fantastically topical and a lovely tribute to the amazing people who work within the NHS.

“It was also great to see the artwork promoted on the Loughborough University Instagram page, which has over 34,000 followers.”

Having received this injection of new talent, and with life beginning to slowly return to something approaching a version of normality, the Ladybird Collective team is now preparing to produce what will be its sixth town centre artwork.

■ The We Can Do mural in Fennel Street, Loughborough, which is the latest in the town’s Ladybird Collective street art initiative. The mural by Loughborough Fine Art graduate, Jade Taylor is a touching tribute to the country’s unique National Health Service, presented in a classic 1940s period-poster style.

■ Work underway on The We Can Do mural in Fennel Street, Loughborough, which is the latest in the town’s Ladybird Collective street art initiative.

■ The mural by Loughborough Fine Art graduate, Jade Taylor is a touching tribute to the country’s unique National Health Service, presented in a classic 1940s period-poster style.