Wall for all art installation to celebrate the borough

said the initiative offers a great opportunity to celebrate Rochdale’s recent achievements, as well as serving as a magnet to entice people back into the town centre.

He said: “This is open to anybody and everybody. This is a unique chance for the residents of Rochdale to have their work displayed on the side of a prominent town centre building for the next year for everyone else to see.

“Don’t think you have to be as good as Banksy to take part. We want people of all ages and all standards to enter. What are you waiting for”?

Coun Blundell added that although the emphasis of the project is on celebrating creativity and fun, there was also a serious point to the project, as bosses are keen to showcase the £250m revamped town centre to more people.

“People who haven’t been to Rochdale town centre for a few years are stunned at the improvements we’ve made,” he said. “The old council offices and bus station have been demolished and replaced with a new bus station, town centre Metrolink stop, an awardwinning library and council building. Our river has been opened up and our flagship new £80m retail

●●Residents of all levels of ability and art media are being invited to submit their work to be considered for inclusion in the Find Your Space collage at 21 Baillie Street in Rochdale town centre, which will celebrate what makes the borough great and leisure complex Rochdale Riverside opened during the pandemic.

“21 Baillie Street is located in the town centre and we thought the best way to utilise it was to turn over the side of the building into a giant artwork of up to 88 mosaics that sum up some of the things that are great about Rochdale, by the people who live here.”

Coun Blundell said there were no restrictions on what people draw as long as it celebrated something that makes Rochdale great.

The Find Your Space art project is a multi-agency initiative led by Rochdale Development Agency and also involves Rochdale

Borough Council, Action Together, Link4Life, Rochdale Business Improvement District and Marketing Manchester.

Paul Ormerod, chairman of Rochdale Development Agency, said: “Turning 21 Baillie Street into a giant canvas to celebrate the best of Rochdale is not only a great community project but it’s also good for business.

“The Dippy the Dinosaur exhibition attracted more than 100,000 visitors before Covid-19, many of whom had never seen the new-look town centre before. We think 21 Baillie Street will be equally popular.”

Anyone with a Rochdale link can submit an entry - and bosses hope some famous Rochdalians may be enticed to take part.

More details of how to take part and the full terms and conditions of the project are available at www.investinrochdale. co.uk/working-living/ find-your-space.

Entries need to be roughly A4 in size and landscape.