We’ll drink to that! Pub’s wall tribute to the forces
THREE-DAY MURAL WAS FINISHED IN TIME FOR VE DAY
A MURAL honouring the three armed forces of the UK was created on a town pub just in time for VE Day.
The artwork, on the side of The Snibstone New Inn, in Coalville, is all the more impressive for being completed in just three days.
The pub, in Belvoir Road, had been in need of a new lick of paint, but rather than just a simple refresh, landlady Gemma King decided to go all out on its redesign.
Known for her links in supporting the veterans in the town, she enlisted the help of the Coalville CAN community group and artist Tommy Slinger to create a mural across its exterior.
The artwork depicts the Army, the Royal Navy and the RAF.
“It all happened so fast but I can’t believe how well it’s turned out,” Gemma said.
“It’s brilliant, I knew what we were aiming for when some sketches had been drawn out, but it’s so much better than I could have hoped.”
The mural was completed by Tommy, of Graffiti Walls, who did the painting on behalf of Coalville CAN, with all profits made being put back into other community projects in the town.
It was something that Gemma, who is part of Coalville CAN, felt was vital.
“There is so much going on in Coalville now to make it better and the money that we spent on this is going straight back into the town to help further other art projects,” she said.
“There are so many groups all with one common aim now – to make Coalville great.”
Preparatory work on the mural began before May’s early bank holiday, but the bulk of the work was done in just three days by Tommy so it could be ready for Sunday’s VE Day.
“It was a lot to ask, I know, but once he got going, Tommy really got going,” said Gemma.
“I did a bit of the painting before the bank holiday, but Tommy got it done in three days. It’s incredible.”
The pub’s links with the armed forces and veterans have been long-standing, and Gemma has personal connections to the town’s servicemen through her family.
She said: “My grandmother used to run the Engineers Arms just down the road, running it through the Second World War and beyond. I’ve got some veterans who were servicemen back in her day and they talk about her fondly.
“Sadly there’s been a lot of wars since, so we’ve got people who’ve served in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Falklands who come here too.
“It affects so many and we’re here as a community for them.”
Just metres away from Coalville’s Clock Tower, the newly designed pub exterior is set to be joined by a new mural in the pub’s beer garden at a later date.
This will honour Coalville’s varied history, with designs showcasing its mining heritage among the ideas Gemma has lined up for it.
For now, the mural is something she looks at fondly.
She said: “If you’ve never been Coalville before and you come to the centre, you’ll see the Clock Tower and then you’ll see our mural. Everything is so linked to the servicemen in this town.
“We should never forget them and what they did. Hopefully we’ve done something that makes people proud.”