UK’s longest mural in Bootle promotes active school travel 2026

Key Points

• This new 525ft (160m) long nature-themed mural has been painted on the Cinder Path of Bootle, which has been termed the country’s longest nature-themed mural of its kind.
• The artwork has been developed in collaboration between street artist Paul Curtis and students of Thomas Gray Primary and All Saints Primary schools.
• It is an important element of Sefton Council’s Bootle North Park School Neighbourhoods project, carried out by the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust.
• Children helped design nature-inspired murals including images of wild animals and greenery after calling the route graffiti-ridden and littered.
• Students Taiwo and Riley unveiled the mural with the help of a ribbon cutting ceremony.
• This mural will inspire more children to use their legs or cycles while commuting to school by changing “dreary” path into a colorful outdoor gallery.”

Bootle (Liverpool standard) September 17, 2026 – The UK’s longest mural has been completed on the Cinder Path in Bootle as part of Sefton Council’s School Neighbourhood project, transforming a previously neglected route between two primary schools into a vibrant, nature-inspired artwork designed to promote safer and more active journeys to school.

What is the UK’s longest mural in Bootle?

The newly completed mural stretches 525ft (160m) along the Cinder Path, a walkway connecting Thomas Gray Primary and All Saints Primary schools in Bootle. Hand-painted by Merseyside street artist Paul Curtis, the artwork is considered one of the longest of its kind in the country and features nature-themed imagery including wildlife and greenery, all drawn from concepts contributed by local schoolchildren.

As reported by Marc Gaier of the BBC, Curtis stated that the mural “brings a little bit of positivity to the area” and described the project as distinct from his typical gable-end murals, noting that it “felt like painting a ribbon” due to the need to work on multiple images simultaneously and integrate them cohesively along the lengthy pathway.

Who created the Bootle school streets mural?

Paul Curtis, the artist behind the Bootle mural, is well known for previous large-scale works across Merseyside, including depictions of Olympian Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Paralympian Jack Hunter-Spivey. He was commissioned to transform what had been described by students as a “dingy” and graffiti-covered route into an engaging visual experience that would encourage children to consider walking and cycling as viable options for their daily commute to school.

Curtis worked directly with pupils from both Thomas Gray Primary and All Saints Primary, who contributed their own nature-inspired design ideas after identifying the pathway as an area in need of improvement. According to Curtis, the children’s feedback was straightforward and positive, which he took as a strong indicator that the project had achieved its intended effect.

Which schools are involved in the Bootle mural project?

The mural serves two neighbouring primary schools: Thomas Gray Primary School and All Saints Catholic Primary School, both located in the Bootle area of Sefton. Students from both institutions participated in the design process, offering concepts centred around wildlife and greenery that would make their daily walk to school more appealing and visually engaging.

During the official unveiling ceremony, pupils Taiwo and Riley were given the honour of cutting the ribbon to mark the completion of the artwork, symbolising the central role that young people played in shaping the final design.

How does the mural support safer school streets in Bootle?

The Bootle mural forms a key component of Sefton Council’s Bootle North Park School Neighbourhoods project, an initiative aimed at improving safety and encouraging active travel for children journeying to and from school. The project was delivered in partnership with the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, an organisation focused on promoting walking, wheeling (using scooters or similar devices), and cycling among young people.

Sam Turner, schools neighbourhood officer for Sefton Council, explained that the mural was developed as part of this broader effort to create more inviting and secure routes for pupils. As reported by Marc Gaier of the BBC, Turner stated: “The students’ designs were truly the inspiration, and they’re so pleased with it.”

By transforming an otherwise uninviting pathway into a colourful and engaging space, the project seeks to reduce reliance on motor vehicles for short school journeys, thereby contributing to improved air quality, reduced traffic congestion, and enhanced road safety in the immediate school neighbourhood.

What designs feature in the Bootle nature-themed mural?

The mural’s visual content is entirely nature-focused, reflecting the preferences expressed by the participating schoolchildren during the design consultation phase. Students described the original route as being covered in graffiti and surrounded by litter, and proposed replacing this with imagery drawn from the natural world, including depictions of local wildlife and plant life.

Curtis integrated these child-led concepts into a continuous, ribbon-like composition that runs the full 525ft length of the pathway, creating what has been described as an open-air gallery that children encounter each day on their way to school. The artist noted that the elongated format required a different approach compared to his usual work, as he had to ensure visual coherence across multiple distinct images while maintaining a unified aesthetic throughout.

Background of the School Neighbourhoods development

The Bootle North Park School Neighbourhoods project is part of Sefton Council’s wider School Neighbourhood initiative, which seeks to improve the immediate environments surrounding schools across the borough through targeted interventions such as street art, traffic-calming measures, and enhanced pedestrian infrastructure. The programme is delivered in collaboration with community partners including the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, which specialises in promoting active and sustainable travel options for children and families.

The Cinder Path mural represents one of the flagship interventions within this programme, leveraging public art as a tool for place-making and behaviour change. Previous phases of the School Neighbourhoods project have included similar improvements in other areas of Sefton, with a focus on creating safer, more attractive routes that encourage children to walk, cycle, or use scooters rather than being driven to school by car.

Prediction: How this development can affect local communities and school travel behaviour

The completion of the UK’s longest mural in Bootle is likely to have several measurable effects on local communities, particularly in relation to school travel patterns and neighbourhood perceptions of safety. By transforming a previously neglected pathway into a visually engaging and well-maintained space, the project may increase the proportion of children choosing to walk or cycle to school, thereby reducing short car journeys and associated traffic congestion during peak school hours.

For parents and carers, the enhanced environment may provide greater reassurance about the safety and appeal of active travel routes, potentially shifting attitudes towards allowing children to travel independently or in groups without motorised transport. For local residents, the mural may contribute to improved neighbourhood pride and reduced incidence of anti-social behaviour such as graffiti and littering, as community-owned artworks often foster a stronger sense of stewardship among those who encounter them daily.

Over the longer term, if similar interventions are replicated across other School Neighbourhoods in Sefton, the cumulative effect could be a significant shift towards more sustainable and health-promoting travel behaviours among school-age children, with associated benefits for public health, air quality, and road safety across the borough.