New mural unveiled in Foss Walk, York

The 23m long mural in Foss Walk, created by Yorkshire-based artist, Selkie Ray, celebrates nature and the maintenance and restoration of river and wetland areas in York.

It was commissioned by York BID in partnership with York Cares as part of an ongoing effort to introduce more street art to the city, and follows the murals in Barbican, Coney Street, and Queen Street.

Selkie Ray's Foss Walk mural (Image: Alex Holland)

Selkie Ray specialises in painting the wild and wonderful.

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She said: "Creating this mural in such a beautiful location has been a real joy. I’m very thankful to have been part of such a wonderful project."

The mural features an underwater landscape filled with wildlife that can be found in York's riverbanks.

It runs along Foss Walk behind Travis Perkins and Majestic Vines, an area which has been heavily graffitied in the past and a busy route for locals accessing the city centre by foot.

Project team left to right – Beki Johnson (Environment & Community Officer, City of York Council), Emily J Starling (Artist), Holly Hennell (Manager, York Cares), Rachel Bean (Project Manager, York BID) (Image: Alex Holland)

Rachel Bean is leading the Street Art Project at the York BID.

She said: "We’re delighted to have installed two murals in such quick succession.

"This artwork, alongside the hard work of the volunteers, has completely transformed this area and is already having such a positive impact."

York Cares has helped to commission the mural as part of its Big Community Challenge 2023 - the biggest challenge to date, involving over 600 voluntreers, and collaborations with organisations including City of York Council, St Nicks, and the University of York.

Holly Hennell, Manager at York Cares, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be able to work in partnership with York BID to bring a vision of a mural on Foss walkway to life.

"The mural perfectly captures the work we have been doing across the city this June for our Big Community Challenge to transform river and wetland areas, and reflects the importance of our waterways.

"This will be a real legacy for our biggest challenge to date.”