Pat Sissons from BBC Radio Solent
Western Parade Gallery

It’s been funny old time during lockdown. We’ve all had to re-adjust in some way, and many who have stayed at home used the time to develop new interests. For me, I finally had enough free time to address the one element of my home which has always bugged me – the unloved communal backyard.

I love where I live, a large Georgian flat right near the seafront. But the bare, crumbling brick wall surrounding our square of outdoors has never been inviting. This lockdown period provided me with the opportunity to do what I do best, and with the help of our socially distanced neighbours – we transformed it with a mural of the South Downs. You can see the finished result on our gallery page.

People have been sharing lockdown stories during Radio Solent’s mid-morning show hosted by Pat Sissons (shown above), and he called me to talk about how the project developed, and how it became a little hub of community spirit.

You can hear a recording of my story (from Monday 30th June 2020) in the audio player below, in which we also chatted about The Strand Mural, The Jolly Sailor mural and the time I gave Prince Charles a personalised satellite dish cover.