Billy the goose included in Whitehaven harbour mural

The local group in Whitehaven called the ship-shapers have been working around Whitehaven to make the town more appealing, including adding murals around town in partnership with Harbour Youth Project.

At the weekend (May 26), the groups refreshed the artistry by adding new details and filling the window boxes with new flowers for the summer.

Billy the goose was included as a tribute (Image: Whitehaven ship-shapers)

The murals were first done in 2021 when Lara Schwab orchestrated the mission and worked with the Harbour Youth Project on the paintings. Morrisons funded the flowers and the Harbour Commissioners funded the paint. The ship-shapers cleared the area to make way for the murals.

The murals needed a refresh, Lara said: "Since we done the mural, as much as the kids done a good job,  we wanted to give it a tidy and we picked this opportunity to use the new paints we have got to add details and character to the mural.”

However, the group decided to include a tribute to Billy the goose who was killed on Whitehaven Harbour. In November, police arrested two teenagers in connection with Billy's death after images circulated on social media.

Billy and the other harbour geese (Image: Supplied)

Lara said: “The mural depicts a street that was on the Harbour. We felt it was a fitting memorial as he roamed the harbour.

"It was a nice place for him, so we thought it would be a nice feature to add for him to be remembered.”

The murals show West Strand Street which was the original decision of Lara, the team looked at old pictures and decided on what to paint. Since then, Harbour Youth Project have got involved and make joint decisions on what is added to the murals what would be in keeping with the time.

Harbour Youth Project have now also marked their stamp (Image: Whitehaven ship-shapers)

Now, Harbour Youth Project have now put their stamp on the murals which were refreshed over the weekend, marking their efforts in making Whitehaven town centre more appealing.