ICG News
Underpass art celebrates Games
Published: Friday 8th July 2011
An underpass linking North and South Lanarkshire beneath the M74 is being given a rainbow makeover to both celebrate and commemorate the first ever International Children's Games (ICG) in Scotland.
The tunnel in Uddingston provides a powerful symbol of how communities in both Lanarkshire council areas are joining together to welcome young athletes from 34 countries when the Games take place in August this year.
The most regular users of the underpass are the dozens of school pupils from North Lanarkshire who attend St John The Baptist Primary on the south side of the motorway.
Now thanks to a makeover by pupils from St John the Baptist and nearby Muiredge Primaries it will no longer be a darkened underpass that faces pedestrians crossing under the M74 but rather a bright, multi coloured graffiti-art gallery celebrating ICG Lanarkshire 2011.
Joint Chair of the ICG Organising Committee Councillor Jackie Burns met with pupils to inspect progress on the artwork, he said: "The children have been working with South Lanarkshire's resident artist on this project and the results are fantastic with images of sporting achievement, messages of friendship and welcome and about healthy lifestyles.
"The makeover of this underpass is one of the many legacies the Children's Games will leave here in Lanarkshire but also because of its location and because of the two schools and the pupils from both North and South Lanarkshire joining forces it is a perfect symbol of what our communities can achieve together."
The project, which is featured in a short film on the councils YouTube page, was supported by Transport Scotland and Amey Highways which is responsible for maintaining the M74.
