New mural unveiled at Sunderland's Millfield Metro station tells story of community

The 24 square metre work is the creation of Scottish artist Chad McCail. It depicts a story of Sunderland’s industrial past while marking the present.

The end of the story and highlight of the piece is a giant man, comprised of the shapes of many men, towering over the adversities of today and representing the triumph of a community.

The £10,000 project was commissioned by Sunderland Culture, on behalf of Metro operator Nexus, as part of its Metro Community Takeover marking the network’s 40th anniversary. Funding came from Arts Council England.

Chad was selected for the commission on the strength of his previous work with the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art.

It took two months to paint, but two years for the idea to come to fruition. Much of the hard work came from community organisations Pallion Action Group and Young Asian Voices (YAV).

Chad said: “In the story the kids in the graveyard meet the skeletons of miners and shipyard workers. They’re initially frightened but make friends with them. Then they show them how things have changed – for the worse.

"They show them the NHS being privatised, rents escalating, houses are so expensive and people having their electricity cut off because they can’t pay their bills.

“The skeletons are so angry they make this great big ‘man of men’; bigger than the monsters making all this money.”

Chad and Nexus customer services director, Huw Lewis, both gave huge thanks to everyone who helped to create the mural.

Mr Lewis said: “We operate trains. Art and culture is not our business, but with the support of funding bodies like Arts Council England and with the input and expertise of Sunderland Culture, we do things like this.

“I’ve wanted a great piece of art on this wall for at least a decade and I wanted a project which engaged with the community in this part of Sunderland, which has gone through so many challenges in the last few years.”

Rebecca Ball, Sunderland Culture CEO, added: “The beautiful mural Chad has produced has a real message around community, relationships and looking forward. I’m sure it will be enjoyed for generations to come.”