Love them or loathe them, they’re part of Folkestone’s seaside character and the latest addition to the town’s art scene is striking to say the least.

Leigh Mulley is an artist based in The Old High Street and volunteers for the Fur and Feature Wildlife Trust.

She has painted the huge piece on the back of the old Metronome theatre in the St Eanswythe Way car park, which was unveiled on Thursday.

She said: “I wanted my mural to address the very real issue of wild creatures who get needlessly persecuted.

“I thought that if I could just put a beautiful, impacting image out there, a stunning close up of the gull who lives on my roof relaxing, I might appeal to people to view them in a different way.

“Social media has been going crazy with messages of support and asking when and where the next project is! It’s been quite amazing. The painting bit was the easy bit and that includes all the weather.”

She added: “It really makes a big difference and it was very important that we were going to go strong on colour and make a change visibly. As a full-time painter in Folkestone I wanted to do something community based.”

Funding was secured from Shepway District Council, Kent County Council and a friend of Leigh’s from Sweden. Folkestone Scaffolding donated their equipment and man hours for free and Leigh was helped by Emily Ghassempour and fellow artist Sam Millen.

A time lapse video has been produced which sees the bird come to life in just three minutes. Watch here:

What's your view on seagulls? Do you love them or loathe them? Do you like the new mural? Comment below...

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