Creating a Shared Sense of Place: Community Art at Burley Park Station
This year, facilitated by our Community projects programme, a team of students worked in partnership with Cardigan Community Centre (CCC) and community arts organisation We Belong Here CIC to co-create a new public artwork for Burley Park Railway Station.
Building on the success of previous collaborations, the project brought together student volunteer artists Oliver Lane, Sungyuna Jo and Tess Hardy with CCC’s Elders Connect group – a weekly social group for over 50s at the heart of the local community. Together, they developed a creative response to the theme “the journeys we take in Hyde Park”, culminating in a vibrant mural celebrating local identity, history and shared experience.
Developing creative skills in the community
As part of the project, students gained valuable experience beyond the studio, working directly with community members to design and deliver a participatory arts project. Supported by mentoring from We Belong Here CIC and the Sustainability Service, the students developed skills in community engagement, collaboration and co-creation.
Through workshops and shared discussions, students and participants explored ideas together, ensuring that the final artwork reflected a wide range of voices and perspectives. This process encouraged students to think differently about their creative practice – not only as individual artists, but as facilitators working in partnership with others.
Reflecting on the experience, Tess Hardy shared:
“As a student who has only recently begun living in Hyde Park, this project has taught me so much not only about creating a shared artwork, but about the diverse and long-standing community that I have become part of.”
Tess Hardy, working on one of the art pieces.
A collaborative creative process
At the heart of the project was a strong emphasis on collaboration and storytelling. Over several months, students and community participants worked together to research and develop ideas, drawing on personal experiences, local knowledge and memories of the area.
The final mural brings these ideas together through a series of eleven colourful and detailed designs representing connections across the neighbourhood. The artwork features recognisable local landmarks including Hyde Park Picture House, Left Bank, Leeds Hindu Mandir and Makkah Masjid, alongside references to local history such as the Headingley Bear Pit.
This collective approach ensured that the finished piece was not only visually striking, but also meaningful and representative of the community it sits within.
A lasting impact
The artwork was officially unveiled in June as part of the Friends of Burley Park Station initiative, a partnership led by Cardigan Community Centre as part of Northern Rail’s Station Adoption Scheme. It forms part of an ongoing programme of improvements to the station environment, following earlier projects such as the installation of bug hotels.
Beyond the physical artwork, the project created valuable opportunities for intergenerational exchange and social connection. By bringing together students and local residents, it fostered shared understanding, creativity and pride in place.
“The partnership with the students and the University has had a meaningful impact on both our organisation and the wider community. Their enthusiasm, fresh ideas, and willingness to engage with local people have brought real value to our projects. It has been inspiring to see young people taking such an active interest in our community and listening to our experiences. The students brought energy and creativity that helped us see new possibilities for our work.” - Abdul Hannan, General Manager, Cardigan Community Centre
10 June 2026.
New art work at Burley Park Station, Leeds.
Thank you
We would like to thank all members of the Elders Connect group who contributed their ideas, stories and creativity to the project: Hasumati, Malti, Angie, Elaine, Stephen, Rita, Rob, Teresa, Gogo, Mary, Andrea and Hasubon.
We are also grateful to Cardigan Community Centre and We Belong Here CIC for their support and partnership in delivering this project, and to everyone involved in bringing this shared vision to life.
We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Our work on the Community Arts Project is linked to the following SDGs:
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.
