Roadmender pays homage to NHS with giant ‘wall of thanks’ art which you can sign

A giant piece of art thanking NHS staff and key workers for their work during the Coronavirus crisis has been painted on the side of the Roadmender.

While the music venue in Northampton is currently closed as part of the nationwide lockdown, owner David Norris asked employee Charles Cross - a fine art student at the University of Northampton - to make use of one of the exterior walls, which commonly publicises forthcoming gigs.

The pair are now urging anyone who passes the venue as part of their daily permitted exercise routine, to add their own message of thanks to the wall.

Mr Norris said: “The NHS and key workers are doing a fantastic job and we wanted to do something to acknowledge this.

“Our ‘wall of thanks’ is a place where someone can pay homage. It looks fantastic.

“No matter what is going on in somebody's life, no matter the times they've endured or are currently crawling through, they can choose to say thank you.”

Mr Cross, currently in his third year, has been working for the venue since 2017 and as well as working on the venue’s bars, also works backstage as crew for bands and artists.

He added: “The public being able to include their own personal thanks to the wall means they have somewhere to show their gratitude, enhancing to the community appreciation we all have for the NHS as well as all essential workers.”

Many of the gigs due to take place at the Roadmender this summer have been rescheduled for later this year and into 2021.

Mr Norris added: “Everyone’s obviously hoping when all this blows over, the venue will be back to its best.

“We are holding up OK during these unprecedented times, but all that is important at the moment is that everybody stays safe.

“We are still working on bringing music back to people’s lives and looking forward to seeing everyone on the other side.”

For more details, visit www.theroadmender.com