Cambuslang Gateway Project – creating a colourful welcome to our great town!

Cambuslang residents have worked together for more than a year to transform the gateway to our town – and showcase some of the area’s best-loved landmarks.

The Community Gateway Project began in early 2021, culminating in the development of three original murals, improved street furniture and a new garden space to create warm and welcoming entrances to our town.

The project includes:

  • A Welcome Wall at the rail bridge on Beech Avenue, transforming a once-vandalised wall into a colourful modern artwork
  • A mural and sunflower garden for all in a previously neglected area on Glasgow Road
  • An artwork showcasing the town’s most-loved community landmarks and architecture outside the railway station

The Gateway Project is part of the Town Centre Strategy Action Plan, which also includes the recent £1 million streetscape project and the town’s successful BankHUB, the parking improvements and Cambuslang Loves Local initiatives. The project was made possible thanks to awards of £10,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund Scotland and £5,000 from Community Rail Partnership, Rail 74.

A warm welcome

Michelle Farmer, Chair of the Gateway Project group and a member of Cambuslang Community Council, said: “Since our community surveys began in 2015, residents have been telling us they want a modern, vibrant and welcoming environment for the town. It’s been fantastic to see so many local people coming together to make that vision a reality.

“We hope the transformed gateway to Cambuslang, alongside the other improvements we’re making, will attract visitors, bring colour and cheer for our community, and encourage people to the Main Street to support local businesses. We’re grateful to everyone who has supported us, and worked so hard to make it a success.”

About the murals

The artworks were designed by Chris Hannah, a Cambuslang resident and Creative Director at award-winning design agency, Maguires, which gifted its services to support the project. The designs were inspired and influenced by the hundreds of local people who responded to our survey about their favourite places and spaces in Cambuslang.

The mural outside the railway entrance celebrates 14 of the most-loved sites in the town, including historic gems the Cambuslang Institute and The Nurture building, as well as the iconic red arrow from the former Hoover factory sign.

Meanwhile, the sunflower and bees mural on Glasgow Road – due to be completed in the coming weeks – includes a graphic mix of flowers, trees and plant life, designed to complement the recent addition of benches and planters.

The Welcome Wall on Beech Avenue brings a dash of colour and style to a wall that had previously been vandalised with graffiti. The strong preference of the groups involved in the project was for a modern and bright design that would create a warm welcome and sense of place for all who live and work here and visit the town.

Initially, consideration was given to installing a physical sign or board, as used in some other communities, but this was prohibited by Network Rail owing to concerns about affecting the structural integrity of the wall, and safety regulations governing walls above railway lines. Instead, the design incorporated hand-painted 3D lettering in order to gain the same effect.

About the sunflower garden

The sunflower garden and mural were inspired by local resident Hamish, age four, who grew a sunflower from seed during the pandemic, and left it at the seating area on Glasgow Road for everyone to enjoy.

The sunflower brought such colour and cheer that it seeded the idea for our new sunflower garden and Glasgow Road mural. We are inviting local schools and projects to grow in this space, and the children of James Aiton Primary are currently growing sunflower seeds for this summer.

The garden will host plants that are nectar-rich for pollinators, helping to continue the beeline from Rutherglen and Burnside, as well as creating an environmentally-friendly garden for residents.

We have already improved the street seating in the area to enable everyone to enjoy this welcoming space.

Engaging with the community

We were delighted that so many people took the time to give us their views and share thoughts on which landmarks should be celebrated in the artwork. To reach as many people as possible, our project team: took to the streets to survey residents; placed posters in shops, the train station, Cambuslang Institute, Holmhills Park and other venues; reached out to youth groups; and promoted the survey on CamGlen Radio. Responses were also received following our regular posts on social media channels.

Our Partners and Supporters

This has been the biggest partnership project that Cambuslang Community Council have ever conducted! We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported the Gateway Project, including: the Cambuslang Gateway Project Team, the National Lottery Community Fund Scotland, Rail 74 Community Rail Partnership, Cambuslang Rotary Club, Chris Hannah and Maguires, ScotRail, Network Rail, Hamish and his family, Artisan Artworks, Bell Decorating Services,  Amber restaurant, South Lanarkshire Council, Action Earth, Cambuslang Apiary Project, CG Print Limited, Central Cambuslang Community Garden, Transport Scotland, HealthynHappy Community Development Trust, Cambuslang and Rutherglen Area Committee, James Aiton Primary pupils, and finally – and importantly – to the many local residents who have supported the project.

Find out more

Keep an eye on our Cambuslang Community Council Facebook and Twitter pages for more information and images, as well as our website’s news section.

Image posted by North Avenue Surgery