Residents of Weymouth have shared their excitement over plans to install a new mural on a Weymouth harbourside building in honour of a life-saving service.
An RNLI mural, which shows the town’s Ernest and Mabel lifeboat, is to go on the side of the listed Custom House Café to celebrate the organisation's 200th anniversary.
READ MORE: RNLI lifeboat mural for Custom House Quay in Weymouth
Despite concerns from planning officers that the mural is "overbearing" and would cause "harm," the mural has received positive feedback from local residents online.
Praise flooded in from our readership, with residents describing it as “fantastic” and “a brilliant tribute to the brave crews of the RNLI."
"Absolutely beautiful, amazing work. This is a wonderful tribute to the brave men and women who never think twice about the dangerous job they are doing, they are all volunteers, so a big shout out to each and everyone of them," another local reader commented.
Both Weymouth Town Council and Mayor, Jon Orrell, had supported the mural however some detractors have voiced concern that the mural would not enhance the conservation area.
Some planning officers suggested a smaller mural criticising the overly-bright colour scheme.
However, many have praised the vivid choice of colours.
One resident said: "It should be big, bright and impactful, it’s no less than the RNLI deserve!"
"The murals should boost tourism. Nice to see it bright and vibrant and dedicated to men and women who risk their lives to save others. That’s a great image for Weymouth," another commented.
Many people said that the RNLI is a part of Weymouth's heritage and should be preserved through the art work.
Vanessa said: “This is superb. My late partner was born and bred in Weymouth and extremely proud of his hometown and the work of the RNLI.
“He would have loved this mural as do I. It’s a wonderful tribute to all the amazing RNLI volunteers.”
Chris said: “[It’s] vibrant and adds kudos to the amazing work of the RNLI. Plenty of buildings around the harbour with colour and murals. It’s only paint.”
Karoline said: “I think it’s absolutely beautiful.”
Angela said: “Looks fab and blends with the sky better than a brick wall.”
David suggested a QR code to support the RNLI be painted on the mural so people could donate with minimum effort.
Yvonne said: “It’s fabulous. Very creative and will give a good tribute to the RNLI.”
Stuart added: “In a country where seaside towns are becoming rundown, we should be thanking people for investing their time and money into these efforts to make the area a nicer place. The harbour especially is a bright, colourful and vibrant area. This fits perfectly into the surroundings.”
Alan said: “The whole idea is to catch your eyes, and it certainly does. Well done the artist.”
Jill said: “Looks incredible. I wouldn’t change anything about it. It’s a brilliant way to pay tribute to all the men and women who volunteer all year round to save those who’ve got into difficulty at sea.”
"I think it would look amazing! Our town is all about the sea and the RNLI!,"
Another said: "A town with a strong seafaring history, still home to a fishing fleet (albeit much, much smaller than in years gone by), home to one of the busiest RNLI stations on the south coast.
"There are other seaside towns that have murals paying tribute to the amazing work that RNLI volunteers do, so thank goodness that common sense has prevailed."
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