A mural honouring the life and service of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has appeared in Gateshead in the days following her death.
The late Queen passed away on the afternoon of Thursday, September 8, at Balmoral Castle, aged 96. In the days that followed people across the North East began laying floral tributes and penning moving messages for Her Majesty.
However, one business owner decided to create a special tribute to Queen Elizabeth II with a large mural painted onto the outside of his business, Deal Direct Blinds on Saltmeadows Road, in Gateshead.
Speaking about why he wanted to commission the mural, Ed Blackbird, from Birtley, said: "I've been a good supporter of the Royal Family since I was a child, so I was very upset when Her Majesty passed away. She's been an inspiration and served us for 70 years and I have been humbled by her loyalty to people."
The Queen Elizabeth II mural features a portrait of the Queen inside a golden frame, along with a Union flag in the background. Under the framed portrait of the Queen, it simply reads "Queen Elizabeth II 1952-2022", detailing the years of her reign.
The mural was created by local artist Andy Morley, who owns creative art business, Creative Ginger. It took a full day to design and create and was unveiled to the public on Monday afternoon by 93-year-old local care home resident, Sylvia Hulme.
Ed said: "We rang the manageress of the local care home and asked if she had anyone who was a similar age to the Queen living there and she did. She came down in a taxi to unveil it and we got her a nice bunch of flowers and some chocolates."
The Queen Elizabeth II mural sits on the right-hand side of the Deal Direct Blinds building. To the left of the mural, there is a memorial to Captain Sir Tom Moore, who died on February 2, 2021, aged 100.
Captain Sir Tom Moore won the hearts of the nation during the coronavirus pandemic with his determination to walk 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday, which raised almost £39m for NHS charities. The Second World War veteran inspired people of all ages and abilities and in the days that followed his death Ed decided to commission a six-metre mural in his memory.
The mural features a painting of Captain Sir Tom Moore, aged 100, wearing his war medals and a Union flag draped over his shoulder and a portrait of young Captain Tom wearing his military uniform. It also includes the quote: "Tomorrow will be a good day", which became the title of Sir Captain Tom Moore's autobiography released in 2020.
Ed said: "Even now we get HGV long-distance drivers parking up outside after seeing it. They'll come in and say they're ex-Forces and ask to have their photograph taken with it. That happens at least once a week."
Speaking about the late Queen's mural Ed added: "I think people will be overwhelmed by it."
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