Our origins
Why we are here and what we will do.
How it started
New Brighton’s story could have ended with shuttered shops and tired façades. Instead, a group of walls started talking. Murals appeared.
Colour returned. People stopped, pointed, photographed, and then stayed for coffee, lunch, records, and a chat. A neglected corner of town found its voice again.
That spark came from Daniel Davies and Rockpoint Leisure. They bought derelict buildings, fixed the bones of the street, and invited artists from here and abroad to paint our history and our humour into the brickwork. Lifeboat volunteers and local legends. The Beatles running to the Tower Ballroom. Playful abstracts and giant type that simply says what every kid says at the coast: I SEE THE SEA.
The Victoria Quarter became an open-air gallery and a reason to visit all year round.
What changed
The murals did more than brighten walls. They made people proud. They brought footfall to independents. They gave the town a fresh story to tell. Visitors came for the art and discovered cafés, pubs, small shops, gigs, and an appetite to build something better.
It worked because it was rooted in place. Not a top-down scheme. A local effort that made the street feel cared for and alive. When a place feels loved, people treat it better. Conversations replace complaints. Windows light up. Ideas follow.
Picking up the baton
None of this is bulletproof. Paint weathers by the Irish Sea. Ownership changes hands. Planning decisions miss the cultural value sitting in plain view. Daniel said someone needed to pick up the baton. We took that seriously.
We set up New Brighton Creative Futures to protect what has been created and to carry the work forward. Our role is simple to state and hard to fake. Keep the art alive, keep the streets lively, keep the story moving.
What we do
We focus on three practical things.
Protect - We work to ensure New Brighton’s murals are valued and cared for as part of the town’s cultural fabric. That means encouraging recognition of the trail as a community asset, promoting good stewardship, and helping property owners and partners understand the importance of preserving public art for the long term.
Preserve - Salt air is honest but unforgiving. We raise funds for coatings, touch-ups, and restoration so the work lasts. We coordinate with artists and owners so maintenance happens on time, not after the damage.
Commission - A living gallery needs new work. We commission pieces that honour local stories, celebrate craft, and add fresh voices. Our current thread is Local Heroes. Real people. Real service.
Why it matters
Public art is not decoration. It is memory, belonging, and economic common sense.
When walls tell the truth of a place, people listen. They walk further. They stay longer. They spend locally. More important, they feel part of something.
That feeling is the start of regeneration that lasts. New Brighton proved that culture can lead. It showed that private risk and local grit can move faster than bureaucracy. Now it needs structure, stewardship, and a wider circle of support so the gains do not fade with the paint.
How we roll
Independent and collaborative. We respect the foundations laid by Daniel Davies and Rockpoint Leisure and we build on them. We work with building owners, the council, schools, the RNLI community, traders, and artists. We are practical about permissions and planning. We are careful with money. We are open with data. We listen to residents because the street belongs to the people who live on it.
Our promise
We will protect what is here.
We will commission what comes next.
We will keep the gallery on the street, free, and alive.
Stories left unprotected get overwritten. New Brighton’s walls hold our stories in public view. Let’s look after them.
Public art doesn’t just decorate a place – it transforms it, giving people pride, voice, and belonging.
— [NB] Creative Futures CIC
Thank you to our supporters
