Youth group street art unveiled at Tadcaster Albion AFC

Graffiti-style street art celebrating a North Yorkshire town has been created by a youth group with the help of a Spanish visual artist.

Children from The Barn, a youth and community centre in Tadcaster, sprayed their unique tags on the installation which is located on the outside wall of Tadcaster Albion AFC.

The mural, made in collaboration with artist Eduard Sacrest, aka RICE, is one of three installations around the Yorkshire town as part of the ongoing NowThen! cultural programme.

“This was an opportunity for the kids to express themselves through art and the creativity and what came out of their minds was impressive,” he said.

Now Then! is delivering arts events and activities to the centres of Selby, Tadcaster and Sherburn-in-Elmet between April 2024 and March 2026.

The programme has been given a Place Partnership award from the Arts Council England through the National Lottery and aims to help regenerate the towns.

Hannah Davies, executive producer at art charity Arcade, the programme delivery partner with The Barn, said: “I think it’s a really meaningful project for Tadcaster.

“It’s had a real impact – showing young people that art is for everybody and that you can create beautiful things in the location that you live.”

The football-themed mural outside the club is one of three that Mr Sacrest has worked on with groups at The Barn – the other two are located in the community centre itself and at Tadcaster library.

The Tadcaster Albion artwork was made in collaboration with The Barn and The Brewers youth group which explores positive themes around football, identity and community.

Mr Sacrest is originally from Barcelona and was selected by a panel of teens at the community centre to be the artist-in-residence for the duration of the programme.

He then helped the group design the artwork to “represent their imagination and experience”.

Noah, 14, was involved in the entire process – from selection to artwork creation – and described the experience as “really interesting”.

He added: “It feels really good to have a voice, especially about stuff as personal as the community we live in.”

The tagging of the mural at the football ground marks the end of the project but Mr Sacrest said he would be back in Tadcaster for the NowThen! summer festival.

“It is not a goodbye yet – I’ll be back to do another mural and I will see everyone again, to create something together,” he said.