Stockport bridge to be transformed into 'piece of wildlife art'

A Stockport bridge is set to be transformed into a 'piece of wildlife art.'

New murals and plants are being introduced to the Thomson Street foot and cycle bridge, which connects Edgeley and the town centre over Stockport's railway line.

This includes a nod to some of the town's landmarks, including Stockport market, Bramhall Hall, and the viaduct.

READ MORE: 'Lengthy and complex' health and safety probe into nursery where nine-month-old baby Genevieve Meehan killed

Thomson Street bridge was opened in 2022 as part of a Bee Network scheme to improve walking and cycling routes in the borough.

Plans to transform the area are being led by Cheshire Wildlife Trust along with Stockport council, Avanti, and the Crewe to Manchester Community Rail Partnership.

Volunteers are helping to paint the new murals at the site.

Alex Teague, 20, is a Stockport College student taking part.

He's going to Manchester Metropolitan University in September, but before that he wanted to use his time to give something back to the town.

He said: "Art like this makes it feel friendlier and more welcoming, it's good for the community.

"We see it all the time in Manchester, it makes people feel better about where they live."

The project is backed by money from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority's Green Spaces Fund, to make urban centres better places for people and wildlife.

It also forms part of Cheshire Wildlife Trust's Rewilding Stockport project, funded by the Heritage National Lottery Fund.

Arc, a Stockport art and health charity based in the town's Hat Works Museum, has taken the lead of the new design.

Murals created by Arc’s lead artist Caroline Coates were inspired by workshops held with community groups and organisations, including