New mural unveiled dedicated to all things Wiganese

A spectacular new mural in the underpass at Wigan North Western Station which celebrates local landmarks, culture and dialect has been unveiled.
By Sian Jones
Published 19th Nov 2021, 09:19 BST
Updated 19th Nov 2021, 09:20 BST
The official celebration of the new mural along the tunnel at Wigan North Western station, as local artist Jessica Riley worked with members of the community and school children to produce an A-Z of Wiganese.The official celebration of the new mural along the tunnel at Wigan North Western station, as local artist Jessica Riley worked with members of the community and school children to produce an A-Z of Wiganese.
The official celebration of the new mural along the tunnel at Wigan North Western station, as local artist Jessica Riley worked with members of the community and school children to produce an A-Z of Wiganese.

The work, by lettering artist Jessica Riley, is the final product of a community rail project led by South East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership and funded by Avanti West Coast.

To engage the community, Wigan residents were asked to nominate their favourite Wigan words and phrases at workshops with organisations including Wigan Youth Zone, via an online social media campaign, and in purpose made “postboxes” hosted by a number of local independent businesses.

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Jess then worked to transform a selection of quirky Wigan dialect words and phrases into an A to Z mural design.

She said: “Through this mural project with South East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership, we’re celebrating the unique Wigan dialect, sometimes known as ‘Wiganese’, and the iconic elements of our town.

“It’s been great to work with the community to discover their favourite Wigan words, as well as other things that people love about the town such as local landmarks of past and present, and combine these ideas in the mural itself.”

The mural aims to create a memorable feature representing the local community at Wigan North Western station and was installed by Pro Vinyl Manchester. It was unveiled by Wigan Mayor Coun Yvonne Klieve.

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Related topics:Yvonne KlieveAvanti West Coast