Large-Scale Community Art with young people
Community artist Hilary Cox Condron teamed up with street artist and therapist Tim Shakur-Yates to create a stunning mural on the Chisholm Trail bridge over the River Cam. This new large-scale artwork now adorns both sides of the bridge and is a vibrant celebration of ecology, identity, and local nature guardianship. Commissioned as part of the River Cam CAN (Climate Action through Nature) project, the artwork was co-created alongside students from Red Balloon – a centre for young people outside mainstream education – and young people from youth clubs in Abbey and Romsey Mill.
The first phase of the mural was completed in Summer 2025 and featured fish, water dragons (naga), mermaids and herons, together with the microscopic beings that lived 90,000 years ago and sustain Cambridge’s rare chalk streams, the coccolithophores. Inspired by the growing movement to establish rights of Nature, the project positions River Cam as a living entity with inherent rights to flow, be clean, and sustain biodiversity. The second phase was completed in Summer 2026, filled in the gaps, and included creatures of myth and the commons.
The project delivers profound benefits to the area by transforming a utilitarian concrete structure into a shared cultural landmark. It fosters deep community pride, giving marginalized young people a powerful voice in shaping their public spaces. The initiative connects residents intimately to their local environment, encouraging active stewardship of the Cam.
For further details on the initiative’s background, artistic process, and community impact, you can explore the Cambridge Past, Present & Future Chisholm Bridge Art Project
Both phases were supported by the River Cam CAN (Climate Action through Nature) project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, and the Cambridge City Council.
| Dates | 2023-2026 |
| Status | n/a |
| Area of habitat created or improved | n/a |
| Location | Abbey Chesterton Bridge, Cambridge |
Partners and Funders
Artist Commission to:
Hilary Cox-Condron, Tim
Shakur-Yates.
With young artists from Abbey Youth Club, Romsey Mill Youth Club and Red Balloon
