Art Up street art project wins Community Heroes support

We’re proud to support a group that brightens up Portsmouth each year with 100 street art murals across the city.

Art Up (Portsmouth) CIC organises the annual LOOKUP Portsmouth street art festival, which brings world-class permanent art to all areas of the city. This year the event takes place September 13 and September 14.

The group was delighted to be named a Selco Community Hero, winning £1,000 to spend on masonry paint.

Art Up (Portsmouth) CIC was chosen from hundreds of entries by judges for the prize.

Director Angela Parks said: “We are delighted to receive this fantastic prize from Selco. We use over 1,000 litres of masonry paint to create the street art murals, so this will be extremely useful.

“LOOKUP Portsmouth attracts some of the world’s leading street artists and brings in around 25,000 visitors.

“It also gives over 750 children the chance to try spray painting, and provides development opportunities for emerging women artists to build their skills and confidence - helping address the under-representation of women in street art.

“We’re all about creating a shared experience in Portsmouth – and it’s great to have Selco on board.”

This year’s Community Heroes prize fund totals an impressive £57,500, with 40 individual £1,000 in-store prizes, plus a £10,000 cash prize for the overall winner, £5,000 for second place, and £2,500 for third.

Simon Humpage, Head of Multi-Channel Marketing at Selco, said: “This is the fourth year of Community Heroes, which has already helped dozens of good causes across the country. We are proud to be making a tangible difference to people’s lives.

“Art Up (Portsmouth) CIC really stood out because it’s such a unique and innovative idea. The painted walls around the city look absolutely incredible and are a real tourist attraction.

“At Selco we stock a range of masonry paints from leading brands, as well as decorating materials, so I’m sure organisers will be able to find many materials to help with the project.”