Garff Commissioners says a new mosaic celebrating Laxey’s heritage will be ‘community made’.

It has been given a grant from the Department for Enterprise’s Local Economy Fund and will work with island artist Debra Tracey to create the artwork.

Talking about the artwork which is planned for outside the entrance to Laxey Tram Station, Debra said: ‘Sunlight bouncing off the tesserae is beautiful, and so is the rain. The mosaic is designed to shine in all weathers for years to come.’

It’s hoped the new piece will feature The Laxey Wheel, leaping salmon and the electric tram with self-portraits of the village’s children in the windows.

The local authority expects more than 120 residents to help build the mosaic through inclusive workshops suitable for all age ranges and abilities, creating ‘genuine ownership and civic pride’.

Kezia Sproule-Craine from Garff Commissioners said: ‘These walls have been an eyesore for so long, it will be wonderful to see them transformed.

‘What makes it more special is that local people – schoolchildren, residents, community groups – will literally have a hand in creating it. This is what placemaking is all about.’

The local authority says the grant from the Local Economy Fund will be spent entirely on-island, sustaining a Manx creative business and local tradespeople.

As part of the scheme, an earlier community mosaic will be reinstated alongside it and the current mosaic created by Laxey School children in 1995 will be refurbished.

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