Bristol's We The Curious inspires new seagull mural

A collaboration between a primary school and museum is hoping to change Bristol residents' attitudes to seagulls.

Pupils at Hannah More Primary School helped paint a giant mural of the birds in partnership with We The Curious.

The roof of the science museum was hit by a fire in April 2022 after a solar panel was damaged by birds, triggering an electrical fault.

Julian Welsh, from We The Curious, said: "Seagulls are amazing creatures."

He added: "They've been around for millions of years and can live for up to 30 years.

"They can recognise your face, so if you behave badly towards a seagull they may recognise you and follow you around."

Mr Welsh continued: "Considering it is likely that seagull damage resulted in our building catching fire, it's been great finding out so much about them.

"They are a species in decline, UK numbers have nearly halved since 2000.

"One study showed only 25% of gulls steal food from people."

The ideas of pupils from Hannah More Primary School were brought to life by Bristol-based visual artist Billy, who helped the children create a seagull-inspired mural on one of the school's playground walls.

Faith, a year 6 pupil who helped paint the mural, said: "We got to choose what layout was and the different colours. It was great fun.

"Seagulls do steal your food, but not all the time. They are alright I suppose!"

The project is part of We The Curious' vision to get young people curious about, and inspired by, science.

With the building closed for ongoing repairs until early summer 2024, the team has been delivering its activities across the city through its Out & About programme, with a particular focus on schools and communities experiencing social and economic inequality.

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