Bradford’s subways are getting a make-over to make them as pretty as a picture!

Nicky Palmer is one of a team of volunteers, artists and unemployed people who have got rid of the dated murals on Jacobs Well and National Media Museum subways and transformed them into vibrant modern scenes instead.

New artworks already done depict the opening of City Park, with fireworks lighting up the sky; Bradford City Football Club, with its bantam mascot and modern stadium and Five Rise Locks at Bingley.

One subway will be devoted to Bradford City of Film showing highlights of 100 years of filming in the district and the floor will be painted red to really give it the red carpet treatment.

In all, 12 walls are being painted and other scenes will include Salts Mill; Bolling Hall; the Wool Exchange and the National Media Museum – and possibly the Cow and Calf Rocks on Ilkley Moor too.

Miss Palmer, a 38-year-old former languages teacher who lives in Wibsey, got involved after seeing as advert on the internet appealing for anyone interested in the project to get in touch. “There’s quite a few of us working on it,” she said.

“Some people are doing their own designs and then others are just helping each other out. It’s a work of art in the heart of the city that anyone will be able to see and enjoy anytime they like.”

Artist Jenny Evans was commissioned by RePaint, part of Bradford Community Environmental Project, to get the ball rolling using unused or part empty paints. They should be finished by the end of May.

RePaint recycles paint through collections from household waste recycling centres and donations from the public and businesses and sells it on to the public and other community groups from £2 per litre. Bradford Council has been supporting its work for 13 years. The Council’s city centre operations manager Jonny Noble, said: “The artwork looks fantastic and is already generating masses of interest as people walk by. The murals are worth a special look even if they are not on your route across the city centre.

“The added bonus is that it’s been such a cost-effective way of freshening up the subways because of RePaint – the impact is massive. We whitewashed the walls and ceilings to give them a blank canvas and now they are working wonders!”

Bradford RePaint Manager, Karen Hutchinson, said: “The support and help that has come from artists in the local area is amazing.”