A vibrant community art trail connecting Heaton Mersey and Didsbury has been officially launched. Created by GRIT Studios in partnership with Francis House Children's Hospice, Rainbow Road is a 5 km walking trail that features a series of handcrafted ceramic rainbow tiles installed along the route through local streets and neighbourhoods.
Encouraging Outdoor Exploration
The aim of Rainbow Road is to encourage people to get outdoors, explore their local neighbourhoods, and discover creativity and connection through walking. Staff and young people from Francis House residential homes attended the launch event to celebrate the trail's completion.
Community Collaboration
The tiles have been designed and created by hundreds of people from across the community, including young people and staff from Francis House, local residents, schools, volunteer groups, and businesses. Each tile is unique, reflecting the creativity and collaboration behind the project.
Based on Parrswood Road in Didsbury, Francis House Children's Hospice provides holistic care in a home from home environment to children and young adults who have a life-shortening or life-threatening condition. Support is offered to the whole family, and in addition to respite care, services include homecare and community support. It costs £15,890 a day to run the hospice, which relies on voluntary contributions to fund the majority of its work.
A Trail That Connects People
Dermot Murphy of Francis House said: "Rainbow Road began as a way of connecting the hospice at Francis House with the residential care homes - for young people with life-shortening conditions and complex needs - in Didsbury and Heaton Mersey. But it quickly became something much bigger and more shared. Many of the tiles along the route were created by the young people themselves, alongside local schools, residents, artists and volunteers."
"What makes the trail special is that it links not just places, but people and communities too. We hope people enjoy following the trail through the area and seeing the creativity and care that so many people have helped bring to life," he added.
Artistic Workshops and Support
Ceramic artists Alison Waters and Sarah Pink led workshops supporting participants to design and make the colourful ceramic pieces, while illustrator John Cooper worked with young people to create the official trail map and instructions to help visitors follow the route. Community group Heatons Men in Sheds also played a key role in bringing the project to life, supporting the installation process and working in all weathers to ensure the tiles were safely installed across the trail.
Sophie Macaulay from GRIT Studios said: "The Rainbow Road has been an incredible project from start to finish, seeing hundreds of members of the community work together to design, make and install the tiles, as well as all the local businesses and residents who have 'homed' a tile on their buildings and gate posts."
How to Join the Trail
Trail maps and instructions are available via the website www.fhrainbowroad.co.uk. Francis House Children's Hospice supports more than 435 families from across Greater Manchester. The hospice provides holistic care in a home from home environment to children and young adults who have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. Support is offered to the whole family and includes physical, emotional and psychological care from a dedicated multi-disciplinary care team. In addition to respite care, the teams at the hospice also provide homecare and community support. The total running cost of Francis House per year is £5.8 million. Out of every £1 spent, 94p goes towards charitable work.
