A new mural celebrating Sheffield, its people and its places has been painted by a former Hallam student on the walkway between Sheffield’s bus and rail stations to brighten up the interchange 

Press contact: Emma Griffiths | e.griffiths@shu.ac.uk

The mural is part of a project by Sheffield Hallam University and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to renovate the space with artistic interventions to make it more friendly.  

Since 2022 around 400 Hallam students and alumni have been involved in several projects in and around the interchange building.  

Former design student Molly Jones, who painted the new mural between the bus and rail station said: “My inspiration for this mural is how people connect to a city, to a place and started to think about how I connect to a place when I go on holiday. 

“Doing some research, I stumbled on some Sheffield bus tickets from the 90s, which have beautiful shapes and forms. I also noticed they had adverts for some of the city’s attractions on the back of them and started working from there. 

“I thought the adverts could highlight what locals love about the city but could also be a guide for those arriving in Sheffield via rail or bus. In the end I used the shapes from the tickets and did a bit of a collage about Sheffield and its places.” 

Molly moved to the city to go to university and decided to stay after graduating: “I think I fell in love with Sheffield when I first came to visit, while looking at universities across the country. I got a lift with a friend, and we parked near Fargate. As soon as we stepped out of the car I saw two big portraits, and then I saw a mural here, another there and I thought: Wow, this city must really support its artists and that has been my experience since.” 

The new artwork comes after graphic design alumni and street artist Megan Russell (aka Peachzz) created a mural on Pond Street for the project, on the theme of connectivity.  

Megan’s mural features two large hands crossing over to each other over two locally significant flowers: the woodland geranium which is the original flower of Sheffield and the white Yorkshire rose.  

The partnership between SYMCA and Sheffield Hallam University’s Future Now initiative gives the university students and alumni an opportunity to apply their knowledge and try out different projects while improving the environment at the interchange for all. 

This project is now entering its second year and will expand to other transport interchanges across South Yorkshire. 

Lead of the project at Sheffield Hallam University, Pam Bowman, said: “The Future Now project has enabled the College of Social Sciences & Arts to work with our partners in the city, in this case with SYMCA and the Transport Interchange to bring the creative work of our students and graduates to a new audience beyond the walls of the university. We are keen to have a positive impact on our environment and connect with our local region.”