BRIGHT and colourful graffiti designed by school children has been unveiled ahead of the return of an arts festival. 

The Noise Arts Festival has taken place in Thundersley for the past 14 years and is organised by the Beacon church, in Kenneth Road. 

Ahead of this year’s festival, students from Kingston Primary School, Thundersley Primary School and Cedar Hall School, worked with artist Scotty Brave to design and pain murals which have now been unveiled near the church. 

The murals have been unveiled in Thundersley town centreThe murals have been unveiled in Thundersley town centre (Image: The Noise Arts Festival) The artwork features characters from a range of TV shows and films including Finding Nemo, Bluey and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Richard Keeler is an associate minister at the Beacon and one of The Noise’s key organisers. He works with residents, artists and businesses to create a jam-packed schedule of events.

Students from local schools spent the day working on their artStudents from local schools spent the day working on their art (Image: Kingston Primary School) For Richard, the annual festival is a chance for the community and church to engage with one another through art.

He said: “The festival itself is part of what we do as a church to bless and engage our local community.

“This is the 14th year that we’ve run the festival, and we look to put on events that residents might not have access to in other places”.The murals featured a range of well-known charactersThe murals featured a range of well-known characters (Image: Kingston Primary School) The art festival will run from Monday to Saturday and incorporate both free and ticketed events.

The 42-year-old minister explained how the church works with schools, businesses and community organisations to create a programme of events that appeal to everyone.

“I hope that people see that faith is relevant and can be part of their lives. I also hope they understand that church is a friendly and welcoming place.” said Richard.

The students went through a lot of spray paint!The students went through a lot of spray paint! (Image: The Noise Arts Festival) The Noise Arts Festival offers a week of arts and cultural experiences designed to engage the community and demonstrate the relevance of faith in a modern age.

With a focus on arts and crafts, the festival will feature workshops on flower arranging, knitted writing, pottery and ceramic painting.

Ticketed events include a Pirate Party from CBeebies star Gemma Hunt, and an animatronic dinosaur encounter from Dinomania.

More information about the festival can be found at The Noise Arts Festival Facebook page.