EARLIER this year Herefordshire Council helped run a well publicised campaign to get rid of graffiti across the county, including some in School Lane. Shane Hancock of Herefordshire Council community protection team services said: "the TAAG Graffiti Campaign aimed to tackle areas of graffiti which the public had complained about and School Lane in Ross was one such location."

Rachel Bengough, a paid Youth Worker for Herefordshire Council was shocked and horrified to be informed that the graffiti murals in School Lane had been painted over.

Speaking to the Ross Gazette she said: "I was a paid Youth Worker for Herefordshire Council for several years in Ross and was one of the project organisers who instigated and set-up the painting of these murals with a number of young people from the local community."

She told The Ross Gazette that this particular project was part of the 'CRE8' project which was set up by Herefordshire Council. They part funded the project with the Arts Council of England and various others sources. CRE8 was an audience development project set up in Ross to help young people gain access to, and engage with, arts activities and it proved to be very successful.

The original work was done in the spring 2003 with full permission from the owners of the wall. Before that it had been a drab concrete area.

Rachel said: "Importantly, the young people involved were taught the differences between art and vandalism and also the need to respect other people's property."

The project employed a professional graffiti artist to guide the young people. She told The Gazette that the completed painting was greeted very positively and brightened up a dreary part of Ross. This piece of public art had a very strong sense of ownership by the young people involved and created an awareness of young people amongst the wider community and awareness that allowed for young people to be viewed positively.

"The murals were done quite some years ago," says Rachel, "but had never been tagged or painted over (as nearby walls had been) as there is inherent respect for others work in this kind of context."

This point was also mentioned in a letter from a local resident a few weeks ago. There is no argument that the wall was looking tired and jaded. However, there was no evidence of drug or violence related tags the council have been referring to?

Rachel said: "Art is a very subjective matter but to call this properly set-up, part-council funded project vandalism goes some way to de-value what the young people in the community do.