Sheffield artist, Zoe Genders is set to begin painting a new 212m2 mural on Sheaf Bank Business Park, running along Cutler’s Walk. 

Cutler’s Walk is a short pedestrian footway that runs along the river Sheaf in Heeley. Used primarily as a link through to Chesterfield Road, the walkway frames the south-facing wall of Sheaf Bank Business Park. 

A historic Sheffield manufacturing centre, the Business Park now hosts a variety of the city’s small businesses. Looking out across the river Sheaf and adjacent railway line, the building’s northwestern façade represents an opportunity to revitalise the character of this area and provide a more welcoming entrance to the area. 

This new mural will transform this underused gateway to Heeley into a more vibrant, family-friendly pathway, deterring antisocial behaviour in the area, and celebrating Heeley as a great place to live and work.  

The design, which spans 85m x 2.5m of the wall, will reflect and complement Heeley and Meersbrook’s natural beauty and showcase its character. It will be appreciated at street level, celebrating the creativity of communities in the area. 

Zoe was appointed by a steering group including local councillors, community and business representatives as well as the owner of the business park.  

Following a thorough selection process, Zoe was chosen for her bold use of colour as exemplified by her work at Pounds Park, Cutlery Works and her award-winning piece at Bolehills BMX track. 

Zoe Genders, said: “It’s a real pleasure to be working on this project, and a big one to boot – I’m looking forward to it. Cutler’s Walk is a beautiful walkway along the Sheaf and I’m really excited to add some pops of colour to encourage more people to walk along the river and maybe even do some bird-watching!  

“The workshops have been great and given me a ton of ideas. It’s been lovely to have local children directly involved in creating inspiration for the mural.” 

Since Zoe’s appointment, the project team has run local workshops with young people at Carfield Primary School and Heeley City Farm. The young people shared what makes Heeley special to them and chose their favourite colour palettes helping to shape Zoe’s final design. 

Josie Bennett, Owner of Sheaf Bank Business Park, said: “We’re incredibly excited to see this mural painted on Sheaf Bank Business Park. Heeley is very much our home. We’ve been part of this community for over 20 years, and Skelton Works itself has stood here since 1854 – so the idea of doing something that reflects and celebrates that community and heritage is really special. 

“Our building overlooks Cutler’s Walk, a beautiful pathway along the River Sheaf that is quite underused at the moment, we hope this artwork will breathe some new life into the area and make it a route people use more often.” 

Funding for the project will come from a mix of corporate philanthropy, individual contributions, and local authority funding. 

Marieanne Elliot, Councillor for Gleadless Valley, said: “We’re so happy to see this mural going ahead. It’s been a long process and one we have wanted to make happen for a while. 

“Zoe has worked directly with local young people through Carfield School and Heeley City Farm to find out what they love about the area and inspire the mural design. 

“We love her unique style and I can’t wait to see the finished piece.”  The mural is targeting completion for early September.