Welcome.
That’s how it started. In 2023, our community council asked residents what we should be working on, and in amongst the suggestions to upgrade parks, roads and school facilities, there was a request for a welcome sign, so that people knew when they were entering Cathcart.
Well, that doesn’t seem so hard, we thought. Little did we know!
Andrew Dewar with some of the kids who helped design the mural.
First we had to find a site. We wandered the area, eyeing up every blank space and gable wall, wondering who we’d need to get permission from in order to paint on it. We thought we’d cracked it when the local housing association generously offered us their end wall, till we consulted an artist and learned we’d need a completely smooth wall, without pipes or other infrastructure.
Then two things happened. First, our friends at Mount Florida Community Council unveiled a stunning new mural at their train station. Secondly, we discovered that Scotrail had a funding programme for art installations at stations. Putting two and two together, we applied for permission and funds to create a Welcome to Cathcart mural at the station, and were delighted when we were awarded both.
However, that was only half the battle: next we needed to find the right artist. Someone who could turn our vague brief into something that the whole community would love. Many wonderfully talented artists got in touch with us, and we loved looking at their work, but one bid stood out. The work of Lindsay Grime and Ellie Mills popped with life and colour, and we were delighted they agreed to work with us.
The mural artists Lindsay Grime and Ellie Type.
But how to create the mural? We knew we wanted an element of community involvement, ideally from local young people – so we turned to Fun Lodge, our local after-school club, run by one of our community councillors, Ross Taylor. Ellie and Lindsay ran a workshop with the kids, who came up with fabulous stencil patterns to adorn the finished mural. A couple of weeks later, an email landed in our inbox with the proposed design. We held our breath: but it was perfect. Vibrant, colourful and peppered with references to our local area, from the Couper Institute, Holmwood House and the library to our resident kingfisher, it was exactly what we’d wanted.
The mural itself took just a week to paint. Ellie and Lindsay arrived on the Monday and spent a gloriously sunny week tucked away in the railway tunnel, chatting to passers-by as they gradually created our beautiful artwork.
Cathcart, Merrylee and Muirend Community Councillors on the day of the opening
All in all, it took two years from the first whisper of a welcome sign to getting all of the permissions, funding and design in place so that the mural could be installed. But finally, on a rainy Saturday in May 2025, we came together to officially launch the mural. Our longest-standing community councillor, Andrew Dewar, shared a few memories of travelling from Cathcart in the days of steam engines, and then, ably assisted by some of our younger local residents, he cut the ribbon and declared the mural open.
It was a truly wonderful day, and the culmination of so much work from so many people. We want to thank everyone who made it happen: the brilliant community team at Scotrail the amazing kids at Fun Lodge, and of course our incredibly talented artists Ellie and Lindsay.
We spot something new in the mural every time we pass it: there’s so much detail and thought in each of its panels. We hope it stands for many years as a gift to our community, a sign that we are here, we matter and we welcome everyone who visits.
Welcome to Cathcart.
Now what’s next?
