Employees from road marking contractor WJ Group volunteered to clean and refurbish the Reginald Mitchell Way Spitfire and Walrus seaplane displays in Stoke-on-Trent.
The displays were designed in 1996 by artist Magnus Irvin to celebrate British aircraft designer Reginald Mitchell’s contribution to development of the Supermarine Spitfire and Walrus seaplane, which were both used during the Second World War.
Cracks had started to develop on the surface of the monuments and the paint was fading due to their continuous exposure to elements.
The initiative was spearheaded by local employee and WJ contract supervisor Damian West. His team requested permission from the council to renovate the installations, which was granted.
The team removed approximately 4 tonnes of overgrowth from the edges of the display over one week. For this, it used a high-powered push-along pressure washer to remove built-up grime. After repairing the cracks in the surface, specialist paint was used on the letters and symbols to brighten the artwork.
WJ Group said that its Thinking Community initiative allows staff to undertake charitable work like this while still being paid and receiving support from the company, such as funding or using its equipment and materials.
