Phase 3, Ward 21, The Clean Drain Campaign and Leaves for Life
As part of Glasgow Life’s Creative Communities Artists in Residence programme in Ward 21, North East, artist duo Walker and Bromwich delivered The Clean Drain Campaign and Leaves for Life. Two youth-led creative projects tackling environmental issues through protest, storytelling, and active travel.
This work was delivered as part of Create 4 Glasgow, a participatory art project that built on the legacy of COP26 and gave voice to Glasgow's young people and their environmental priorities.
At Sunnyside Primary School, the artists worked with P7 pupils to deliver The Clean Drain Campaign, which raised awareness about ocean plastic pollution. Through hands-on workshops, young people created sculptural sea creatures, inventing characters like Scunnered Seal, Biling Basking Shark and Crabbit Crab. These characters featured in a short video campaign calling on politicians to take action against marine pollution. P6 pupils also took part in creative sessions, transforming natural patterns into t-shirts and wallpaper designs. The final artworks were presented to Glasgow City Council on World Oceans Day.
The project empowered children to develop storytelling and campaign skills while learning about climate change and ocean health. Their humorous, character-led approach helped make complex issues accessible and compelling to audiences of all ages.
Walker and Bromwich also collaborated with Saint Paul’s Youth Forum to deliver Leaves for Life, a campaign focused on air pollution and cycling. Participants designed and created cardboard leaves to decorate their bikes for a community parade to draw attention to air quality issues and advocate for better infrastructure. The project culminated in a cycle tour along the Hidden Molendinar Burn, from the North East to Glasgow Green, where young people explored how pollution and life expectancy vary across the city.
Along the route, they learned that Glasgow’s public parks were once known as the “lungs of the city” and that new cycle networks can continue that legacy as vital health infrastructure.
The project formed part of On Bikes, a wider community initiative tackling poverty and inequality in the North East through active travel. As a direct outcome of this creative engagement, Saint Paul’s Youth Forum was awarded funding to improve walking and cycling in the North East of Glasgow.
A special thanks to community partners, supporters and contributors: Saint Paul’s Youth Forum | Sunnyside Primary School | Ellie Harrison | On Bikes.
