Stockport's Merseyway Centre has won an international Green Apple award for its new wildlife bottlecap mural.

Designed by local artist Caitlin Atherton, the mural depicts endangered wildlife from around Stockport, and is made entirely from recycled bottlecaps - 80,000, to be exact.

Caitlin is also the owner of Plastic Shed, a local society which was instrumental in this project, in helping collect, prepare and fit the caps.

Merseyway's award is specifically in recognition of the collaboration between the shopping centre and Plastic Shed to get the mural together.

Local artist Caitlin Atherton masterminded the project. Caitlin is also co-owner of local recycling community benefit society, Plastic Shed (Image - Merseyway)

The Green Apple Environment Awards were founded in 1994, and are described as "one of the top environment awards campaigns on the planet".

Hosted in a different country each year, the awards aim to recognise environmental best practice around the world.

Other winners at a previous ceremony included entrants from New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Indonesia, to name a few. Stockport is very much playing on the world stage, then!

The award will be presented to Victoria Nichol and Mo Shirazi (Merseyway centre manager and operations manager respectively) at a ceremony at Kensington Palace on 18 November.

The mural was unveiled on 20 March 2024, and is the largest of its kind in the UK.

Under the leadership of artist Caitlin, locals from across the borough helped to donate, clean and fit the caps to the boards, resulting in a stunning 18x4 metre artwork which is quite unlike anything else in the world.

Earlier this year, Caitlin poses with the artwork as it nears completion, with helpers in the background (Image - Merseyway)

Victoria Nichol said: "We're absolutely thrilled to have our collaboration with Plastic Shed acknowledged with this prestigious award. [...]

"This collaborative project demonstrates how creativity and environmental advocacy can come together to create something truly impactful.

"The mural is not only a stunning piece of art but also a reminder of the importance of reducing plastic waste and protecting our environment. 

"With over 13 billion plastic bottles used every year in the UK and only around half of these being recycled, we hope this mural inspires others to think about the impact of plastic waste and how we can all contribute to protecting our planet." 

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