Applemore College Military Project

A group of students from Applemore College in Marchwood, Hampshire, took part in three street art and graffiti workshops delivered by MBN Arts, designed to develop the skills needed to create a large-scale mural for their school.

Throughout the project, students explored lettering and typography, character design, stencil making, spray painting, and collaborative mural techniques. Sessions took place at the MBN Arts Centre, where students used the 40-foot outdoor spray paint wall to create large-scale artwork. They also produced abstract canvases, stencil pieces, and spray-painted sculptures to take home.

During the final workshop, students worked together to generate ideas and develop concepts for a mural reflecting their experiences as young people from military families. Their ideas explored family, identity, military life, and their local community. MBN Arts coaches then used these concepts to create the final mural design.

The finished 30-foot artwork featured a dandelion, the symbol of the military child, representing transition and change, alongside two military school children representing the students themselves. Other elements included a Culture Day flag, poppies, a medal displaying the word “Family”, a tank emerging from Marchwood Port, a seahorse representing the local military regiment, and the village church, all chosen by the students to reflect their identity, experiences, and connection to the local area.

MBN Arts then prepared the wall at Applemore College before students returned to paint the mural, applying the skills they had developed throughout the workshops. Working collaboratively, they added colour, shading, and detail before MBN Arts completed the final finishing touches.

The result is a vibrant and meaningful mural that celebrates the experiences, pride, and identity of Applemore College’s military family community, leaving a lasting legacy within the school.

Fantastic work by everyone involved.