Brush up way to help safety

Part of the NSW Government’s Safer Cities: Her Way program, the council initiative is part of a push to make public spaces safer for women and girls.
Expected to be fully complete by May, the project also involves the installation of new furniture, including tables and benches, a stage area, greenery, mobile phone charging stations as well as the beautiful artwork on the former Coles/IGA building.
Sophi said her brief was to paint a mural that created a nurturing and welcoming feel for families.
“There’s a lot of symbolism in the scene I have painted, with it mainly focusing on larger birds protecting little birds in a mother looking after child concept,” she said.
“It was such a nice, big wall to paint and I hope passersby will enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed creating it.”
Mayor Lisa Lake said everyone deserved to feel safe in their neighbourhood.
“Women sometimes experience public space differently to men and will often change their behaviour to protect themselves in public but we don’t want the women in Cumberland to feel unsafe while living or working in our community,” she said.