A vibrant new Cultural Mural Trail has been officially launched in Stornoway, marked by the restoration of two fibreglass murals. Originally created by art teacher Iain Brady, the artworks had fallen into disrepair. With Iain’s full backing, they’ve now been enhanced to bring back their bright, eye-catching colour.
Artist Chris Rutterford was commissioned by the Western Isles Lottery Team to transform numerous walls in and around the town to help better reflect island culture and heritage. On Tuesday 29 April, the two Iain Brady murals that had been restored by Chris were unveiled to the public.

Celebrating the rich history and heritage of Stornoway and the Western Isles, Chris is looking to transform blank, underutilised walls into eye-catching, historically significant murals, subject to planning permissions.

The Stornoway Cultural Mural Trail is an initiative designed to revitalise key areas of the town through large scale mural artwork. Announced by the Lottery Team last October, plans are now firmed up for Stage Two of the project which will showcase Chris’ original artwork.

For the month of April, Chris took up residence in the old Sports World premises on Point Street, showcasing some of his work on the larger scale murals, and open to visitors of tourists and locals alike.

A striking new ‘Welcome to Stornoway’ feature is set to be unveiled this September, greeting ferry passengers for years to come. This marks the beginning of the expansive trail outlined for Stage Three, which is already being finalised.

Stage Three will involve extensive community input, school children will be able to view their own work within the murals. Chris explained that as the project moves forward, he will be involving schools in the process as he wants the community to feel like they have a part in it and feel like 'they own it'.

Iain’s murals have gone through a great restoration process, while still maintaining the original artwork that represents the island community and heritage so well, Chris has upgraded these pieces, with Iain’s full support.

Chris was inspired by old photographs of island life. Looking at the island today, he sees how much has changed, and he hopes to revive the feeling those pictures evoke, reconnecting everything to the island’s culture and heritage.

He said, “The Stornoway Historical Society were sending me photos, and even just seeing the bounty of the sea it just makes you feel something, and I just think whether you’re living here or you’re visiting, you want to feel what this place is when you’re in it, and it kind of gives you a bit of pride.”

The initiative outlines the efforts to preserve and promote Stornoway’s cultural heritage while contributing to the town’s ongoing regeneration. All funds raised will be utilised to cover artist commissions, materials, site preparation, and community engagement activities.

Janet Paterson of Western Isles Lottery said, “We are delighted to see Iain Brady’s work restored to its former glory, as is Iain himself, and we can’t praise Chris Rutterford highly enough for going above and beyond his call of duty to deliver this project on time.”

“We have worked tirelessly with Chris and his technical partner, Lubi, in the planning of the next stage of the Mural Trail and the Lottery Team are excited to soon be able to share more details with everyone when we have them finalised.”

With positive feedback from the community so far, the team are confident in Chris and look forward to unveiling his original artwork.

A huge thanks is owed to Calmax Construction, Stornoway Painters & Decorators, John MacIver Plant Hire, MacMillan Engineering, and Alan MacDonald, owner of the Sports World premises.