Harehills ❤️ Love

Welcome to Day 8 of the 2025 Harehills Good News Advent Calendar!

Today, we are heading to the Junior Sports Hub (JSH) on Ashton Road. While this venue is famous for nurturing the next generation of athletes, its also famous for its art and mural projects, and 2025 was a shining example.

The project brought together a team of student volunteers from the university—Tanvi, Fozia, Leila, and Tahmeena—to work side-by-side with the JSH’s own “Youth Ambassadors.” This wasn’t a case of outsiders coming in to decorate a wall; it was a true partnership.

Guided by local artist Megan Dobbyn, the young people of Harehills held workshops to decide exactly what they wanted their space to say about them. Drawing inspiration from the bold, energetic style of Keith Haring, they co-designed a vibrant masterpiece for the main sports hall.

The final mural is packed with symbols chosen by the children themselves: a trophy representing aspiration, books for opportunity, and food for health and hospitality. It captures the very soul of the Junior Sports Hub—a place that is about family, community and the future just as much as it is about football or cricket.

The project was completed earlier this year, transforming a blank wall into a permanent reminder that the young people of Harehills are creative, ambitious, and proud of their community.

Read more about this collaboration:

Junior Sports Hub: https://www.juniorsportshub.org/

University of Leeds Sustainability Blog: A colourful collaboration: the Community Mural Project 2025 (towards the bottom of the story is a link to a volunteer page if you ever want to get involved in projects like this that make the world a better place in small and giant ways)