Wakefield-born Leeds United mural artist Burley Banksy commissioned for Wakefield Trinity street art
A street artist who gained prominence for his Leeds United murals around the city is turning his hand to Wakefield Trinity.
The Super League club have commissioned Andy McVeigh, who was born in Wakefield, to paint a number of electrical boxes around Belle Vue with Trinity-themed imagery.
Speaking to Trinity’s social media channels, he said: “I’m glad to do it, it’s good for the city. Anything that can lift the city is great and people should be proud of the rugby team.
"It’s nice to work with different colours and big-up the town where you were born. But don’t tell the Leeds fans I liked working with the red.”
Lifelong United fan Andy got into street art to brighten up the area he lives.
He said: "In Burley a few years ago the boxes were all covered in horrible tagging so me and a friend decided to paint over them. I think we did some flowers – it was pretty rubbish but people said things like ‘it’s nicer than it was before’ and ‘it cheered me up on the way to work today.’
"Then I did some Leeds United ones on the way to the stadium, like a pathway for fans. It took off from there and people were asking ‘can you paint this on my garden shed.”
The Trinity murals so far include “Stand up if you love the Trin” and “Pride of Wakey” alongside the club’s fleur-de-lis badge.
The club said it wanted Wakefield to be “even more of a rugby league town” and this was a way to but the club on display.
In terms of standout features of the city, Andy said: "Wakey’s got the cathedral and it’s got the rugby club, we should make more of that and this is a way to do it.
"Even if you don’t particularly like the design, it’s got to be better than the box it was before. It was rotten, knackered and the paint was coming off. It looked pretty grim.
"Even if you don’t like Wakefield Trinity, surely it has to be better than what it was before.”
A few more are planned further away from the ground.
Around the time of the pandemic he painted murals in tribute to NHS staff at Pinderfields Hospital on Aberford Road.