THE completion of the Wealdstone bridge mural was officially celebrated at 4pm on Tuesday.

Mark Speight, the presenter of the CBBC children's programme Smart' was at the event to see the artwork and meet the people involved.

Wealdstone Active Community worked with Harrow Council and Transport for London to transform the bridge into something local people can really enjoy. Local community artist Lawrence Mathias was commissioned to lead the work and received a lot of help from children and young people in the area.

Local people were asked what they would like to see in the mural and suggested something historic involving trains. The result was a number of scenes showing how the buildings and businesses in Wealdstone have changed since 1800, and how the railway running through Wealdstone helped turn the area into a vibrant town.

One section of the 217 foot bridge pays tribute to the 112 people who lost their lives in the 1952 train crash and acknowledges the efforts of the rescuers.

The work started in the middle of July and was completed a month later.

Linda Sarfo- Gyamfi, 9, from Norbury school in Welldon Crescent drew the Queen Victoria on part of the wall. She said: "I really enjoyed taking part in the mural as I really enjoy art."

Labour Councillor Marie- Louise Nolan said:"I think the children learned a lot from participating in the mural work. They not only had a good time but they also found out about Wealdstone's history."

Lawrence researched Wealdstone's history at local libraries, called on the expertise of a Wealdstone historian, and the young people involved interpreted the information in a colourful and imaginative way.

Brenda Harvey who worked on the project with Wealdstone Active Community said: "I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the young people involved and how much they loved learning about the history of Wealdstone. The end result is fantastic I notice something new each time I see it."