Blackpool LeftCoast Volunteers bring splash of positivity to prime time TV as artwork is screened across the nation

All this week until Saturday the ident spectacle designed and painted by the 'makers' of Blackpool's LeftCoast will be screened across the nation.

The inspired artwork which appears on a large canvas took 10 hours of filming, 200 paint filled balloons and 70 litres of watered down paint to give the finished result.

A team of 10 dedicated volunteers were selected to contribute to the paint-fueled showcase and LeftCoast’s artistic director Tina Redford of three years, said it was a great honour for their work to be recognised by the TV giants she said: “We were approached by ITV to develop a concept for the ident way back in November.

"The researchers found our website and really liked the playfulness in the work that we do. Sarah Harris from the LeftCoast team developed the artistic idea taking her inspiration from working with our volunteers …and what better way to celebrate their loyalty than in a piece of art on prime-time TV.

“It has been difficult keeping this secret project under wraps since we filmed the ident at the ITV studios in February.

"The shoot itself was super messy and fantastic fun so it’s been hard not to share such a great experience with our friends and family. We have had to wait until the broadcast date to talk about it and now it’s here.”

The ident creation features paint filled balloons with positive affirmations written on them thrown against a white wall, with the big reveal of a paint-bombed ITV logo.

Makers Becky Doran-Brown, Sharon Slate, Ruth Collinge, Rachel Eacott, Catherine Isherwood, Sarah Wade, Adam McClean, Dean Banks. Katherine Platt and Vikki Ellison were chosen at random from participants of the RUSH18 project.

Their positive affirmations were written on paint balloons to describe the feelings and benefits from taking part in volunteering on LeftCoast projects. The affirmations then became part of the image which makes up the ITV logo.

Sarah Harris, artist and LeftCoast’s creative community activist said: “This project is a celebration of people coming together and expressing their positive experiences. So, I chose colours that have a luminous quality, which for me expresses joy.

“In the lead up to filming, the Makers were asked what they got from engaging with LeftCoast projects, phrases included ‘working together’ ‘swapping stories’ ‘buddying up’ ‘talking’ ‘joy making’.

"By coming together and committing their responses in ink and paint creating the ident represents a real affirmation to the power of volunteering in general.”

Sarah added: “Everyone was really pleased with how the ident turned out. Once ITV had shot all the footage they needed, everyone in the studio had a go at throwing paint, including all the production crew. It turns out they’d been itching to have a go all day!”

Volunteer and LeftCoast make Adam McClean, who has lived and worked in Blackpool for 20 years, said: “The experience for me was very exciting, heading to London and filming in a studio with a lovely bunch of people, was an experience I will cherish, it was a long and tiring day but so worth it, every time I see the ITV logo now it makes me smile. It was a blast and filming for ITV was a dream come true."

For more information and behind the scenes images please visit www.leftcoast.org.uk/itvcreates