Burley Banksy

Leeds artist Andy McVeigh (known as Burley Banksy) teamed up with Leeds United Academy to help students celebrate inclusivity and diversity. Students at the Academy took part in workshops with the national ‘Football v Homophobia’ scheme, and then entered a competition to design their own street box to celebrate Pride Month. Leeds United first team player Mateusz Klich judged the competition and picked Sam Alker from Clifford as the winner.

12-year-old Sam said “The design is about equality, and I wanted it to stand out a lot and be colourful like the rainbow, so everyone could see it. It’s so nice that first-team players and staff will be able to see it as well as anyone else in the community”.

Andy works in partnership with BT and Virgin, to brighten up telecoms boxes across Leeds with designs paying tribute to the NHS and carers as well as the city’s football team. As Thorp Arch is home to the Leeds United Academy, it is the perfect location for Andy’s newest artwork. The timing of the project was as important as the location – June is Pride month, a month dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ communities all around the world. Of the project, Andy said “Kids are the future, it’s all about educating kids to make sure everyone is included and we have a society that is as equal as possible. For a young lad to be designing this and bringing that message forward is brilliant. It was inspiring to see how the young players embraced the project”. For more information head to www.leedsunited. com/news/community