PROMENADE strollers will be dazzled by 500 new deckchairs that paint a picture of the borough to mark the Olympics.

It is hoped that they will be on Weymouth Esplanade by spring 2012 in readiness for the Games coming to town.

Around 430 borough residents of all ages and interests participated in the project with the aim of designing 500 deckchairs.

Designs were based on the themes and colours of the seashore, seaside activities and The Esplanade architecture.

The images celebrate Weymouth’s distinctiveness and others are more playful, humorous or inventive.

South Wales-based artists Becky Adams, David Mackie and Heather Parnell led the project, which is part of the 2012 Public Art Commissioning Programme and was funded by the Arts Council South West.

Mr Mackie said: “We’ve created three ‘banks’ of colours as the background onto which the designs are printed.

“These colours are taken from observations of the Jurassic Coast, Weymouth architecture and the beach in season.

“The use of specific colour fields aims to bring together the diversity of the images collected, enabling the design of a toddler and adult to be appreciated equally.”

A decision was made to print the image on the front but to continue the colours over on to the back.

Mr Mackie added: “When the deckchairs are lined up, passers-by will see families of colour which mirror the environment.”

More than 150 designs will each be printed on three different backgrounds on around 450 chairs.

A further 35 to 45 will use traditional stripes, but in a combination of the new colours.

Arts development officer for Weymouth and Portland, Alan Rogers, said the fantastic response to the project followed an appeal in the Echo for people to attend the workshops.

He said: “There will be 500 deckchairs to replace a quarter of the 2,000 blue and white-striped ones on Weymouth Beach.”

View the designs at olympicdeck chairs.tumblr.com; businesses wishing to sponsor the next project should email alan_rogers@ weymouth.ac.uk