THE DORCHESTER Learning Centre has a striking new look following a project involving a local artist.

Peter Sheridan was involved in the project to design and create an 80-foot mural along the six-foot high fence outside the building.

He was also asked to help transform the Dorchester Learning Centre’s outdoor shelter.

Mr Sheridan said that during the design process for the work he was involved in discussions with the centre’s student voice group and they came up with a theme for the project of change and diversity.

He said he ‘started the ball rolling’ with some plan drawings and studding out the fence as well as putting an undercoat on both sides of the 19 sheets of plywood and fixing them to the fence.

Mr Sheridan said the students then got involved with classroom design sessions to set out the vision for the project and drawing up scaled designs.

He said: “We used some stencil work for the back drop which is a changing cityscape with iconic structure from around the globe, starting with the sun rising in Japan and ending with the moon light over San Francisco.

“The words change are based on the superman letters.

“And diversity is based on various logos.”

Mr Sheridan said that the outdoor shelter was painted to look like a gallery and offers a space that students can use whenever they like to hang out.

He praised the students from the Dorchester Learning Centre for their efforts during the project and the ideas they had come up with.

Mr Sheridan said: “The two projects have taken a month from start to finish.

“The paintings have brightened the outside areas of the centre and they will last for years to come.

“The students have had some great ideas and some quite forward thinking, for example in the way they sensitively illustrated issues like gender and orientation.”

The learning centre offers learning opportunities for students aged from seven to 16 based all over Dorset who find themselves outside mainstream education either on a permanent or temporary basis.

The aim for most students is a return to a mainstream school in the near future and DLC tries to keep all its students engaged in the four core subject areas – English, Maths, Science and ICT.

It also offers Art and Life Skills – over two sessions per week. Students are rewarded for good work and behaviour by earning “caught being good” slips from their teachers.