For nearly eight years, one man did what no regeneration strategy dared: he got his hands dirty, opened his wallet, and reimagined a forgotten street. Victoria Road didn’t need a masterplan. It needed belief. Paint. Music. Murals. Purpose. Dan Davies gave it all of that — and more. Now the rest of us have to step forward.
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He didn’t do it for profit. He cashed in pensions. Sold his house. Kept businesses alive through Covid. Fought cancer. Paid bills he didn’t have to. And somehow still found time to argue with councillors and hold the whole thing together with grit and gaffer tape. Now, as he prepares to auction off some of the very buildings he saved, he’s asking one thing of us: carry it on.
Because here’s the truth. Murals fade. Colour flakes. Optimism, if ignored, can turn to rust. The New Brighton mural trail is one of Wirral’s greatest recent success stories. It has pulled footfall back to the town. Inspired artists. Boosted independents. Rebuilt pride. But without recognition and protection, it could all vanish. Slowly. Quietly. Disgracefully.
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We’re asking Wirral Council to do what it hasn’t yet done: formally recognise the mural trail as a cultural asset, and work with the community to preserve and grow it. This isn’t radical. It’s responsible. It’s the kind of thing councils are supposed to do when something works.
Dan Davies lit the match. But it was locals who fanned the flame. Volunteers who cleaned streets. Artists who gave us walls that spoke. Residents who brought their kids to see what pride looks like in pigment. Now we need the system to back what the street has built. Because without council support, the risk is real.
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The murals won’t be instantly wiped away. But they’ll be left to the mercy of time, taggers, and indifference. And that would be a bigger failure than the years New Brighton spent in decline. Because this time, we’d be letting something beautiful rot on our watch. So what do we do? We step up. We speak out. We sign.
We’re not asking for gold leaf. Just recognition. Just upkeep. Just a future. Dan said it best: “You don’t jus exist when you’re proud of where you live.” Well, let’s prove we’re proud. Let’s fight for what’s been built. Because regeneration doesn’t end when the founder steps back. If anything, that’s when the real work begins.
