Rainbow Road – 5km Community Art Tile Trail

A vibrant community art trail connecting Heaton Mersey and Didsbury has been launched.

Group of men and women stood next to a wall which has painted ceramic tiles on it — The launch of Rainbow Road at Francis House Children's Hospice.
Pictured centre: Dermot Murphy, (left) with Jeff Smith MP (right) and Sophie Macaulay

Created by GRIT Studios in partnership with Francis House Children’s Hospice, Rainbow Road is a 5 km walking trail featuring a series of handcrafted ceramic rainbow tiles installed along the route through local streets and neighbourhoods.

The aim of Rainbow Road is to encourage people to get outdoors, explore their local neighbourhoods, and discover creativity and connection through walking.

The tiles have been designed and created by hundreds of people from across the community, including young people and staff from Francis House, local residents, schools, volunteer groups and businesses. Each tile is unique, reflecting the creativity and collaboration behind the project.

Based on Parrswood Road in Didsbury, Francis House Children’s Hospice provides holistic care in a home from home environment to children and young adults who have a life-shortening or life-threatening condition. Support is offered to the whole family and in addition to respite care, services include homecare and community support. It cost £15,890 a day to run the hospice which relies on voluntary contributions to fund the majority of its work.

Two women holding a painted ceramic tile each sat by a table with paint pots on it — Vicky and Sinead show off their painted tiles

Dermot Murphy of Francis House said: “Rainbow Road began as a way of connecting the hospice at Francis House with the residential care homes – for young people with life-shortening conditions and complex needs – in Didsbury and Heaton Mersey. But it quickly became something much bigger and more shared. Many of the tiles along the route were created by the young people themselves, alongside local schools, residents, artists and volunteers.

“What makes the trail special is that it links not just places, but people and communities too. We hope people enjoy following the trail through the area and seeing the creativity and care that so many people have helped bring to life.”

Ceramic artists Alison Waters and Sarah Pink led workshops supporting participants to design and make the colourful ceramic pieces, while illustrator John Cooper worked with young people to create the official trail map and instructions to help visitors follow the route.

A concrete fence post in a suburban street with a ceramic tile painted with a flamingo on it

rows of colourful painted ceramic tiles with rainbows and messages of hope

Group of adults and young people in wheelchairs sat by a colourful gazebo smiling at the camera

Community group Heatons Men in Sheds also played a key role in bringing the project to life, supporting the installation process and working in all weathers to ensure the tiles were safely installed across the trail.

Sophie Macaulay from GRIT Studios said: “The Rainbow Road has been an incredible project from start to finish, seeing hundreds of members of the community work together to design, make and install the tiles, as well as all the local businesses and residents who have ‘homed’ a tile on their buildings and gate posts.”

Trail maps and instructions are available via website www.fhrainbowroad.co.uk