They’re artists in the making, and this group of youngsters has been busy working on its first piece of public art.

Under the supervision of experienced artist Denise Hughes Eastleigh school children  have been designing the decor to brighten up dark and dingy underpass.

Their work will freshen up the busy pedestrian and cycle route running under the M3 and linking Velmore to the Nightingale School, the Aviary Estate and Fleming Park.

Once completed the tiled  mural will feature a landscape of the parkland, with the Velmore Community Centre at one end and Fleming Park Leisure Centre at the other.

Denise - who is based at Eastleigh artists’ studios The Sorting Office - has been helping the children to make flowers, bees and butterflies, many of which will be featured in the meadow section of the mural.

She said: “The underpass could certainly benefit from an exciting ‘makeover, and what I’m really hoping is that people will be able to enjoy the design and feel safer there.

“I’m hoping that the mural will lighten and brighten the underpass and make it fit in better with the area better, because the surroundings are now so lovely around the parkland development.

“The area has been subject to graffiti in the past so I wanted to get the community involved in the project in the hopes they’ll really look after it.”