The artist on a mission to create the country's most colourful chicken shop

An artist who has given a takeaway shop a colourful makeover has said she wanted it to be "the most colourful chicken shop in the country".

Tash Frootko is working with a team of street artists, designers and illustrators to transform around 170 shops, restaurants and homes on Tredworth's High Street in Gloucester.

She has been painting streets in Gloucester as part of her Rainbow City project for the past five years, and said this "huge" transformation is her biggest yet.

Work on the project has now reached the halfway point, with the street's chicken shop, Chicken Feast, the latest building to receive a colourful facelift.

Ms Frootko said she wants people to be able "to revel in the joy and vibrancy of their surroundings".

"My aim for the Chicken Feast mural was to create the most decorated chicken shop in the country, and I think we have achieved just that!" she said.

"I think more businesses should embrace their facades as canvasses for creativity," she added. "The use of bold colours and imagination has breathed new life into the street."

Ms Frootko worked with Bristol-based sign-painter, designer and muralist Hannah Worsley to paint the shop, who said she wanted the mural to celebrate the rich variety of cultures in the area.

Ms Worsley explained she divided the shop into 11 distinct canvases, with "each celebrating a different nationality through textile and pattern."

"The mural wraps around a Bangladeshi-owned chicken shop with Baluchari style saree and rickshaw art featuring front and centre," she said.

"It was a labour of love that resonated deeply with the diverse community," added Ms Worsley.

Chicken Feast owner Shamsuz Zaman Litu said the mural has become a popular topic of conversation among his customers.

"My shop has never looked so good and our customers love it," he said.

"The street is changing so quickly with Tash and her team doing a remarkable job. There is a real buzz on High Street and we all can't wait to see what gets painted next," he added.

In total, 12 murals will be painted along the street by local, national and international artists, thanks to funding from Gloucestershire County Council's Levelling Up Together Fund and Arts Council England.

Homes and businesses with original brickwork won't be painted, although their doors and window ledges may be spruced up.

The transformation, which is Ms Frootko's eighth project in Gloucester, is expected to be finished in June.