WHILE the Creative Coathanger festival ended on Sunday, it has certainly left its mark on Galashiels and Selkirk.

The town now has a new feature in the mural, on the side of the Grapevine restaurant, where the event was declared open, just weeks ago.

The artwork has featured many local people including Cyril Corcoran, a Galashiels man who features with his wife.

He said: “It will really help to cheer up the place. We’re fair chuffed we’re on it.”

The work was painted by artist Chris Rutterford and was hung up last Saturday.

Councillor John Mitchell said: “The mural is quite a good tourist attraction and it has got people coming to see it. People are going to it because some of their relatives are on it.”

Many of the town’s empty shops and outdoor spaces were also transformed into pop-up shops, workshops and galleries, to attract visitors from far and wide.

Sculptures were also created by renowned artists, Toni Coyle, Lucy O’Higgins and Fiona Maher, by using natural and recycled materials to spruce the town up.

Other highlights included an event at the WASP Studios in Selkirk, when the public were given the chance to explore a range of artwork from local artists such as Moy MacKay, and the art and photography exhibitions at the Trinity Church and the Mac Arts Centre, to name just a few.

And all of the events have been put on to attract as many as possible to the region. 

VisitScotland regional director Doug Wilson said: “The establishment of the new Creative Coathanger arts festival represents a real commitment to further enhancing our region’s tourism offering and attracting more visitors to the Scottish Borders - an area renowned for its links to the textiles, fashion and design industry.”