If they are not given care and attention subways can be rather grim places, but this is no longer true of the one at Poole train station.

Four graduates from the BA Illustration course at Arts University Bournemouth were invited to develop proposals for a ‘family’ of murals to brighten the subway and the winner was Fay Troote.

Fay’s designs evoke the wildlife and beauty of Holes Bay, as well as spanning the birds of the area, pottery, the RNLI and Poole’s vibrant sense of community and wildlife.

The refresh comes as a result of additional Local Growth funding towards BCP Council’s Townside and Hunger Hill improvements scheme, allocated by Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Work also included a deep clean, improvements to lighting and drainage, resurfacing of the subway access area on the station forecourt side, and accessibility improvements to steps and handrails.

Gary Powell, head of engineering at BCP Council, said, “We’re really pleased to be able to work with local university students at the same time as revitalising a key public link to Poole town centre. Fay’s work not only highlights important parts of Poole’s heritage but also brightens up what has otherwise been a drab subway in need of a refresh.”