For a long time now Portsmouth and the surrounding south coast prides itself on being home to many talented creatives, many of whom rely on their craft as an income.

In these difficult times, a group of artists have come up with a great way to keep their creative juices flowing, while saying thank you to all the city’s residents and workers. A big (20ft x 10ft) ‘thank you’ and ‘we can do this!’ for such a BIG collective effort.

The group need support from you and the local community so have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help make this a reality. Those getting involved include Gary Stranger, I Love Dust, Fark, Petting Zoo Prints and All Caps.

All five billboards have been freely donated by Billboard Media UK who are also providing their print and installation services (incl. public liability insurance) at cost price. ⁣
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They state, “We’re doing this because we’ve got big hearts, not big pockets. Because we value our city, and all the people who make it work: the NHS front-line workers, the care-givers, the delivery drivers, the volunteers, the postmen, the guys maintaining our utilities, the local heroes helping their neighbours and everyone who is distanced from their loved ones in an effort to contain the virus spread.

“When we reach our target of £3,000 on Sunday 19th April we’ll be able to fund the first wave of billboard artwork displays. This figure covers the basic printing and installation costs, production costs of the rewards, and Kickstarter’s fees. That’s it.

“Following the first wave, once we’ve been able to demonstrate the ripple effect of positivity, we’ll be seeking the funding for waves two and three from local businesses.”

If you can offer your support then it would be a lovely gesture if support and thanks. To see local artists take over space normally preserved for multinational companies like Sky would be a breath of fresh air! Donations start from £1 and if all of our followers did that then they would smash their target in hours! Give what you can to the project, and by encouraging others to do the same. Donate here.

Once you’ve pledged, you can continue to follow the campaign’s progress over on Instagram at @COVID19ArtAds.