Sponsored by:
About The Sponsor
Project Sponge
Project Sponge is a community-focused organisation working to support environmental and social projects across Slough. Through their Community Action programme, they empower local residents and groups to engage with green spaces, creative activities, and sustainability initiatives, helping to build a stronger, greener town.
Dulux Paint
Dulux Paint, a leading brand in decorative paints, generously provided materials and corporate volunteers to support the creation of the mural. Their commitment to community engagement and environmental care helped bring this project to life with vibrant colour and quality finishes.
About The Mural
“Water Lives Here” is a Project Sponge initiative, in collaboration with Viva Slough and Dulux Paint. It is an intergenerational, community-led project celebrating the Salt Hill Stream, a vital but hidden waterway running beneath Salt Hill Park in Slough. This project transforms a once-neglected tunnel connecting two essential green spaces for climate resilience; Salt Hill Park and Baylis Park, into a tribute to local nature and community spirit.
Through a series of creative workshops combining poetry, drawing, immersive sensory exploration, and virtual reality, local residents from the Friends of Salt Hill Park developed ideas and imagery. They took inspiration from the stream and its surrounding nature. These sessions were jointly guided by Jho (Johana Plazas), an active member of the Viva Slough team, and Aya Rehman, Community Action Manager of Project Sponge, helping residents shape the concepts behind the mural.
This project would not have been possible without the invaluable support of Salt Hill VR, who created a detailed 3D model of the tunnel that served as the foundation for an interactive experience. Participants were able to paint the tunnel virtually using immersive reality tools, enabling creative exploration and collaborative design in a digital space. The VR technology was also instrumental in translating the final design onto the physical tunnel walls, helping to accurately trace the mural sketch and bring the community’s vision to life with precision and impact.
Building on this community collaboration, Jho created the final mural design featuring local wildlife such as the little egret, perch, and native wildflowers. The mural celebrates the tunnel as an essential and well-used part of daily life for local residents, a busy pathway that countless people travel every day to get to work, school, and home. The immersive design invites viewers to feel as if they are inside the stream itself, becoming a living metaphor for the deep connection between people and nature.
This project was brought to life through the commitment of passionate volunteers who painted the mural, including local residents from the Friends of Salt Hill Park group and corporate volunteers from Dulux, Tesco Mobile, and Berkeley Homes. Thanks to Salt Hill VR, who helped us integrate new technologies like virtual reality. A once-neglected and vandalised tunnel has now been transformed into a powerful symbol of creativity, community pride, and environmental care.
About The Artist
Johana Plazas, known by her pseudonym Jho, is a Colombian visual artist and muralist with extensive experience in community work. Her art focuses on highlighting wildlife, especially endangered species, giving them voice and presence as central figures in her murals. She has painted in countries such as Denmark, Mexico, Portugal, Colombia and UK. Now based in Slough, she actively contributes to the city’s cultural and social transformation as a member of the Viva Slough team.
Credits
Artist: Jho (@Jho_Artwork)
Project Director: Aya Rehman (Project Sponge)
Technical Expertise: Omar Amjad (Dulux Paints)
Paint Supply & Volunteers: Rebecca Orton (Dulux Paints)
Sustainability Champion: Abbie Churchill (Dulux Paints)
Use of VR Technology: Jay Younes (Salt Hill VR)
Created by Community Volunteers from:
Friends of Salt Hill Park
Akzo Nobel (Dulux Paints)
Tesco Mobile
Berkeley Homes
Residents and well-wishers who were passing through
Project Management: Vineet Vijh; Amandeep Mangat; Shoba Resalayyan (Viva Slough)
Health and Safety Officer: Sumaya Mahmood (Viva Slough)
Website: Tarcila Broder (Viva Slough)
Mobilejetwasher : Peter Reyn
and with support from Slough Borough Council (Highways and Parks Team)