Giant mural of Betty Campbell being painted at the school she loved

A giant mural of trailblazing teacher Betty Campbell is being painted at the school where she was head teacher.

The artwork of Betty, who was Wales’ first black head teacher, is currently being worked on at Mount Stuart primary School by acclaimed Welsh street artist Bradley Rmer.

Bradley, the artist responsible for such eye-catching work as the My Cymru My Shirt mural on Church Street in Cardiff, looks set to unveil another stunning eye catching piece of work with this 20ft + mural at the Butetown primary school.

Posting on Twitter, the Senior Leader at Mount Stuart Primary School Mrds Aziz @MSPSMrsAziz wrote ‘@BradleyRmer making pupils wishes for a memorial @MSPSCardiff to Betty Campbell MBE – Wales’ first black head teacher and pioneer of diversity in the curriculum – a reality!’

@BradleyRmer making pupils wishes for a memorial @MSPSCardiff to Betty Campbell MBE – Wales’ first black head teacher and Pioneer of diversity in the curriculum – a reality! @cardiffuni pic.twitter.com/vMMNIVXvB7

— Mrs Aziz (@MSPSMrsAziz) February 13, 2023

How amazing is this?! We’ll post more updates soon! pic.twitter.com/Ap75UK5Sbu

— Mount Stuart Primary (@MSPSCardiff) February 13, 2023

The soon to be revealed mural which will watch over the school and the children she loved comes with the announcement of the first Betty Campbell Day, which will take place on May 1, 2023 in Roald Dahl Plas and the Wales Millennium Centre.

The event, organised by Betty’s family, will be ‘a celebration fitting to commemorate her life and legacy’.

“Betty’s family have put together a celebration fitting to commemorate her life and legacy, encompassing as many of her passions as possible – education, culture, heritage and community,” said event organisers.

“Betty Campbell Day will host stalls jam-packed with local vendors sharing crafts, books, Caribbean food and drink and activities, a stage filled with music, local school performances, MC’s, DJ’s, well known faces and special guests, and a Wales Millennium Centre programme of exhibitions, talks, intergenerational activities and reminiscence, and theatre.”

Betty Campbell was a trailblazer. Told she’d never become a teacher, she proved everyone wrong and became a trailblazer as Wales’ first black headmistress.

She instilled values of pride and determination within her students and taught them to be proud of their heritage. She spent her life enriching her community, driving forth equality and was an advocate for positive change. She worked tirelessly to empower and encourage those around her to fulfil their potential.

A beautiful statue of the Welsh head teacher was unveiled in Cardiff City centre in September 2021.