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A new mural in Crosskeys has been unveiled, with those involved hoping it will help unite a “divided” village.

Nicola Ankin, who is from Crosskeys, managed to raise more than £7,000 for the work, which spans the underside of the bridge on Islwyn Road.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, Ms Ankin said: “We relied on people in the area to come forward and give us inspiration, with each section of the mural representing a part of the area both past and present.

“It took around 18 months of planning – with a fair bit of red tape to get through – but it’s all been worth it.

“Councillor Phillipa Leonard was a great help in getting the project moving with a community empowerment grant, and the likes of Tesco who also contributed financially.”

The artwork itself was completed by Paul Shepherd, better known as ‘Walls by Paul’ who has pieces across the borough via the Valleys Street Art Project.

He said: “It took a few weeks to complete, but I’m really happy with the way it worked out.”

Islwyn’s Labour Senedd Member, Rhianon Passmore, was also at the event, in which she spoke to the crowd of a few dozen and said: “I’d like to thank Nicola and the community for this wonderful piece of art, which I was pleased to learn was done by a man who my father taught in Newbridge.

“We live in such a negative world at times, so it’s great to be able to unify behind something like this.”

Pupils from Waunfawr Primary School were also at the unveiling, with even the youngest generations playing a part in the design.

Ms Ankin added how the area had seen a rise in antisocial behaviour in recent years, and was hopeful work such as this can go some way to “bring everyone together”.