The wall, which has been painted black, features the bold red writing which ask the question: “Could you use a needle at nine years old?”.

According to Create, there are around 700,000 young carers in Britain and many of these can be responsible for up to 20 hours of caring each week involving difficult tasks such as using a needle.

The idea behind the signage was to raise awareness of the creative arts programmes that Create runs. These programmes are designed to help children develop confidence and supportive relationships with others in the same situation as them, as well as giving them a much-needed break from caring responsibilities.

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A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support. ~ Emma* 10 spoke to us about how being a young carer makes her life different: ~ “It’s really hard because I’m almost acting like a parent to my brother. As a young carer, you’ve got to care for people and you don’t really have any me time. I think projects like this help young carers because you’re away from your family and you don’t have to care for them or worry about them. It’s also really fun because you get some time for yourself.” ~ You can help us care for young carers like Emma. ~ Find out more and donate – link in bio ~ #helpuscare #createcharity #CouldYouUseANeedleAt9YearsOld? ~ *not her real name

A post shared by Create (@createcharity) on Feb 13, 2020 at 8:09am PST

Jim Thornton, deputy executive creative director of VCCP comments: “In a country that seems wilfully to disregard the mental health, social and intellectual benefits of the arts in education, we believe the work Create does with the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in society is about as important as it gets.

“We believe the charity’s work is so important, it should be a household name and this powerful piece of street art is just the beginning.”

The actual installation of the mural was completed by Global Street Art. Community work is a core part of the organisation’s work and since 2012 it has organised over 2,200 legal murals in London.

Global Street Art also runs an agency which specialises in hand-painted advertising and murals for landlords and developers.

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