SHOPKEEPERS and artists gathered to unveil a colourful mural featuring shops and businesses in part of Oxford.

James Salter, who has run Cowboymod hairdressers in Walton Street for the past 14 years, came up with the idea.

Shops, schools and churches are all represented on the Jericho mural, which is on display in a window of an empty building on the corner of Walton Street and Little Clarendon Street.

The Jericho Community Mural, by artist Stuart Roper, was unveiled on Saturday.

Mr Salter, 45, said: “This has brought a real feelgood factor to Jericho. Shoppers keep coming up to me to tell me how much they like it. Stuart grasped immediately what I was trying to achieve – this celebrates what Jericho is all about.”

Max Mason, owner of the big Bang restaurant, who attended the launch, said: “This part of the city clearly illustrates that Oxford isn’t a complete carbon copy of every other place – just take a look at all the different shop fronts.”

Mr Roper, 55, from Wantage, painted the mural before printers Blue Amigo, of Little Clarendon Street, printed it. John Elinger wrote a poem to mark the launch of the mural, entitled The Battle for Jericho, which has been posted on the door of the building.