Residents of the cosmopolitan neighborhood of Kempston, Bedfordshire in England have recently been pleasantly surprised by a colorful addition to their street view. A front yard has been creatively transformed into an art therapy medium displaying murals that send hopeful messages for children with special needs.

The woman whose front yard is at the center of this noble project is Pritti Saggi, the founder of the Bedford-based charity Creating Memories, a charity that aims to grant wishes for children with life-limiting conditions, and works in conjunction with the Bedford Borough Parent Carer Forum, which provides support for children with learning disabilities.

Enthusiastic about making people smile, Ms. Saggi turned her side of the street to a canvas for a mural designed by children with special educational needs that aims to "encourage and inspire others". The result is the “Mural of Joy” that spread along with Ms. Saggi's front door and garden wall, transforming the normally unassuming surrounding into a spectacular scenery that draws in people from the street, so much that Sarah Harrison, the primary artist that painted the mural, remarked that "we're making this street a gallery!”

The project started in January, when Ms. Saggi put a notice on Facebook, asking for help to create a "Path of Joy" in her front garden. Ms. Harrison who is a local artist volunteered her skills and it was she who mainly painted the artwork, although the mural also features contributing designs by twenty children.

The centerpiece of the mural is Beatrice the elephant, designed to celebrate individuality and remembering moments to treasure. Pritti Saggi and Sarah Harrison asked local children to come up with paintings, which Sarah copied on the wall, and the children’s original work ranged from crayon drawings of windmills, family life, sea creatures, and robots, to a painting inspired by Banksy, the mysterious British street artist.

"I have gifted my home to the community... as at the moment, we're all feeling a bit deflated. This is just the start - I'm hoping we can decorate a bigger, more public space,” Ms. Saggi said. "If not, my home will just have to become The House of Joy."

Neighbors and passersby have also not been left out of the creative fun as they stop by to help paint portions of the wall. One of the neighbors, Paul Nicholson from Bedford, said: "I just came along to take a picture of the mural and six hours later, I have painted part of it."

On why the Bedford Borough Parent Carer Forum got involved with the project, Kerri Rennie from the Forum said they wanted to "be part of something big, communal and creative - something that would complement the education, support, and information we offer".

Remarking on how the ongoing street mural had captured a moment in time, Ms. Harrison referred to the collective art as a "colourful patchwork of children's artwork that is better than what I could have created".

One of the participating children artists, Georgia, 14, from Watford, whose wish to sing live in front of an audience was fulfilled by the charity said her experience had now "been captured as a memory on the wall of joy, for all to enjoy".

Hinting at the project’s potential of being replicated globally and serving as a cheap community tool for art therapy, Ms. Harrison enthused that "we're making this street a gallery. I hope it will inspire other people to do the same."