CHERRIES skipper Tommy Elphick has been immortalised among other Bournemouth figures in a huge street art mural.

The artwork, which was unveiled yesterday in Lansdowne, was painted by renowned graffiti artist Rick Walker to celebrate the town’s creative and sporting communities.

Besides Elphick, the mural has been inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s eponymous characters Jekyll and Hyde and world champion breakdance crew Second to None.

Bournemouth University and the National Centre for Computer Animation’s Oscar-winning visual effects work for the film Gravity is also referenced in the mural.

Measuring 15m (49ft) high and 13m (43ft) wide, the art is the third in a series of giant murals commissioned by the consumer education initiative Get it Right from a Genuine Site, which aims to increase awareness and respect for the UK’s creative industries, from music, film and TV, to sport, literature, and gaming. Other murals have been painted in Birmingham and Cardiff.

On seeing the completed mural for the first time, Elphick expressed pride at being included in such a “ground-breaking piece of street art”.

He added: “It’s amazing. I’m really happy with the way it’s come out, and for me to be the one to represent the club on this mural is a really proud moment.

“On behalf of everyone at AFC Bournemouth, I want to say a big thank you for our inclusion next to some huge figures from throughout this town’s eclectic history.”

Rick said he and the other artists involved sought to encapsulate different facets of Bournemouth in the mural.

“This is the first mural I’ve painted that has celebrated a whole area and it’s been getting quite a lot of attention – everyone passing by has stopped to look,” he added.

Geoff Taylor, music spokesperson for Get it Right from a Genuine Site, explained the purpose of the mural was to encourage people to value the importance of the films, music, games, books, magazines and sports within their community.

He added: “By doing so they invest in creating more great content and in the development of new artists and ideas that, in turn, lead to greater choice for everyone to enjoy.”