Shropshire's 'Sign Guy’ gives graffiti-plagued bridge in Shrewsbury town centre a colourful new look
Shropshire's rogue community clean-up hero has struck again and given a graffiti-covered bridge in Shrewsbury a bright new lease of life.
Shrewsbury raise money for him to buy more cleaning products" alignment="center" isInline="False">John Edwards, also known as 'The Sign Guy', has completed his latest challenge, painting the underside of the Frankwell Footbridge, transforming what he described as an "ugly" structure into a colourful celebration of the county town.
The retired aerospace worker spent a total 16 hours repainting both sides of the bridge support - focusing most recently on the Guildhall side of the Frankwell Riverside car park.
A keen cyclist and self-appointed street cleaner, John began his clean-up mission in 2024, when he started polishing road signs across the county - beginning with the ‘Welcome to Shrewsbury’ and ‘A Medieval Town’ signs.
Since then, John has continued to brighten up the town - sprucing up disused phone boxes, cleaning signs, and restoring derelict areas.
For his latest project, he received a £100 donation from Jim Jarvis of Jarvis Scaffolding, which helped to buy paint in Shrewsbury Town FC's colours - blue and amber - along with rollers and equipment.
Members of Shrewsbury Men's Shed also lent their support, creating a stencil template to help John paint the word 'Shrewsbury' onto the newly refurbished structure.
"Between the showers and an ever-threatening sky came bursts of beautiful, paint-baking sunshine," John said.
"Just enough, as it turned out, to roll the glorious blue and yellow of Shrewsbury on to the ugly, graffiti-scarred slab that serves as the main walk bridge support from the Guildhall car park in Shrewsbury.
"My main focus had always been the car park side of the wall - the river side was an afterthought. Yet, seeing the reflection in the water across from Smithfield Road, it looks somehow magical."
John has also cleaned nearby signs and seating to improve the whole area's appearance.
His latest effort follows his transformation of a heavily graffitied walkway in Shrewsbury town centre.
His passion for cleaning and restoring public spaces has even inspired younger generations. Pupils at Coleham Primary School in Shrewsbury recently raised more than £100 towards John's cleaning supplies after seeing him remove graffiti from the school’s sign and tidy up nearby areas.
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