Leeds United artist behind striking Bielsa The Redeemer heading to Sierra Leone to teach young people

Nicolas Dixon has lit up the city with a range of eye-catching pieces of artwork, including the Leeds United legends mural in Pudsey. He also raised awareness for Heart Research UK with a stunning mural at Chow Down in the city centre.

On Thursday, November 17, he travelled to Sierra Leone as part of a large group working with Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, a charity committed to supporting children in crisis. The group have teamed up with WAYout, a charity supporting disadvantaged youth in Sierra Leone, to develop the skills of young people they work with.

Nicolas explained: “We're taking over a load of music equipment, we've got Apple Macs, DJ workstations. The idea is that they will be teaching the young creatives at WAYout to develop their own skills through music and media, that's what it's set up for. It's trying to give them a way out of being homeless and living a life of crime. The art centre is a safe haven.”

Among those working on the project with Nicolas is graffiti artist ‘Inkie’ and the founder of the charity Grooveschool, Richie Littler. They have the backing of various sponsors and have been given over £1,000 worth of paint and materials by Steve Wilson of Brewers Decorator Centres.

Having had his own life transformed by art, Nicolas is well aware of the impact being creative can have. He said: “From my own experiences, art pretty much saved my life in a way. I came into it later in my life but it's what I was put on this earth to do.

"In Tanzania [on a previous trip], we had kids helping us paint a mural at a school for orphan boys. When we left there, they were commissioned to go and paint another school. You could see the influence we had left, it's incredible. We still get videos sent over to us and it's really humbling and heart-warming just to see the effect that it can have.”

More information about WAYout and Last Night A DJ Saved My Life can be found on their websites.