PROJECTS

Youth Voices

Youth Voices is a community co-designed mural project led by Hayley Garner (AYLO) that invited school children and young people in Rochdale to help shape the ideas behind a large-scale public artwork. Through workshops, storytelling, drawing, and creative discussion, the project explored what Rochdale means to its younger generation, transforming their thoughts, experiences, and aspirations into a mural rooted in identity, belonging, and local pride.

Common Walls Festival

Common Walls Festival is an artist-led international street art festival founded and curated by Hayley Garner (AYLO) in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Created to bring world-class mural art into the town while prioritising artists, storytelling, and community connection, the festival transformed Rochdale through large-scale public artworks, cultural events, workshops, and live activations, attracting thousands of visitors and gaining national recognition for its social and cultural impact.

Darkness to Light

Darkness to Light is an ongoing mural and documentary series created by Hayley Garner (AYLO) and Christian Fenn (SECA) through The Butterfly Effected CIC. The project combines public art, filmmaking, and community engagement to explore real social issues including addiction, trauma, mental health, and community healing through lived experiences, storytelling, and large-scale murals designed to create empathy, conversation, and hope.

Youth Voices Academy

Youth Voices Academy is a mentorship programme created by Hayley Garner (AYLO) as part of the long-term legacy of Common Walls Festival in Rochdale, supporting emerging young creatives through workshops, mural training, mentorship, and hands-on experience within large-scale public art projects.

Endangered Exchange

Endangered Exchange is an upcoming international mural and cultural exchange project led by Hayley Garner (AYLO) in collaboration with Victoria Firth. Connecting artists and communities in the UK and Kenya, the project will use public art, mentorship, conservation research, and documentary storytelling to explore endangered wildlife, environmental responsibility, and the relationship between people and the natural world.