A Prestonpans artist proved he is the salt of the earth by restoring a mural on the side of the Scotmid Co-operative store on Main Street celebrating the town’s salt panning heritage.
Tom Ewing, a lifelong resident of the town, was commissioned by Scotmid to restore the iconic mural, which had been damaged by weather over the past decade, and appears on the side of the store.
Ewing said: “I was happy that Scotmid asked me to do it and I’m really pleased with the end result – it is an iconic part of Prestonpans’ Main Street and the locals like it.
“The original mural, which had been created by Kate Hunter in 2002, tells the tale of the salt making process in Prestonpans.
“But over the years the mural had fallen apart, so it was a case of restoring it to its original glory, as part of the Murals Trail project.”
Prestonpans claims to be the United Kingdom’s most prolific mural town with almost 40 murals depicting scenes from the area’s cultural and industrial past.
The Prestonpans Co-operative Society, which amalgamated with Scotmid in 1994, also has a mural in the town and has been in existence in the locality for over a century.
Scotmid Co-operative President Harry Cairney, who lives in Prestonpans, said: “Our society has been part of life in Prestonpans for over a century and it is fitting that we could help restore the mural that celebrates the reason why the town is nicknamed The Pans.
“The murals in the town are wonderful pieces of street art and collectively they pay homage to the incredible determination and courage of our ancestors.”