Art on the Trans Pennine Trail: Meet Guardian

A new mural has arrived in Doncaster, marking the debut public artwork by emerging creative duo UNFURL, Natasha Clarke and Rebecca Feneley. Titled Guardian, the piece now resides on the Trans Pennine Trail, along the banks of the River Don, offering a moment of reflection, beauty, and connection within a familiar local landscape.  Read their story, below:

About UNFURL
UNFURL’s work is grounded in a simple but radical idea – that art should be accessible, powerful, and present in the everyday – unfurled across walls, streets, and shared public spaces. Celebrating nature, colour and femininity, UNFURL looks to transform public spaces into unexpected sanctuaries of joy and reflection by inviting moments of pause in everyday life. With an integral mentoring model in every project, UNFURL also support, encourage and educate emerging creatives with a focus on northern artists, women and those from underrepresented communities.

The Project – Guardian
Guardian embodies a protective, watchful presence, a symbol of collective care for the environment, waterways, and wildlife. Positioned within a tranquil riverside setting, the mural invites passers-by to pause and engage with the natural world in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Drawing on global folklore and mythology, the artwork takes inspiration from water spirits, goddesses, and guardian figures found across cultures. Water itself is long associated with reflection, transformation, and spiritual symbolism, which plays a central role in the concept. In many traditions, water and mirrors act as portals for self-reflection and introspection. UNFURL brings this idea into the everyday, creating a space where wonder and imagination can coexist with daily life.

This project was made possible with the support of the Don Catchment Rivers Trust, whose ongoing work is dedicated to protecting and restoring the region’s vital waterways and wildlife.

This marks the first of many public artworks from UNFURL, signalling an exciting new chapter for creative placemaking in Doncaster.

We are over the moon to unveil our debut mural, Guardian in our hometown of Doncaster. Guardian is a celebration of everything that is important to us: bringing art into public spaces, inspiring local pride and care for our own spaces and environments and providing moments of magic in the everyday. There are direct nods to connections to the river itself, such as the iconic Atlantic Salmon, which have been confirmed as breeding in the River Don for the first time in more than two centuries after more than two decades of hard work, a roe deer which was spotting swimming in the River Don near Sheffield and local flora seen along the banks. We got so much brilliant feedback throughout the process, and it’s been a joy to see people discover the artwork as they visit the trail!’

Local Communities
The design was inspired by research into the river environment itself, UNFURL’s own creative direction and creative sessions and input from local young people alongside a direct workshop with local scouts group. The session allowed young people to learn about their local waterways, global folklore around rivers and waterways, explore water environments as a source of wellbeing, and contribute their own ideas to what they would like to see in the mural. As part of UNFURL’s mural mentoring programme, UNFURL also took on a local creative as our first mentee – Kirsty Hodgson, who joined us throughout the project to gain hands on experience working with murals and to grow their own creative practice.

Working as a Duo
This was our first project as a mural duo – previously we had worked independently as muralists and both have our own creative practice as painters and illustrators in addition to this, so we had a great set of experience apart but not together!

Working together has been a dream experience, and we were both so pleased to begin our next chapter together with a mural in our hometown of Doncaster, as a huge part of why we joined forces was to bring more art to Northern towns & cities like our own! It’s very special that we started our journey here.

Fun Fact!
While working on the site we were ‘fluxxomed’ and thrilled to accidentally dig up a natural selenite crystal! Did you know they form in moist, clay rich environments like the river banks? Now we do!

Visitors can experience Guardian in person by taking a walk along the iconic Trans Pennine Trail near Warmsworth, where the mural now forms part of Doncaster’s evolving cultural and environmental landscape.

To find out more about UNFURL and keep up with our latest projects, find us on instagram or visit our website.

Natasha Clarke and Rebecca Feneley | UNFURL
Date: 2nd April, 2026

About the artists:
Natasha Clarke – Natasha’s background as a creative includes a number of placemaking and community mural projects in the North, not to mention becoming a pillar of the Doncaster Arts Scene – as the previous founder of Doncaster Creative Network, which has brought together over 2000 creatives across the region since it’s founding in 2022. Formally trained as a painter, she also has an exquisite eye for natural beauty, shape and form and brings incredible technical finesse to the project. You may have seen her work most recently through the Pride of Yorkshire Trail, where she was invited to paint Dame Jennis Ennis Hill on her own iconic lioness statue which will be landing in Sheffield City Centre shortly!

Rebecca Feneley – Rebecca’s background as a commercial illustrator, artist and muralist has seen her illustrating and exhibiting around the world with names including Dior, Ferrari, Imagine FX, ITV and more. Moving into murals in 2020 and focusing her career as a fine artist in late 2025, Rebecca brings her illustrative design experience, eye for vibrant colour, strong lines and her love of all things ethereal to the project. Keep an eye out for exciting exhibition news from Rebecca in the local region this year!