Sean Anyanwu: campaign for lasting mural to 'keep memory alive' of late teen

A Maidenhead family’s campaign for a permanent mural to remember their late 16-year-old son and brother and ‘keep his memory alive’ has raised more than £1,500.

Graffiti underneath the railway bridge beside Maidenhead station has been in place for almost four years in tribute to Sean Anyanwu, who drowned in July 2022.

But there is now hope to paint a colourful new memorial over the remaining lettering, which Julia Anyanwu, one of Sean’s two sisters, described as ‘a little token of remembrance’.

Sean died having gotten into difficulties while swimming with a friend in the water at Bray Lake. It was just weeks after finishing his GCSEs at Cox Green School.

A tribute from his family said he was ‘everything we could have asked for’, while his school remembered Sean as ‘a kind-hearted pupil with a close friendship group’.

Further tribute was paid when, in the days after the tragedy, a graffiti inscription appeared underneath the bridge over the A308 which reads ‘Requiescat in Pace Sean’ – Latin for ‘rest in peace Sean’.

“That touched us a lot because we didn't know who did it,” said Julia, 27.

“Whether it was one person or a few people, it showed us how much Sean made an impact on his community.”

That simple piece of pink and red painting would grow in significance for Julia and her family as the years passed.

She added: “We were expecting that probably over the next few days it would have been cleaned because technically it’s graffiti, right?

“But then, a year passed, two years passed, it was getting on for three years and it was still there.

“It became like, even though we have our memories of Sean, that was a physical memory that we could see when we were passing through town.

“As it became two, three years, we then started to worry that it was going to get cleaned because we actually really appreciated seeing it and we didn’t want it to go.”

When cleaning work did start on the symbolic lettering, it sparked a conversation about its significance with Julia and her sister Jasmine, 26.

“For us, that was a kind of sign to push forward to go, ‘Okay, we’ve got to figure out a way to keep his memory alive’,” Julia said.

The proposed mural, designed by street artist Shauna Anseo, would feature the word ‘Maidenhead’ along with features of the town, such as a recreation of its 18th century bridge.

Sean is set to one side of the work, with a ukulele in hand.

“He used to love playing the ukulele when we were at home,” Julia said. “That’s our little token of remembering him.”

Julia said there is hope that painting the mural will involve the wider community and ‘bring people together’. Her fundraiser towards the costs seeks to raise £3,500.

“He was such a creative person and I think this reflects that creativity that he had, the brightness and colour that he had,” said Julia.

“This is another representation of his personality and the way that he was able to bring people together through his sense of humour and warmth.

“We hope that we’re able to do the same, at least a little bit, through this art.”

The bridge is owned by Network Rail, which supports the plans. A spokesperson said: “We’ve been in contact with Sean’s family and are supportive of their plans for a mural under the railway bridge adjacent to Maidenhead station.

“The proposed artwork would be a fitting tribute and we’re happy to be able to play a small part in making it happen.”

To view the fundraising page, visit: tinyurl.com/2utcze2j