A Coventry artist has flown back from the US to secretly repair a mural he painted, after it was vandalised.
The artwork depicting two orangutans at Hearsall Common, Earlsdon, was designed by Michael Batchelor in 2021 for a local boy Dylan, who had a rare genetic disorder and died in 2023, aged four.
The painting was vandalised in November, however, after Mr Batchelor spotted a post online from Dylan’s family, he flew back to fix it.
“We didn’t know he was there doing it so it was a really lovely surprise”, Dylan’s grandad, Martin Prue, said. “Everybody, not just the family, has been really pleased that it’s back because of what it represents”, he added.
Mr Prue said his family were not aware the mural had been damaged until a friend who walked their dog nearby told them.
“It was really upsetting, the part that represented Dylan was untouched, but the main mural was quite badly defaced,” he added.
“You can have something really beautiful and it’s turned into something ugly and artless.”
Mr Prue said the artist had commented on the family’s social media post to say he would repair the mural but they had not received any further contact.
They later spotted his online post revealing the artwork had been restored.
Mr Prue added it had been commissioned by him and his wife Louise at the back of their house, and had “put a smile on people’s faces” since it was painted during the Covid pandemic.
It was “lovely” that it had been restored in time for Christmas, Mr Prue said.