Local creative Deggy - the artist behind the much-loved Vivienne Westwood art in Glossop - has been flexing his talents further afield after being commissioned to paint a large mural of singer Sarah Harding in Stockport town centre.

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We caught up with the street artist and bass guitarist to find out more about the new project, its charity links and his future plans for Glossop…

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How has life changed for you as an artist since the Dame Vivienne Westwood mural?

Life has been good. I have been a fully sustained artist for almost two years now; it's scary as you don't know where your next pay cheque is coming from but I'm still determined to go as far as I have to to chase my dream and I'm very grateful to be able to pursue it. The Westwood mural has worked wonders for me and I still smile every time I walk past it as it was a huge project that took me out of my comfort zone.

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How do you feel that it's become a focal point to showcase Glossop's creativity?

It's still pretty cool that the Vivienne mural gets a lot of love - I'm always getting tagged in things online and the fact it brings people to our town is wonderful. It blows my mind that a few schools in the area have used it in coursework for the students to study. i didn't have any encouragement in art as a kid at school and it's really nice that my work has been focused on to inspire the next generation

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Tell us about the new mural in Stockport!

I remember hearing just before Sarah passed away that one of her last wishes was to try and raise awareness of cancer in the under 40s, and that came straight to mind when in the early stages of this project.

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Once the project developed a bit, Rebecca and Shaun at Stockport Council reached out to The Christie and The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal that has been set up in her honour.   I will be releasing a print of the piece with proceeds going to The Christie / Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal. it feels only right to give back in some way! On a personal note, around two months ago, during the finalisation stages of this project, my dad received the all clear from prostate cancer and The Christie treated him - so it's kind of come full circle and give back to such a wonderful cause.

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What's next for you as a creative?

I have just finished a two and a half week U.K tour with Gorilla Riot and I have been running the  annual Outlaw Rock N' Roll Weekend to run at The Globe. From an art perspective, I have had a piece exhibited in Manchester as part of the NSPCC at the movies art exhibition at Three Little Words.

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Any more plans for Glossop town centre?

I have a huge plan for Glossop town centre but it’s under wraps for now! My band has just smashed quite a big target with a crowdfunder to release our new album later this year so I'm weighing up maybe doing a similar sort of thing. I have always been against asking for financial help but I think if done for the right reasons to make a huge impact in our town then it's worth a go for sure!

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‍Find out more and purchase Deggy’s art at https://deggy.co.uk/ or follow him on Instagram at @ThisIsDeggy . You can see the new mural in Stockport on High Street, near Great Underbank