Two Shipley youngsters have been immortalised on a giant town centre mural being created as part of Bradford's Capital of Culture bid.

The huge painting, which is taking shape on the gable end of a terrace house, is the latest in a series of pictures created for a worldwide mural project backed by the United Nations.

The colourful mural, which overlooks the Shipley Pool public car park, will also celebrate the history and culture of Shipley and its German twin town, Hamm.

Now the hunt is on for other sites across the city where murals can be created during the run up to 2008, the year Bradford is bidding to be European Capital of Culture.

The Shipley mural, which did not require planning permission, is being painted on to the side of a house in St Paul's Road by Turkish-German artist Osman Bol, from Hamm, and Amerjeat Kaur and Shaun Fagan, of Metro Arts, part of Bradford Council's Arts, Heritage and Leisure department.

Giant portraits of two-year-old Hamza Shaukat and his four-year-old cousin Kasim Khan, who live in the house, have already been finished.

When completed later this month the mural will also feature images of Hamm and Shipley, including Salts Mill, Shipley Glen, the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, part of the German town's Hindu temple, which is the largest in Europe, and some of the coal miners who work there.

In 2000 the three artists collaborated with youngsters in the area to create a huge painting in Hamm town centre as part of the UNESCO-backed Mural Global project.

So far the project has seen almost 100 murals created in towns and cities around the world - from Sao Paolo and Bombay to Washington DC and Bulawayo - as well as on the sails of the Greenpeace ship.

Amerjeat Kaur said: "The aim is to show the historical and cultural connections between Shipley and Hamm, create something that helps raise the profile of Bradford and the Capital of Culture bid, and get people talking about the images of the areas they live in.

"We're getting help from young people in the Shipley area and Nick Walford, an amateur artist who works at Shipley Pool.

"We're hoping to create a new mural every year up to 2008 as part of the Capital of Culture bid and are asking for people to suggest sites for future projects."

An exhibition explaining the background to the project, at which people will have chance to put their views forward, is due to be held at the mural site from today.

Mr Bol said: "We are creating something nice and bright for people to enjoy on what was a plain grey wall with graffiti on.''

David Kennedy, Bradford Council's assistant chief executive, said: "This project is an exciting way of brightening up the streets of Bradford, working in partnership with artists from Shipley's twin town.

"Cross-European cultural projects such as this are a brilliant way of promoting our Capital of Culture bid far and wide and help to build stronger links with our European neighbours.''

To suggest sites for future mural projects ring (01274) 435859.