Cabinet & Co
bringing colour to our town!
Cabinet & Co is a community art project that has transformed electrical cabinets across Ware into a vibrant public art trail, celebrating local identity, heritage, and the environment
I approached Ware Town Council with the idea of painting 8 electrical cabinets owned by Virgin Media around Ware. I have picked locations that connect with a community group and each cabinet has a message and theme.
This has been such an amazing community project with so many people involved. It’s estimated that around 9,098 people have helped me bring this to life!!
Cabinet 1
Location: Hoe Lane
Theme: Nature
Community: Focusing on nature and local wildlife, this cabinet was developed with Pinewood School (SEN) following a talk by Herts Wildlife Trust. Additional ideas were gathered during a workshop at Hertford Rugby Club. The designs reflect a strong connection to nature and inclusive creativity across different groups.
Cabinet 2
Location: Hoe Lane
Theme: Nature water
Community: This cabinet explores Hertfordshire wildlife, particularly life in and around water. Students from Presdales School contributed designs, resulting in a detailed and thoughtful interpretation of the local natural environment
Cabinet 3
Location: Scotts Road
Theme: Shells, to celebrate Scotts Grotto.
Community: Inspired by the nearby Scott’s Grotto, this cabinet features shell-themed designs developed in collaboration with students from Hertford Regional College’s Inclusive Learning Department. The project brought together young people aged 16–19, creating a vibrant tribute to one of Ware’s most distinctive landmarks.
Cabinet 4
Location: Amwell end
Theme: Swift birds
Community: This cabinet focuses on swift birds, highlighting their importance and the need for conservation. Christchurch Primary School took part as a whole school, supported by input from a local swift expert. Students learned about the birds before creating designs that celebrate wildlife and encourage awareness. The swifts come to Ware to breed.
Cabinet 5
Location: High Street Ware
Theme: Flowers
Community: Celebrating flowers and the town’s planting initiatives, this cabinet was inspired by Ware in Bloom. Rainbows took part in workshops after exploring local floral displays, with ideas also developed by Brownies, Guides, and Rangers.
The final design reflects colour, growth, and community pride.
Cabinet 6
Location: Charvilles Roundabout
Theme: History of Ware
Community: This cabinet tells the story of Ware’s history. Research was presented to local community participants who attended “& by Donna Reeves” workshops, across a range of age groups, who then put forward their ideas. Donna then designed the final artwork which reflects the town’s heritage and evolving identity..
Cabinet 7
Location: Park Road
Theme: Poem
Community: This cabinet is based on lines from a poem by Armaiti Bedford from Ware Poets, a vibrant community group open to everyone interested in poetry. GSK staff contributed design ideas inspired by the poem extract. These were then brought together into a final composition anddesign, blending visual art with poetry. Resulting in a unique piece connecting words, community and place
Cabinet 8
Location: Lido
Theme: Water, fun in the swimming pool, life on the river & being aware of chalk streams and how we can help brown trouts.
Community: This cabinet celebrates river life, cold-water swimming and the importance of protecting local chalk streams and brown trout. Designed through workshops with Lido Cold Swimmers and Chauncy School students, the final artwork combines community creativity with message of environmental awareness.
I love my community and making it full of beautiful artwork that they have been involved in is the true meaning of community art. I love that the children are learning about where they live & how to look after what we have and celebrating it through art.
ITV News Interview
The Hertford and Ware Flyer
Christchurch Primary School - Donna Reeves, Robert Getley Head, Jane Ware Swifts, students
Ware is set to benefit from a vibrant community art project transforming eight Virgin Media electrical cabinets across the town, funded by Ware Town Council. The project was created by Donna Reeves, artist and teacher and business owner in Ware, who previously worked as a scenic artist for the BBC.
Each cabinet reflects a unique theme and local collaboration, including the Lido (water, with Chauncy School and cold swimmers), Scotts Road (shells, celebrating Scotts Grotto with HRC Inclusive Learning), Amwell End (swifts, with Christchurch Primary), and High Street (flowers, with Ware in Bloom and The Rainbows). Presdales and Pinewood have also been involved.
Donna hosted workshops with schools and community organisations where ideas were generated and Donna created final designs, now approved for painting. Work begins this summer, and Donna says, “It is so important to involve the community so they feel proud and have ownership of the work. The children have learnt about swift birds and our local history, connecting our community through art.”
What People Are Saying
“It has been a privilege for Creative Arts Students within the inclusive learning department at Hertford Regional College to be involved in this community project. Working with local artist Donna Reeves, learners explored pen and ink techniques to create shell-inspired designs inspired by Scott’s Grotto. The project gave students valuable experience of contributing to a real-life public art project while developing their creativity, confidence and artistic skills. Seeing their ideas incorporated into the final Scott’s Road cabinet artwork has been incredibly rewarding. Donna has brought the learners’ designs to life beautifully, creating a striking piece that celebrates local heritage. This inspiring collaboration demonstrates the positive impact creativity can have within the community”
— Scott’s Grotto Cabinet
“Donna worked with Chauncy school to create this excellent addition to her art project around Ware town. The ideas of Year 7 and 8 students were chosen by Donna, and she made sure that all the students were involved throughout the process.
Our talented sixth-former, Lily, then helped Donna bring the artwork to life. It was fantastic to have Donna working with the school, and we are so lucky to have such a talented local artist in our town. It has been wonderful to see the students’ ideas become part of the artwork around Ware.”
— Chauncy School Head of Art
“We are so thankful for you choosing Pinewood to help you on this project. So many of our pupils came out of their shell during this workshop and with your help and encouraging words throughout they really shone and created some amazing art pieces.
The pupils were so excited to see the finished product with many of them recognising their designs. It really is something that will stay with them for a very long time”
— Pinewood School"We were absolutely delighted to welcome Donna to our school. Spending the entire day working with every child from Nursery through to Year 6 was quite the achievement and the enthusiasm across the school was wonderful to see. The children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, developing their creativity and artistic skills while learning from such a talented professional. It was a truly inspiring day and we look forward to seeing the finished piece!
— Robert Getley Head from Christchurch School“It was great to work alongside local artist Donna and the students at Pinewood School. The student’s wildlife ideas and drawings were amazing, it’s fantastic to see their designs come to life on the cabinet that Donna painted.”
— Pinewood Cabinet
“By involving local people in the design and creation process, we are building a sense of pride and ownership while celebrating what makes Ware unique.
I love my community and making it full of beautiful artwork that they have been involved in is the true meaning of community art. I love that the children are learning about where they live & how to look after what we have and celebrating it through art”.
— Donna Reeves“"It has been a privilege for Creative Arts students within the Inclusive Learning Department at Hertford Regional College to be involved in this community project. Working with local artist Donna Reeves, learners explored pen and ink techniques to create shell-inspired designs inspired by Scott’s Grotto. The project gave students valuable experience of contributing to a real-life public art project while developing their creativity, confidence and artistic skills. Seeing their ideas incorporated into the final Scotts Road cabinet artwork has been incredibly rewarding. Donna has brought the learners’ designs to life beautifully, creating a striking piece that celebrates local heritage. This inspiring collaboration demonstrates the positive impact creativity can have within the community."
Thank you again for including us in this project. We look forward to seeing the Ware Street Art Trail map and hopefully work together again in the future.”
— Herts Regional College, Inclusive Learning