CHEW Valley’s Mya-Rose Craig - also known as ‘Birdgirl’ - is being celebrated with a huge mural in London to help mark Women’s History Month.

A London-based conglomerate of artists, Global Street Art, has created the huge piece of work which Mya-Rose describes as “crazy.”

After coming out of Euston Square Tube Station onto the busy Euston Road, she said: “Words cannot explain how crazy it is to turn a corner and see a 20-foot version of your face on a wall.

“I am so grateful and honoured that Global Street Art have painted this of me for Women’s History Month this year, and was super excited to spot my favourite birds on the walls - hummingbirds.“

Global Street Art was inspired by Dr Mya-Rose Craig’s achievements as an environmentalist and diversity activist. They wanted to raise awareness of her achievements through a mural situated in a busy central London location, which was brought to life by in-house artists Courtney Richards and Elle Koziupa.

The mural was created by Global Street Art residents Courtney Richards and Elle Koziupa (image supplied)

Mya-Rose was the youngest British person to receive an honorary doctorate of Science from Bristol University at 17 years old. This was for her pioneering charity Black2Nature, which she set up when she was 13, taking Visible Minority Ethnic children out in the countryside and engaging them with nature.

During lockdown, she astonishingly wrote three award-winning books. The first, We Have a Dream, was written for teenagers and was nominated for the ‘Discover Book of the Year’ in the British Book Awards 2022 (The Nibbies). Flight was a book she wrote for children, which was nominated for the ‘Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration’ 2023 and, in April, won the Edward Stanford Best Children’s Travel book 2024.

Her third book, a memoir named Birdgirl, is Mya-Rose’s incredible story about growing up fighting adversity, keeping focused on an obsession with birds and a determination to help others.

Canadian environmental activist and author, Margaret Atwood, described her memoir as “lyrical, poignant and insightful”, and Time Magazine listed it as one of the 23 most anticipated books of 2023 in the USA, along with Prince Harry’s Spare.

Above everything, the book is about Mya-Rose’s mother’s bipolar disorder, its impact on her as a child and how it was key in her parent’s decision to take her out of school for six months and go birding to South America.

Mya-Rose’s charity, Black2Nature, also featured in a display at the Chew Valley Arts Trail 2023, when Laila Price, a 15-year-old Chew Valley pupil, displayed her photographs whilst volunteering at the charity’s nature camps. Laila also showcased original bird paintings by Mick Manning, illustrator of Birdgirl, as well as a selection of Mya-Rose’s bird photographs from her trips.

Black2Nature is currently run by Mya-Rose’s older sister Ayesha Ahmed-Mendoza, while Mya-Rose is in her final year at Cambridge University where she is studying Human Social and Political Sciences at St John’s College. They have organised nature events in Compton Martin, with Chew Valley Ringing Station and Chew Valley Plants Trees. Mya-Rose is looking forward to being involved again once she graduates.