A MURAL which transports people back to the early 20th Century to a village's coal mining heritage has received rave reviews.

Tracey Elliott's "Opening The Window Onto Our Past" was unveiled on a wall at Astley Green Village Club last month.

It is Tracey's first mural she has completed by herself and shows Astley Green Colliery from Higher Green Lane before the 1930s looking out from a window.

The sepia colours and acrylic emulsion finish were selected to capture the era it represents and to add to the mural's sense of nostalgia.

Tracey has been "overwhelmed" by the reaction to the mural, which she worked on it at weekends over the course of two months with the artwork kept under cover until its unveiling at an event at the club.

Tracey, 53, said: "I go to the village club regularly and they were decorating the place and were looking for ideas.

"I was asked if I could come up with something different and after a couple of ideas were discussed we decided to do a mural of the colliery.

"It is a topic which I have never painted before so I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to do it but I ended up loving every second of it.

"I have been overwhelmed with the incredible support and fantastic comments I've had from people, it really has been a truly amazing journey for me.

"People like it because the pit was such a massive part of the village and its history.

"It brings a lot of memories back for some of them."

Tracey's mural was unveiled in an event at the Higher Green Lane club on Saturday, December 22 in front of around 80 people where a comedian also performed on the night.

When the mural was uncovered, it was greeted to a chorus of cheers and a round of applause.

Tracey was presented with a hamper of goodies including gin and chocolate from the club.

She has also reserved praise for her partner Loz for his support and understanding during the long hours that she spent creating the mural.

After studying art at Fred Longworth High School and college, she gained an advertising and design degree at university.

Tracey has since forged a career in advertising but her full-time job has left her unable to dedicate as much time as she would have liked to draw.

But three years she managed to find the time to rekindle her passion for art and draw more regularly.

During her school days, she also contributed to a mural which won a national competition.