A Pembrokeshire drinks company has been saying ‘cheers’ to a publicity stunt that sparked rumours of a seaside visit by Banksy.
The famed street artist has been busy creating a surprise animal art trail across London over the past 10 days, featuring such creatures as a sea lion, a piranha, monkeys and a rhinoceros.
So people could be forgiven that he had chosen to take a break to Pembrokeshire and paint the county’s most endearing bird, the puffin, on a convenient blank wall.
When Wednesday dawned, thousands of people on social media were agog to see a Banksy-style mural of puffins having fun in Pembrokeshire-produced Barti rum.
The mural was pictured on the seaward wall of the currently-closed Beachside Barbecue in Saundersfoot and depicted the happy birds taking a shower in a stream of Barti Rum.
Barti Rum posted on Facebook:
BREAKING: “Banksy continues their animal series in West Wales. A whirl of puffins has appeared overnight in Saundersfoot, the birds are depicted frolicking in showers of Barti, the local spiced rum.
"Bystanders gather and discuss how the globally renowned graffiti artist must be on holiday in the sunny seaside village in Pembrokeshire.
The hashtag #onlyjoking gave a clue to the authenticity of the mural – which was actually created in Photoshop by Barti Rum’s managing director, Fran Barnikel.
The Neyland-based company, founded by Jonathan Williams, has won multiple awards for its Barti Cream liqueur and also has a huge following for its Barti Spiced Rum.
“When Jonathan saw that Bansky was out and about, Jonathan thought it would be good if we did something to tie in with it – and do it quickly," explained Fran.
“Bizarrely, I had pictures of blank walls on my phone because we were picking out walls in Pembrokeshire that could be suitable for a graffiti mural.
“When this one in Saundersfoot popped up on a search, I saw the rum-coloured rust marks on the wall and thought it would be the absolute winner for a background.
“So I got to work on Photoshop and put together the rum-sprinkling puffins.
“I did think it was obvious enough that it had been Photoshopped, but then we realised people were actually going down to Saundersfoot to look at the wall…”
The post has been seen by half a million people and gained 2,400 'likes' on Facebook since it went live on Wednesday.
“I know it was a bit of a cheeky thing to do, and of course there are people saying it was a cheap form of publicity, but we’re just thrilled with the response," said Fran.
“We’re a Pembrokeshire brand and proud of it, and of course the puffin is a much-loved Pembrokeshire bird.
“And of course, it’s made a lot of people smile – us included! We're just thrilled with the response."
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