The building in Castle Fields, Wellingborough, had become dilapidated after it was left to rot and was vandalised.

Determined to make the building fit for the Mela party this weekend, a group of artists set about sprucing it up in the modern art style of Mondrian.

The artists hope their work will enable other buildings in the park, including the Victorian bandstand, to be renovated.

Team leader Alison Walker said: "We wanted to do something that was a bit cheerful and would relate to everyone, including young people and adults.

"It's going to improve things visually and hopefully stop further vandalism. It might inspire someone to go and do the next building."

The art project in Castle Fields was started after residents and local councillor Paul Crofts noticed the buildings were in a poor state.

With a grand community Mela planned in Castle Fields at the end of this week, residents were determined that buildings there would paint Wellingborough in a positive light.

They had wanted to redecorate the bandstand after the Evening Telegraph reported how there had been calls to take it down.

It has fallen into a state of disrepair because it has been vandalised and set on fire several times.

It was felt that restoring the bandstand might be too much of a challenge for budding artists because of its size, meaning it would need a lot of funding and volunteer work.

Instead the group turned their attention to the nearby toilet block and received a £500 grant to do the work.

To make the budget stretch as far as possible, Cllr Crofts and the artists successfully applied to decorating stores for donations of paint.

They have used their artistic minds to create a simple Mondrian piece, which is where the wall is divided into sections and each piece is either left white or painted in a vibrant single colour.

Ms Walker said: "Hopefully if people see it's being taken care of, they are likely to use it and look after it more."

The group started their work on Wednesday and were due to finish yesterday.