Royal painters immortalise business heroes saving British high streets

Gino Verecchia, whose family has run University Café since 1918 (Picture: Iona Inglesby) Some of Britain’s best ‘bossmans’ are getting the kind of recognition normally reserved for kings and queens. Britain’s high streets have been through a tumultuous time, with shop closures and struggling businesses leaving once-bustling town centres looking very different. But behind the empty shopfronts and changing shopping habits are the independent businesses that have kept communities going for generations. From the corner shop owner who knows everyone’s name to the family-run chippy serving Friday night dinners, these are often the people who make a high street feel like home. Four of Britain’s leading royal portrait artists have swapped the Royal Family for everyday business owners to mark 175 years since the birth of the modern British high street. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. The painters, who have previously portrayed Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, the Prince and Princess of Wales and Princess Anne, have immortalised a café owner, pub landlord, takeaway proprietor and corner shopkeeper. Their artwork will be unveiled at London’s Saatchi Gallery as part of Local Royalty, a free exhibition, to celebrate the people keeping Britain’s high streets alive. It comes as new research suggests independent businesses are not getting the appreciation they deserve. Almost four in five Brits (79%) believe local business owners are underappreciated, while 83% think they face unprecedented challenges. And 80% want to see them celebrated more often. Fish and chip ‘queen of the north’ Pindy Kaur was painted by Nicky Phillipps (Picture: Iona Inglesby) Among those receiving the royal treatment is Pindy Kaur, whose family-run Ocean Fish Bar has become a much-loved institution in Barnsley. Having taken over the struggling takeaway in the 1990s, Pindy has spent more than 25 years turning it into a favourite among local customers. She has been painted by Nicky Philipps, who has previously produced three portraits of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Philipps said: ‘I wanted to keep the background to a minimum because this story is about a woman who feeds her locality with a generosity of spirit as well as keeping the community body and soul together over many years. ‘Pindy is clearly the fish and chip queen of the north.’ Kaual Patel runs a cornershop in Catford (Picture: Meanwhile, in Catford, south-east London, corner shop owner Kaual Patel has been immortalised by Nick Bashall, who previously painted Princess Anne. Kaual has run Torridon Convenience Store since 2000, having taken over the family business bought by his father in 1984. Alongside everyday essentials, the shop champions independent producers, with Kaual promising: ‘If you’re a local producer, there’s a space on my shelf for you.’ In Glasgow, Gino Verecchia, whose family has run University Café since 1918, has been painted by Gareth Reid, who previously portrayed King Charles III when he was Prince of Wales. The café has served generations of Glaswegians, with its century-old gelato recipe and Scottish favourites attracting customers including the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who once sampled its battered haggis. And in Devon, pub landlord Simon Dafforn-Jones, known as ‘Slugger’ to locals, has been painted by Jamie Coreth, the artist behind the first official joint portrait of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Simon has run the Ferry Boat Inn in Dittisham for almost 20 years, following in his father’s footsteps. Coreth said: ‘Honouring everyday people is a continuation of the same tradition that portrait painters have engaged in for centuries. ‘As soon as I went and met Simon, saw this pub, I understood why he was chosen by Coca-Cola.’ The exhibition marks 175 years since 1851, when Britain’s modern high streets began taking shape during the Victorian shopping revolution. And despite the challenges facing them, independent businesses remain essential to everyday life. A survey of 2,000 consumers found 87% consider them an essential part of British life, while 79% believe their communities would be worse off without them. Almost half (49%) would struggle to live without their local corner shop, followed by cafés (37%), takeaways (35%) and pubs (31%). Dusan Stojankic, of Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland, said: ‘Independent businesses are the backbone of modern Britain. ‘This exhibition is an ode to the people who keep them thriving. Put simply, they are local royalty.’ Each business owner will receive their finished portrait and a donation to a local charity of their choice. The free Local Royalty exhibition commissioned by Coca-Cola GB runs at London’s Saatchi Gallery from October 28 to November Arrow MORE: I lost my hair twice – now I have a £20m wig business and sell to celebrities Arrow MORE: My teachers thought I would amount to nothing – then I saw one of them in the street News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.