HE might be the sheriff of the wild west but Lobey Dosser is now keeping an eye on the east end.

A collection of fans of the cartoon have clubbed together to ensure the famous Glasgow character has a home in the Calton.

Artists from Dovehill Studios, in the Gallowgate, and Mighty Fine Theatre, secured funding from the council to create a mural of Lobey Dosser above Bill's Tool Store in the Barras.

Duncan Comrie, the dramatist behind Mighty Fine Theatre, said: "There is the statue of Lobey Dosser in the west end at Woodlands but nothing about him in the east end.

"And that's a shame given that he was from the Calton himself - that is, Calton Creek."

Bud Neill's much loved Evening Times comic strip creation was cast in bronze and unveiled on Woodlands Road in 1992.

In Mr Neill's cartoon strip, which ran in the 1940s and 1950s, Lobey was cowboy sheriff of the mythical Calton Creek, a Glaswegian settlement in Arizona.

In the new mural he appears with Rank Badjin, a wild west bad guy who is trying to steal a wagon full of tools out from under a group of settlers who are moving to Calton Creek.

Duncan added: "It's quite relevant to where we are now, people moving and seeking a better world.

"A lot of people know about Lobby Dosser but the best thing about him was he used humour and wit to overcome difficulties

"That's a lesson he provides. I'm not sure if people will get that from the mural but I hope they look at it and see it there."

The group was granted £4500 from Glasgow City Council's Stalled Spaces to create the mural.

Bill's Tool Store, which has sponsored Lobey Dosser plays performed by Might Fine Theatre, offered the use of a wall.

Now artists Rowena Comrie, Susan Kennedy and Tommy Lydon are in the middle of a week of work to paint the mural.

The large painting is five metres from the ground, giving its painters an extra challenge.

Duncan said: "This is different from the Billy Connolly murals around Glasgow in that they were stencils whereas we're using the old fashioned technique of brushes and paint.

"The older people will be really delighted to see him.

"And we hope visitors to the east end will take pleasure in seeing him too."