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Art Reach Leicester, an arts and cultural charity, has launched the Impact Network for Creatives (INC), a network providing support and development opportunities to creative practitioners and cultural professionals in Leicester.
INC provides a range of development opportunities and support initiatives. Opportunities include ‘Go and See’ cultural trips, one-to-one consultations, networking, training and peer action learning sets.
The charity, which has supported creative and cultural professionals in Leicester and across the country for over 20 years, has previously raised tens of millions of pounds in revenue and capital cultural projects in Leicester and across the country.
INC is for anyone in Leicester who seeks to create change and achieve impact through creative work. This includes socially engaged artists, creative producers, arts administrators, events managers, cultural leaders and more. The initiative is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Art Reach trustee, Louise Katerega stated: “Leicester is a wonderfully diverse city full of hard-working, creative people championing social action through arts and events.”
"The range of opportunities available, steered by Art Reach as a leading cultural development charity, offers locally based creatives the necessary support to develop themselves and their work on their terms and on their doorstep.
"And importantly, it also offers Art Reach, famed for bringing captivating international artists to delight to Leicester, to renew its commitment to investing in our considerable home-grown talent, therefore securing the future of arts and culture both here and now and for the long-term future.”
The first chance to engage with this brand-new development programme is through one of their ‘Go and See’ cultural trips to the Festival of Thrift, the UK's National Festival for Sustainability on 21 September in Billingham.
🌤️ 💧 🌩️ Monday: A very humid day with a mixture of bright spells but some heavy showers at times too. Some of these could be thundery, but some places staying dry. Max temp 23C.
🌤️ 💧Tuesday-Friday: Generally fresher with some sunshine and a few showers. Max temps 21c with a mod western breeze.
☀️ Weekend: Towards the weekend, the weather will become drier and warmer as High pressure arrives. Max temps 23C in a light south-western breeze.
🏘️ Leicester's growing council housing crisis: Leicester City Council declared a housing crisis in 2022, but the problems are getting worse. There were 6,682 households waiting to be moved into more appropriate homes as of Monday, 1 April, this year. This was an increase of 674 individuals and families compared to the start of April last year when there were 6,008 waiting - Great Central Gazette
🏳️🌈 Leicester Pride 2024 draws record crowds for 'biggest' free LGBTQ+ celebration: Leicester's annual Pride celebrations saw its biggest turnout yet, say organisers, with thousands flocking to Abbey Park for a day of music, performances and LGBTQ+ pride - Leicester Mercury
💸 Why council has spent £763k on new fleet of cleaning machines amid bankruptcy concerns: Given the bleak financial picture of the city council, Leicestershire Live asked the council why it had forked out hundreds of thousands on the new machines, and what would be happening to the old fleet. City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has been publicly warning since last October that Leicester is facing a financial “cliff’s edge” and is expecting to declare bankruptcy by the end of 2024/25 if nothing changes - Leicester Mercury
🖼️ Leicester Museum to close for maintenance ahead of major refurbishment: Leicester Museum & Art Gallery on New Walk will be closed to the public from Thursday 5 September until Sunday 15 September inclusive, while new fire curtains are installed and other maintenance works carried out. The museum will reopen on Monday 16 September, but access will be limited to the Dinosaur Gallery and the Leicester Stories Gallery until Saturday 21 September, while new temporary exhibitions are installed on the first floor - Leicester City Council
🤍 Care home found for couple who faced being split up: Dennis Vesty, 95, and his wife Dorothy, 89, were living at Kathleen Rutland Home in Leicester Forest East, in Leicestershire, when they were told it was shutting down. However, after hearing about the family's story, Kingsfield Court in Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, offered to take them both in - BBC Leicester
🎨 Artists invited to take part in Leicester's popular Open exhibition: Local artists are being given a chance to present their work at Leicester’s flagship museum, as preparations for this year’s Open exhibition get under way. Entries for the exhibition are now open and artists have until 1pm on Monday 30 September to submit their online applications - Leicester City Council
💩 Sewage spills causing 'obnoxious' smell from river: An investigation into claims raw sewage from new housing estates is polluting a river in Leicestershire has been launched by the Environment Agency. People living in Donington le Heath, near Coalville, have reported brown froth and an “obnoxious” stench from the River Sence, even during dry periods - BBC Leicester
🧱 Traders' new plan for market place redevelopment: Market traders in Leicester have put forward their plan to redevelop the city's historic market place. Plans are at a very early stage, but they include placing permanent market stalls in front of the existing Food Hall, next to the historic Corn Exchange building. The plan has been put together with the view to keep open space in the rest of the market place, which can be used flexibly - BBC Leicester
⚖️ Leicester salon owner takes fight to L'Oreal in ongoing £30k trademark row: Rebecca, the owner of waxing business nkd, located in Silver Walk, is currently locked in an “aggressive” legal battle with the company which has seen her forced to close a salon and fork out over £30,000. The cosmetics giant, which has a range of beauty products called Naked, told the Leicester business owner her use of the name nkd would cause “consumer confusion” - Leicester Mercury
🥾 How a walking group in east Leicester is combating loneliness and bringing people together: How a walking group that started with just one person, and now has hundreds of members, is radically reducing loneliness and mental health issues for the elderly in Leicester's British Asian community -Great Central Gazette
Step into the spotlight with weekly acting workshops, led by professional actor Michael King. Whether you're a drama newbie or an advanced thespian, the stage awaits! Tickets from £4.
Learn the secrets of Leicester's medieval churches. Discover how seven forgotten sites were brought back to light—it's history worth its weight in bricks and mortar! Tickets from £3.50.
Uncover Leicester's hidden gems with two self-guided heritage walks, blending history with a treasure hunt twist! From ancient roots to modern marvels, explore this historic city at your pace—because discovering Leicester is a walk in the park, with a few surprises along the way! Standard ticket £5.99
Uncover the vibrant history of canal art at the ‘Roses and Castles’ exhibition. Navigate through myths and misconceptions, revealing the colourful legacy that still makes waves today! Tickets from £3.
Get ready to laugh your socks off at the Standard Saturday show, featuring four top-notch comedians from the UK and beyond. The show starts at 8pm, so plan your night around some serious chuckles. Tickets from £10.
💷Hairspray, The Curve Theatre, 23–28 September 2024
Get ready to dance to the beat as ‘Hairspray’ returns. This feel-good musical, packed with hit songs and dazzling routines, is a joyous celebration of love, tolerance, and the 60s. With Strictly stars and show-stopping numbers, missing this would be a hair-raising mistake!
GIF: Emma Guy / The Gazette. Photograph: Sodhi / Zoopla
Introducing this seven bedroom detached property in the sought after area of Stoneygate. Currently, setup as two maisonettes with two kitchens and six bathrooms, it could be converted back into an impressive family home. The property can be viewed on open house days via registration.
Two restaurants in the county have been shortlisted for a national award! My Delhi and Silchar Indian Dining are among the finalists for the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards (ARTA) 2024. The winners will be announced at the grand finale in London on 6 October, where over 1,250 nominated establishments will be represented.
A shared yard in Eaton Square which was off Upper Brown Street, c.1950. Photograph: Story of Leicester
Looking back at 100 years of council housing! After the Second World War, the demand for council housing increased dramatically. 10,000 homes were needed for ex-soldiers and their families. A quick solution was the building of temporary pre-fabricated (prefabs) houses. In 1946, the Corporation began erecting the prefabs.
However, by 1970 the high cost of maintaining the prefabs led the Corporation to lead a programme of demolishing the houses. They had exceeded their predicted lifespan by nearly 15 years. It's reported that the tenants were sad to leave these practical and well-loved properties.
You can find out more about the city's history of council housing here.
Devon Winters
