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In Focus
Lucy Philips legacy lives on through a dedicated arts fund
In May 2024, Lucy Phillips, a cultural leader known for her community spirit, creativity and enthusiasm, passed away. She was a beloved friend, family member and colleague who touched the lives of everyone she met.
Her work and legacy continue to go on through the Lucy Phillips Arts Fund which supports Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland artists and creatives. The fund was launched on what would have been her 55th birthday.
The fund launched a fundraising campaign to support people and charitable and community organisations working in the visual arts, printmaking, ceramics, music, theatre, film, comedy, dance, and other art funds.
The money will support activities that champion and celebrate the arts, as well as artistic collaborations and activities. Funds will help develop the leadership skills of artists, and reach people and communities who may find it difficult to access the arts or arts training.
It is also hoped the fund will support activities at Leicester Print Workshop (LPW), the centre of excellence for fine art printing in the East Midlands, where Lucy was previously the director. LPW nurtures talent and supports creative practitioners to develop their skills and achieve their creative ambitions.
Leicester Comedy Festival founder Geoff Rowe, who is a member of the Arts Fund panel, said: “Since Lucy passed away, so many people have commented on how they would like an opportunity to help sustain the work she did and the impact she made on so many people. Lucy was passionate about the arts and in the first week of launching the fund we received donations of over £9,000 which will ensure we can support artists and organisations in her name. The amount of support we have received from people who knew and loved Lucy is just wonderful."
Rowe continued: “We also know that people who did not know Lucy have donated money, and we are also so grateful to these people who want to support the cultural life of the city and county. We are developing our plans over the summer months and will publish details about how to apply for grants later in the year. The fund remains open for people to continue to pledge money.”
Recently, Lucy had become a musician in her band, The Boilers. The band is part of the Unglamorous female punk movement, which Ruth Miller founded. In the band, Lucy was known as Ginny Flickers, with incredible drumming and lyricist skills.
Lucy also worked for the Aakash Odreda Company, a dance company in Leicester. Ali Robertson, executive director of Aakash Odedra Company, said: “Lucy was a wonderful friend. She was trustee, co-chair and chair of Aakash Odedra Company. She challenged us rigorously, was incredibly insightful and always fantastically supportive.
"She was very funny, deeply caring, and driven by strong principles, which she exemplified in all her life. We miss her and mourn her — we think the Lucy Phillips Art Fund is a perfect tribute to a woman who was a champion to so many.”
Lucy used her years of experience in the cultural and voluntary sectors in her roles as cultural srrategic partnerships manager and now quality manager in the School of Arts and Humanities at Nottingham Trent University (NTU). Her role at NTU earned her love and respect across the university and organisations she was introduced to during her employment.
Rachel Challen, interim head of learning, teaching, and student experience in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Arts and Humanities, said: “Lucy was held in very high regard by everyone she worked with and is much missed by our university community. She was fiercely intelligent, kind, and thoughtful, a generous collaborator with an innate ability to connect people, passions, and projects. Lucy was great fun to know, and every interaction left you feeling inspired.”
Amy Bere, director of culture at Nottingham Trent University, said: “Lucy’s commitment to the value of the arts in all our lives was unshakeable, and we can think of no better way to honour that commitment than through the Lucy Phillips Arts Fund, which has been established by her family and friends. We hope the impact of the fund will be felt by many of the region’s artists for years to come.”
☀️ 🌩️ Monday: A very hot day, with temperatures reaching 32C in a light south-eastern breeze. There will be long periods of sunshine. A warm and sunny evening and a warm and humid night with temps down to 16C. A 30 per cent chance of a thunderstorm.
🌤️ 💧Tuesday-Friday: The very hot airmass will move east, but the week will still be mostly dry with a good deal of sunshine. Temperatures will start off at 25C on Monday but reduce to 21C by Friday. The nights will be dry and warm to start the week at 15C, but night temps by Friday down to 12C. There will be a mainly moderate W breeze.
🌤️ Weekend: A dry and mainly bright weekend ahead with average temperatures of 21C with a moderate western breeze. It should stay dry with just a 20 per cent chance of a shower.
🧡 Hope in the face of hate: After a weekend marked by violence and unrest, the situation across England is increasingly volatile. Misinformation has spread like wildfire, exacerbating fears and stoking divisions across communities. Social media platforms have been breeding grounds for virulent disinformation peddled by far-right groups seeking to harm asylum seekers and migrants - Great Central Gazette
🇮🇳 As the far-right riots in the UK, India offers a cautionary tale: Aman Sethi, editor-in-chief, openDemocracy offers his perspective on far-right riots as a recent immigrant to the UK. Sethi worked in a riot relief camp in Gujarat in the aftermath of the riots in India. Sethi stated: “I cannot help but draw parallels between the images of burnt-out husks of buildings across the UK and the riot-torn neighbourhoods I visited 20 years ago.” - Great Central Gazette
🏥 Leicester's hospital waiting lists increase as thousands left waiting over a year: the latest figures available from the NHS show that the number of people waiting for non-emergency care has risen between May and June this year. Statistics indicate that there were 112,638 on the city’s elective care waiting lists in June, comparing with 111,037 the month prior - Leicester Mercury
🚧 'Redundant' market earmarked for demolition: Leicester City Council initially decided to close the market, in Beaumont Leys, and sell the land last September, but following a petition against the move the closure was delayed until 31 December. Beaumont Leys Properties Ltd, which bought the site from the council in March, plans to pull down the old covered structure, public toilets and an office building, according to planning documents, which indicate it is to be a shopping centre - BBC Leicester
🚑 Ambulance service slams 'riots, racism and Islamophobia': East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), which covers Leicester and Leicestershire, said it “wholeheartedly condemns” such behaviour, slamming it as “malicious acts of deliberate violence and intimidation” which it branded as “horrifying.” - Great Central Gazette
🚨 More than 1,000 Leicestershire knife crimes committed in last three years: There were more than 1,000 crimes where someone was caught with a knife in Leicestershire in the past three years. Charnwood had the most incidents of knife possession of all the county areas. The three-year total for the borough, which includes the town of Loughborough, was 115. Some 36 of these were last year, with 34 in 2022/23 and 45 in 2021/22 - Leicester Mercury
🏡 Closure of two residential homes proposed: Two residential homes in Leicester are proposed for closure, a decision the owners say is motivated by a “changing need” for services and “financial sustainability.” Applegarth and Kathleen, both run by Vista, a charity for people with sight loss, are proposed to close on 22 September after a consultation process. Vista has stated that it is working with residents, families and allocated social workers to support re-accommodating them - BBC Leicester
💸 Leicester parents hit by hundred of thousands of pounds in fines for pupil absences this year: Leicester parents have been issued more than £600,000 worth of fines this academic year for pupil absences. The figure is a considerable jump from five years ago, when those fines cost families £192,300. The council's spokesperson told the LDRS the authority issued 8,200 penalties over the 2023-24 academic year, totalling £614,760. This is up from 6,011 last academic year, which cost parents £427,500 - Great Central Gazette
🌱 Open days at allotments to inspire more people to get growing: This week marks National Allotments Week (12-18 August). In celebration, some of Leicester’s allotments are holding open days so that people can take a look around sites that are normally reserved for plot holders. Members of Stokes Wood Allotment Society said: “We love welcoming people to our open events and sharing what we love about allotment gardening. Everyone is welcome to come along, support us and enjoy some of our home-grown produce.” - Leicester City Council
💡 Why are so many of Britain’s rioters in their 40s and 50s?: The radicalisation of middle-aged people is an emerging but overlooked phenomenon that has been brought to the fore by these riots, potentially because of the apparent link to the spread of misinformation online - Great Central Gazette
Stand up to racism rally, 10 August 2024. Photograph: Devon Winters.
Over the weekend, in response to recent unrest across the UK with the rioting of the far-right, many gathered in the city centre to make their stance clear. Leicester is a city of sanctuary.
Would you like to celebrate South Asian art and Indian culture? Head to Abbey Park for a brilliant day of performances, street food, and so much more! Tickets from £3. Under 5’s and over 65’s go for free. Starts 1pm on 17 August and 12pm on 18 August. Finishes at 7pm both days.
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Price: Offers over £320,000. You can view the property here.
Three bed town house for sale. Screenshot: Signature Homes / Zoopla
Leicester's craft beer and music festival, 2023. Screenshot: Brew Beat
Leicester’s craft beer and music festival returns to Jubilee Square on 30 August - 1 September 2024. Returning for its fourth year, Brew Beat caps off the summer perfectly, with sunshine (hopefully!), music, and great beers in hand.
The event is free for all ages! You can find out more information here.
⚽️ Women’s football: LCFC Women Fixtures Confirmed For 2024/25 Season. The Foxes will begin the new campaign with a trip to Liverpool on Sunday 22 September before a double-header of home fixtures against Arsenal and Crystal Palace at King Power Stadium on 29 September and 6 October respectively. Read more
🏀 Men’s basketball: Zach Jackson returns to Leicester Riders. Leicester Riders are excited to welcome back Zach Jackson for the 2024-25 season. Jackson returns to the Club having spent three seasons with the Riders between 2020 and 2023. He played an integral role in the Riders’ 2022 treble, winning four trophies during his time in the East Midlands. Read more
⚽️ Men's Football: Leicester have signed attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte on a season-long loan deal from Brighton. The 19-year-old Argentina international is the fifth new addition to Foxes boss Steve Cooper's squad this summer. It's thought he could make his Premier League debut for Leicester in their opening game of the season at home to Tottenham on 19 August. Read more
Leicester Mercury article from 5 May 1974, reporting on the Imperial Typewriter Company industrial dispute. Photograph: University of Leicester
As we report on protests this week, here is a look back at May Day 1974 in Leicester. 300 workers from four factories took part in a walk out, including migrant workers from Imperial Typewriters, over conditions and pay. At the time, many were met with hostility and racism.
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.
How I came to be standing under Leicester’s clock tower at 10:30pm, sober, in near freezing temperatures, dressed in hi-vis — all in the name of journalism.
Sara Wilford
