We're Here For Culture

Spring is here, the weather is warming up and we’re delighted we’ve received some fantastic funding news over at Space2!  

We’re so pleased to announce we've secured generous funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund on behalf of Arts Council England to support some of our future plans and projects this year. Culture unites us; it creates jobs, supports livelihoods and brings us all joy. As an organisation with arts and culture at the heart of all we do, ‘culture for us’ gives us the chance to collaborate creatively with our community, artists and other organisations in East Leeds and beyond. Through this we’re able to create projects that bring us all together, provides us with a sense of fulfilment and inspire us. We're so grateful to be able to keep our community connections going after such a difficult year and we can't wait to catch up with everyone! 

Here For Culture is a movement that unites the public, government and cultural organisations in support of our fantastic cinemas, theatres, music venues, museums, galleries and heritage. Whether on the global stage or quietly in our own lives, culture inspires, uplifts, comforts and entertains us. During the pandemic we’ve still been sent uplifting art, listened to the sounds of our communities, heard the words of others and come together in a way that has collectively inspired us through these often challenging circumstances.

Our ‘Unlocked: Inspiration from Isolation’ virtual gallery space celebrated the art and the culture created in our city in lockdown. Our groups also continued weekly meet-ups over Zoom to collaborate and create, ranging from creating emotional poetry to cultivating garden spaces. All of these movements create the artistic and cultural footprint our communities continue to make and the joy this brings to people’s daily lives. With more and more culture at our fingertips and available online, there is no better time to support and enjoy all the new and exciting ways culture is available to us. 

This past year has been a huge collective challenge for all of us, and we’re so pleased that in these unprecedented times the government is supporting us in rebuilding our communities. We are looking to re-introduce our in-person groups in mid-April and also continue our online delivery, ensuring our groups are still accessible and inclusive whilst we move into post-pandemic recovery. Our established Children's Choir will continue our work with younger children, whilst our New Young People's Art Club will look to further develop and engage our young people through creativity and learning new skills. We can’t wait to continue celebrating the culture and people in East Leeds and beyond and would like to say a huge thank you to the Cultural Recovery Fund for helping us do this, and a huge thank you to those who use and attend our services for being the people who create the culture we celebrate.

Summer 2021 get ready. We’ve got plans!