The East Leeds Project and unlocking the potential of the Henry Barran Centre
Since 2017, the East Leeds Project has demonstrated its value as a hub for creativity, community and empowerment through making. Its recent activities at Fearnville Leisure Centre, including the pilot programme for Fearnville Fest, have engaged artists, makers and residents in new ways of thinking about art, craft and community participation.
However, to build on this momentum and truly establish a permanent community makerspace, the East Leeds Project needs a dedicated home.
The Henry Barran Centre presents the perfect opportunity. As an underused venue with the space, infrastructure and the potential to host an innovative makerspace, the centre could become a flagship for creative engagement in East Leeds and beyond.
By relocating to the Henry Barran Centre, the East Leeds Project could create a sustainable, inclusive facility offering workshops, skills training and community-building initiatives. The focus would be on ensuring access for all, particularly those in the local LS8 area, who would participate on a pay-as-you-feel/pay-as-you-can-afford basis. Meanwhile, participants from further afield would be charged a fair but still very affordable fee, ensuring financial sustainability while maintaining hyper-local accessibility.
The makerspace vision
The Henry Barran Centre is uniquely suited to become a makerspace, empowering artists, craftspeople, and the wider community. The venue already has the space and electrical capacity to support a kiln, making it ideal for pottery, tile-making and ceramics. These activities could be developed commercially, allowing artists and makers to produce work for sale and continuing East Leeds’ long tradition of craftsmanship and manufacturing.
One exciting opportunity is to create a pottery brand inspired by the legacy of Burmantofts Pottery, which began in 1859 and was renowned for its high-quality ceramics. By working with skilled craftspeople and mentoring new makers, this project could supply handmade pottery to restaurants and retailers across the UK, reclaiming East Leeds’ history of clay-based production.
Beyond ceramics, the makerspace could support a diverse range of creative activities, including:
• Workshops for beginners in various crafts, ensuring accessibility for all skill levels.
• School partnerships engaging young people in hands-on creative learning.
• Opportunities for older residents, particularly those who are isolated or retired.
• Support for knitting, crocheting and textile crafts, including growing sustainable materials on-site to encourage environmentally friendly production.
Sustainability at the heart of making
Activities at the Henry Barran Centre would be underpinned by a commitment to sustainability. The East Leeds Project recognises that creative spaces must be environmentally responsible and community-focused. This means:
• Using recycled, reclaimed or locally sourced materials for workshops and projects.
• Minimising waste by encouraging a circular economy approach, where materials are reused, repurposed or composted.
• Partnering with local sustainability initiatives to create a green space within the centre’s grounds. This would support gardening, food-growing projects and natural dye production for textile workshops.
• Encouraging low-energy production methods and ensuring that any commercial making aligns with ethical, eco-friendly principles.
The centre would also support Leeds City Council’s broader sustainability goals, ensuring that all activities contribute positively to the local environment while fostering creativity.
Community partnerships and local impact
The makerspace would be embedded within the community, working with key local organisations such as:
• Oakwood Lane Medical Practice promoting creative activities as a means of improving mental health and wellbeing.
• GIPSIL supporting young people and families facing disadvantage, offering them opportunities for creative learning and skills development.
• Action for Gipton Elderly engaging older people in pottery, crafts and other activities that provide social connection and a sense of purpose.
Additionally, the space would be open to other local groups as a warm, safe and welcoming environment for meetings, workshops and social activities.
Accessible pricing and long-term sustainability
One of the key principles of this project is to ensure economic accessibility. Residents living within the LS8 postcode, within one mile of the Henry Barran Centre, would be able to participate on a pay-as-you-feel/pay-as-you-can-afford basis. This ensures that financial barriers do not prevent local people from engaging in creative activities.
For those from further afield, ticketed pricing would still be very affordable, offering outstanding value while helping to sustain the makerspace in the long term. This two-tier pricing model aligns with the ethos of accessibility while ensuring that the space remains financially viable.
A home for Healthy Holidays style programmes and community-led programming
After the East Leeds Project’s recent work at the Nowell Mount Community Centre, the Henry Barran Centre could also serve as a base for Healthy Holidays-style programmes, ensuring that children and families in East Leeds have access to activities during school holidays. Workshops, creative play and hands-on making sessions would be designed to engage young minds while providing valuable skills and social interaction.
Beyond structured programming, the East Leeds Project would engage in ongoing dialogue with the community, ensuring that the space evolves according to local needs. By working closely with Leeds City Council the centre would become an embedded and trusted part of East Leeds’ cultural landscape.
The future of making in East Leeds
By relocating to the Henry Barran Centre, the East Leeds Project has an opportunity to create something truly innovative, inclusive, and sustainable – a makerspace that serves not only Gipton and East Leeds but also the wider city and region. The combination of underused space, strong community partnerships, historical ties to making and manufacturing, and a sustainable approach to creativity makes this a project with enormous potential.
By providing access to creativity, skills, and social connection, the East Leeds Project at the Henry Barran Centre could redefine what a community-led creative space can achieve. This is not just about moving premises—it’s about creating a lasting, transformative space that empowers people through making.
Now is the time to act. Let’s bring this vision to life.
