As we’ve been so busy of late continuing our mission to make great things happen, I wanted to share a few updates on what we’ve been up to at East Leeds Project over the last few months.
ELP now based at the Henry Barran Centre, Gipton
The biggest news is that we are now fully installed into our new home at the Henry Barran Community Centre in Gipton! It’s really exciting to finally have a dedicated space where artists, makers, community groups and local people can come together. There’s still lots to do, but the Makerspace is already becoming a hub for creative activity and community projects involving all ages.
Making an edible garden with Season Well.
Room to grow!
Recently, we’ve been developing a new ‘edible garden’ next to the Makerspace. The project is being created with Season Well CIC, supported by Grow Wild UK and Space2’s Community Heartbeat programme as part of Gipton Shared Futures.
What was once an ordinary patch of land is being transformed into a vegetable garden for all. We’ve got fruit bushes and trees in the ground and have more edible plants for our next community planting session. If you’d like to find out more about the garden and get involved please get in touch.
Holiday hangout
During May half term, we worked with Season Well CIC and Nanu Sports Foundation to deliver Holiday Hangout, a programme of free arts, crafts and sports activities for children aged 5–13 over the May Bank Holiday weekend. It gave our kids a chance to learn new creative skills, stay active with games of football and basketball, eat healthy snacks and importantly, have fun!
Moon Palace on Tour
Moon Palace has also been busy. Kindly supported by the Ogden Trust, in November she visited the University of Durham, in February she spent two days at the Royal Astronomical Society, introducing new audiences to her unique blend of art and science.Â
In March the project travelled to the University of Hertfordshire in Stevenage and then to the Queen Mary University in East London, helping to connect students, researchers and communities through astronomy, imagination and hands-on engagement.
Last month, Moon Palace again welcomed around a thousand visitors at the University of Leeds’ Be Curious festival, where people explored the observatory and shared conversations about space and our place in the universe.
What the East Leeds Project is all about
All of these activities reflect what East Leeds Project is about: creating opportunities for people to come together and shape the cultural life of our communities.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us, attended events, volunteered, collaborated or simply followed our work. We couldn’t do it without you. Thanks also go to our committed Board of Directors, our networks of artists and partners and of course our funders.
We look forward to welcoming many of you to the Henry Barran Centre in the months ahead and sharing the next stage of the East Leeds Project story. Please get in touch with me personally if you’d like to visit the Makerspace or get involved. The coffee pot is always ready and biscuits are always on offer!
Thanks for reading!
Warmest of wishes.
Claire Irving
Director
