By Courtney Stevens
A new pop up art hub in Leicester has opened its doors for two months across February and March to inspire a brighter future for Church Gate and the local community.
The space provides creatives with a place to display their work through exhibitions, events, and workshops.
The project is led by Leicester City Council and is supported by the Leicester High Street Heritage Action Zone.
The project has brought together artists, designers, and innovators to share their ideas about the future and sustainability.
Sophie Noon, the High Street Heritage Action Zone project manager, said the idea behind the project was to regenerate a specific part of the city.
She said: “We wanted to do something in Church Gate that would get people thinking about it again.
“My role is to revitalise the high streets and protecting and conserving the heritage of the city.
“For Beta X we wanted to make available a programme that’s fast paced and showcases what the creative community can do.
“It’s a historic building that we renovated and wanted to use the idea of sustainability as a thread throughout the project.”
Beta X is part of a four-year programme funded by Historic England to bring new life into historic areas of the city and to encourage interest in the Church Gate and Granby Street conservation areas.
The pop up space has been developed by the LCB Depot and has events ranging from cartooning, robot making, blacksmithing, and upcycling.
As well as regenerating high streets, the scheme also aims to increase community engagement in projects.
Sophie said: “Most people agree that we should try and conserve the area and find a way to keep it sustainable.
“There are huge developments planned and so we are experimenting with different ideas that I hope generate more interest in the future.
“Residents are going to need amenities, things to do, and places to work so spaces like Beta X will hopefully encourage the creative industry to work in Church Gate and bring new interest to the area.
“It’s quite an exciting time.”
