Conclusion and Key Takeaways

At the present time there is little chance of refurbishing the Church in any way that might make it more suitable for more ambitious projects, however it was felt that in the meantime it presented a good opportunity for smaller, mutual local partnerships to use the space, such as the project that ArtReach had run. She noted the difference between rural churches, which tend to have greater community cohesion and thus draw dedicated communities to it, and urban churches, such as All Saints’ Church, which need a different approach.

Over time, as the residential area in the immediate vicinity grows, this could change and a community could be established that connects well with the Church. It is felt that urban churches always need more partnership working and need to be used in many ways by different organisations to keep vibrancy and relevance within their location. There is more potential for the Church to be used by a variety of creative organisations and for smaller projects that need a big space for a short time.

Conclusion

As a result of the project, the heritage of All Saints’ Church and its links to medieval Leicester have been better interpreted and explained. There is also substantial scope to increase awareness of the heritage of the church following completion of the project, owing to the levels of sustained interest in the heritage building, in particular, by local residents (many new to the area).

Diverse communities engaged well owing to delivery of a varied programme of creative activity that made direct connection between artistic approachs and the heritage of All Saints and aspects of the building ’ s architecture.

As a result, the events programme connected to younger audiences, and audiences whose interests were sparked enough to attend more than one event. Links to city-wide festivals and events such as Journeys Festival International, Liberty UK and Refugee Week extended the reach of the programme further, in particular, engaging individuals with sanctuary-seeking backgrounds as volunteers and participants.

A team of volunteers developed new skills in heritage interpretation. The programme also achieved social outcomes such as increased confidence and more social connections. Elements of the programme aimed to engage children and young people, who also developed new skills in heritage too. Students delivered projects that related to arts and heritage management studies at University.

Key stakeholders felt the achievements of the project can contribute to the local area and a growing sense of community. With a more vibrant building and diverse programme of events, All Saints’ Church can contribute to the local area and make it feel like it is a better place to live, work and visit.

All Saints’ Church is a valued part of the local area, and has huge potential to play a role in regeneration aspirations. Local stakeholders recognised the commercial advantages in celebrating and incorporating the heritage of old buildings in local regeneration plans and future community plans.

Next Steps

To ensure the legacy of the project, and enable All Saints’ Church to have an impact on the local area, recommendations included:

• Delivering All Saints’ Church mobile exhibition in local businesses, schools and community spaces in the immediate surrounding areas to engage new residents when restrictions are lifted. • Continued support to develop a pool of dedicated volunteers for All Saints’ Church to help open its doors as part of ‘open days’, which can share the outputs of this project in future. • Positioning the outputs of the project with a wider city drive to promote Leicester’s heritage sites. Ideas include a heritage trail incorporating All Saints’ Church, Leicester Cathedral, the Clock Tower, The Richard III Centre and other heritage sites around the city centre. • Further exploring the potential of local cultural partnerships with CCT, to help it meet its priorities for the building, and to encourage more visitors to appreciate the heritage story of the building. • Maintaining engagement with developers and City Council representatives to discuss support to bring local cultural programmes to present work at All Saints’ Church in future. The current Van Gogh exhibition is viewed as a success in engaging local residents and tourists to the local area.

Five key takeaways

1. A diverse creative programme, delivered in partnership between an urban church and a cultural organisation helped to engage diverse audiences with the church’s heritage; 2. The flexibility of a space, such as All Saints’ Church, provides an inspiring and innovative setting to bring together creative projects and heritage. 3. Urban regeneration plans benefit from the role that heritage can play in attracting new residents and businesses to the area. 4. Creative programmes, delivered in disused churches, can engage diverse volunteers and local people to support spaces to open and be accessed by local residents. 5. There is now appetite for a continued and regular creative programme at All Saints’ Church. Future partnerships between a cultural organisation and All Saints’ Church will achieve audiences and participation.