MEMBER NEWS Regeneration of Phoenix Cinema
Exciting times lie ahead for Phoenix Cinema and Art Centre in Leicester, with the news that Arts Council England has confirmed a £4m investment towards its expansion plans. Phoenix is one of Leicester’s
most popular cultural venues, delivering a programme of over 350 different films from around the world every year, alongside innovative digital arts exhibitions, community cinema in rural locations and learning and education opportunities for individuals, schools, and university students. Phoenix is also a business hub where many organisations network, meet and organise events. Having moved in 2009 to
Phoenix Square, a purpose-built £21.5m arts, business and residential city regeneration project, Phoenix has helped transform a de-industrialised area into Leicester’s Cultural Quarter. It attracts 220,000 visitors a year who’s spending creates jobs, supports a local supply chain and spreads out to other businesses. Phoenix has a unique role in
fostering digital culture and the creative industries in Leicester, and a cluster of creative enterprises has grown around it creating more jobs and economic output. And it’s this growth that’s led to
Phoenix 2020 – the name being given to the charity’s ambitious expansion project. Phoenix plans to add a 1,200sq
m extension to the existing building to make space for two extra cinema screens, a larger and much more prominent digital art gallery, a
A CGI of the developments at the Phoenix Cinema and Art Centre
‘Phoenix has helped transform a de-industrialised area into Leicester’s Cultural Quarter’
bigger café bar and new spaces for making and learning. As a larger venue, Phoenix will
be able to double its number of visitors over five years, reaching out to new people from diverse communities and enriching more people’s lives through film and art – which is Phoenix’s mission. The charity already earns most
of its income from ticket sales, its café and business hires and the development will also enable Phoenix to grow as a business and rely less on public funding. Deputy City Mayor for Culture,
Cllr Piara Singh-Clair, said: “Phoenix already generates around £2.6m spending by visitors into Leicester’s economy, which creates jobs and business for local suppliers in the
Not one but three awards for hotel
Nottingham’s De Vere Orchard Hotel collected three awards at the recent CHS Awards 2019, held at The Royal Armouries in Leeds. The team picked up the Best Sustainable/CSR Venue Practice Award, Best Large Conference Space as well as the prestigious Chairman’s Award. Celebrating its fifth year, the CHS Awards provide hotels
and venues from across the UK with a unique opportunity to showcase their facilities – allowing even the smallest independent venue to be recognised for an aspect, service or feature of their property or service. The awards are judged by an independent panel of over 50 event professionals from leading agencies throughout the UK. Melissa Sobo, Director of Sales, De Vere Orchard Hotel,
said: “We are delighted to win three awards for our venue and it’s a particular honour to win The Chairman’s Award, which recognises the very best in our industry. Our Chef de Partie, Nathan Aylward, was also a finalist in the Unsung Hero Award, another outstanding achievement for De Vere Orchard Hotel.”
6 business network July/August 2019
city and county. This expansion will help to attract more visitors to the area and to the city and will boost Leicester’s reputation as a centre for the arts and creative industries.” Phoenix 2020 will also promote
Leicester’s profile as an important national centre for film and digital arts, and will help to grow the vibrant cluster of filmmakers, artists and creative entrepreneurs that has established itself in the city. This has caught the attention of national investors and the project is attracting significant capital investment into Leicester from national sources – mainly from Arts Council England. Peter Knott, Area Director for
Arts Council England, said: “This is fantastic news for Leicester.
“Arts and culture play a vital role
in making the area a great place to live, work, study and visit, and we’re pleased to be investing in a project which will benefit so many local people and their communities. By ensuring arts and cultural venues have the buildings and equipment they need, we are helping to ensure the region’s creative economy will thrive." Backed by stakeholders including
Arts Council England, Leicester City Council – which has pledged £1m – British Film Institute, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) and De Montfort University, Phoenix now has in place 80% of the £7m needed to complete the work by the end of 2020. With planning permission granted, work is underway to raise at least £500,000 more in the coming months to enable building to start later this year.
The De Vere Orchard Hotel team celebrate their awards
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