A free event which puts the spotlight on Leicester’s rich heritage takes place this weekend at the University of Leicester.
The public event, which takes place this Saturday (23 March), will celebrate the first anniversary of the University’s Heritage Hub.
The Heritage Hub was set up in 2023 to bring people and organisations together to connect, explore and celebrate the rich heritage of the city and region. Over the last year it has produced a series of exciting developments, projects and collaborations.
Saturday’s event, which takes place between 11am and 4pm in the Percy Gee Building, will include workshops and hands-on activities for all ages. They will include re-enactment demonstrations, cutting-edge research, campus heritage trails and the chance to find out about career pathways and volunteering opportunities. Information will also be available about places to visit, activities and events taking place across the region.
The Heritage Hub’s team has worked closely with Leicester City Council Museums and Galleries across a wide range of activities, including exhibitions, volunteering programmes, community engagement and activities for young people. In the run up to the reopening of the city’s Jewry Wall Museum – which houses artefacts from Iron Age, Roman and medieval Leicester – there has been a focus on all things Roman Leicester. The Hub team has worked with the Jewry Wall project team to provide support for the development of the interpretation, learning programme and a new guidebook.
A partnership with North Northamptonshire Council, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength. The Hub successfully piloted a programme for schools at the Chester House Estate, linked to the University’s excavations in the suburbs of the small Roman town of Irchester, that lies within the estate. The programme involved staff and students from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History and University of Leicester Archaeological Services, working alongside Chester House Estate staff and volunteers, with around 1,800 students and 40 schools attending. Schools can find out more about the exciting programme for June and July 2024 on the Chester House website.
Many Hub projects are underpinned by interdisciplinary and cross-sector expertise, including innovative collaborations with colleagues in the University’s School of Engineering and at Space Park Leicester.
Sarah Scott, Heritage Hub Director, said: “It has been an exciting year. It has been inspiring to see the incredible range of activity on our doorstep; to make connections and spark new collaborations, with many projects and opportunities emerging. We would like to extend a huge thanks to everyone who has provided support to the Heritage Hub in our first year. We are also very grateful to One to One Development Trust for its fantastic support in helping us to tell the stories and aspirations behind the founding of the Hub and to showcase such a diverse range of projects and collaborations. We are looking forward to our second year, continuing to develop strong partnerships that make a positive difference to people’s lives.”
For more information, email the Heritage Hub at heritageuol@le.ac.uk.
