Neighbour-Hubs

Neighbour-Hubs is our flagship, long-term community engagement project which sees us strengthen relationships with our local communities in their own spaces.

Conceived during the Pandemic and launched in 2021, our Neighbour-Hubs activity responds to the health, economic and social disparities in five communities in Leicester that were exposed by COVID-19.

The five areas are Highfields and St. Matthews, Braunstone, Saffron, Evington and New Parks.

We know that engagement with art and culture builds self-confidence, raises aspiration, and improves physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. We believe participation in and access to the arts is a right for everyone; Neighbour-Hubs is our response to this by encouraging participants to be the theatre-makers, audiences and creative workforce of the future.

Find out more about our work with schools, elders, artists, young people with learning disabilities and meet our Neighbour-Hubs Community Ambassadors below.

We have built strong and meaningful partnerships with five schools in ‘Hub’ areas: Castle Mead Academy, Fullhurst Community College, Lancaster Academy, Crown Hills Community College and Herewoode Academy.

Each school has a satellite Curve Young Company group, with weekly sessions delivered free of charge for all 100 participants by Curve practitioners, helping the young people express themselves and develop their confidence. At the end of the school year, each Neighbour-Hub school group performs on stage at Curve for an invited audience of friends, families and teachers. We also support the schools with free tickets for Made at Curve productions, work placements and free Continuing Professional Development opportunities for teachers.

In partnership with Age UK and Anchor Housing, we run regular creative workshops in care homes and Memory Cafes, delivering free events, armchair dance, movement and singing sessions for older people experiencing loneliness and isolation and people living with dementia and their carers. We also frequently welcome elderly community members to Curve for cabarets, Christmas concerts and Access and Dementia Friendly performances of Made at Curve productions.

A picture of Curve Neighbour-Hubs Writers and showcase performers smiling to the camera

We’re committed to developing and supporting the talented artists and practitioners within our Neighbour-Hub areas, working with them to uncover and share stories from their communities.

We frequently share opportunities for Neighbour-Hub area residents to get creative with Curve, including our bi-annual Curve on the Square performance platform and our Neighbour-Hubs Writers Programme.

Front view of the Curve Theatre building in Leicester, with distinctive glass facade.

In partnership with SEND schools and education providers, we’ve developed bespoke programmes to support the needs and interests of young people with learning disabilities. Over the last year more than 270 young people from SEND schools have taken part in skills-based workshops, special on and off-stage tours, and enjoyed free tickets to see Made at Curve shows.

We work with Community Ambassadors who help us to directly communicate offers and opportunities to people within our Neighbour-Hub areas. Our Ambassadors help us to build a greater understanding of each community and current challenges, enabling us to learn how to best support communities with our creative offers.

Meet our Curve Community Ambassadors here.

Thank you

Our Curve Neighbour-Hubs activity would not be possible without the support of our principal funder, Arts Council England, and the ongoing partnership with Leicester City Council.

We are very grateful to the following:

Jon and Katey Jorgensen for their support of CYCC Neighbour-Hubs.
PPL PRS for their support of our wider Neighbour-Hubs programme.

School partnerships

Work with elders

Artists

Supporting young people with learning disabilities

Community Ambassadors

Thank you