The Haymarket Shopping Centre Community Hub

Did you know about the Haymarket Shopping Centre’s Community Hub? First set up in 2023 as a pop-up creative space, it became so popular that the shopping centre set it up permanently. This great little spot has become not just a place for the community, but has created its own community.

Hosted in two empty units on the first floor, the Hub is the shopping centre’s way of giving back to the communities of Leicester, offering a creative workshop space and a free space for local charities and organisations to run their programmes right in the heart of Leicester itself.

The first space is used three times a week which can include free creative sessions from the Mission Magpie initiative. This was set up by the artists behind the Leicester Textile Festival and repurposes fabrics, textiles and pretty much anything else they can get their hands on.

This is upcycling in action, with a twist! It’s a place for anyone to come try out something new, for artistic expression, and for second hand clothes, jewellery, books and other bric a brac to be sold. And what’s even better is any profits go right back into supporting the free creative activities and buying new materials.

The social space is staffed by volunteers and also works alongside local schools on a variety of workshops from crafting and tailoring right through geography! All done within an inspiring space decorated with the creations of the team!

Mission Magpie also go out to events and festivals to showcase their work and do outreach sessions, you may have seen them at the Leicester Riverside Festival or at the Cosby Yarn Bomb, which is taking place until 29 July!

Alongside the creative space is a Community hub used by a number of local charities and organisations to provide support to the community. The Haymarket do not charge for the space and it is absolutely vital for these organisations as they would otherwise be unable to afford premises.

We spoke to two of these organisations about the work they do. The Pearl Initiative, who provide mental health and sustainable development support for young people in communities, and Freedom For Girls who are tackling period poverty in low income communities.

Philomena Imade-Omoregie Osagie from the Pearl Initiative talked about their work to empower people, families and communities, particularly those from Black and ethnically diverse backgrounds in Leicester, through accessible health education, holistic well-being support, sustainable development learning, employability training, and culturally responsive referral services. She said: “Dean and the team at the Haymarket have been really supportive. We have been able to use storage space, anchor the initiative in the space and run three different programmes from the Haymarket, meaning we can reach so many more people than if we were just out in the community.”

Freedom for Girls support people who menstruate by challenging stigmas, taboos and gender inequalities associated with menstruation through education, provision of period products and workshops. They also do vital work with asylum seekers, homeless people and the Trans community. Started in Leeds, they work in Leicester and also internationally in Kenya. But the bulk of their work is about getting donated period products to people who need them and providing young girls with support. Charlotte O’Byrne, their Leicester Lead said: “Before we were able to use the Community Hub, we were travelling around communities a lot and there was a lot of wasted time travelling. Now we are in the Community Hub, we can tell people about this permanent space and help so many more people, often away from what can be a challenging home situation.”

The Community Hub is open 7 days a week and allows all these organisations to help each other and refer people to the right avenues for support. It’s a neutral space where anyone is welcome, where you will always find a friendly face or a caring ear.

You can drop in to the Community Hub whenever it is open, just head to the Haymarket, go up the escalator and turn left.