Leadworks is an innovative community space based in a spectacular warehouse which celebrates the richness of grassroots organisations and individuals working in the Stonehouse Peninsula.
The space offers community organisations/individuals a place to work, to be and to share. We are looking for materials to convert the interior of the warehouse in to an inclusive, accessible, multi-use space, to bring the community together. The Stonehouse area has an immensely rich past and this needs to become visible and tangible, to empower the community and bring people together. The Leadworks is a place to celebrate difference, in a supportive and creative environment.
With your support previously, we managed to open the space to host an Art Weekender event and, in recent months, with support from other grassroot organisations and subsequent events, we've been through a soft launch which has enabled us to open our doors to local residents and other organisations in the community. We've held spoken word events, exhibitions, art workshops and open mic nights which are making Leadworks an important part of the local scene.
These steps created a real buzz at Leadworks and gained much support and we had come a long way from where it began. Unfortunately, because of the shutdown for Covid-19, we are finding ourselves having to diversify and have the realisation of how important spaces like the Leadworks are going to be for the future of the community. We now want to take the next steps and make this happen at Leadworks, by creating an open space that can be truly accessible to everyone.
As an re-purposed warehouse, some of the physical attributes do not easily lend themselves to becoming a welcoming, open space, which can be accessed by everyone, regardless of their accessibility needs. The lockdown has given us time to learn and reflect from our soft launch and we have identified immediate needs to allow this to happen; such as entrance door adjustments to allow better access and visability, entrance floor alignment and our sad toilet needs to be fully accessible.
The ethos and aims of the Leadworks project will only work if everyone is able to come and be part of what we are building here so this is why we are asking for your support. Creating a place just to be, a place with a huge welcome.