Unleashing our voices through culture and art
Leominster has received £85,000 to spend on creating an inclusive, cultural programme of events and activities to engage with everyone in our community. Guided by members of our Cultural Consortium, the Leominster Roars initiative is focussed on drawing out the many voices of Leominster residents to tell stories of our town in exciting, inspiring and unexpected ways. Leominster Festival is the proud lead organisation for the Leominster Programme – you can read more about the project on the Leominster Heart and Heritage website.
Leominster’s Cultural Consortium
In June 2021, Leominster was successful in its bid for cultural heritage funding from the UK’s High Streets Heritage Action Zone initiative. The Leominster Cultural Consortium was granted £85,000 for community-led cultural development to be planned and spent over the next three years. Led by the Leominster Festival and supported by Leominster Town Council, the Consortium is made up of representatives from the local community who are actively engaged in delivering arts and culture in the town, including local artists, creators, crafters, performers, event organisers and community groups. In developing a collaborative and inclusive cultural programme, the Consortium is committed to supporting the people, places and spaces of Leominster’s past and present to unite their voices in a mighty roar. We want to create a thriving programme to stir up local creativity, pride, passion and community spirit for the future and have already started by running a public feedback survey on what people want from the town. You can have your say by filling out the quick online survey: Leominster Roars!
Leominster roars? Why lions are important to our town.
Leominster is an ancient town, with a vibrant history that has shaped its distinctive identity and townscape over 1500 years. Imagery and language relating to lions emerges as a theme woven throughout the town’s history. Legend has it that St Edfrith encountered a lion while resting at Leominster in 660, while the locally silent ‘Leo’ in the town’s name is thought to be from Leofric, Earl of Hereford, who in the 11th Century endowed the Saxon Minster, now known as Leominster Priory. Echoes of the lion emblem remain in the town today, featuring in place names, sculptures and carvings on the town’s historical buildings. The Cultural Consortium has run with the lion theme to represent the roar of activity, inspiration and mighty voices of Leominster which we hope to capture and unleash over the next three years.
Leominster Festival 