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✊ SAVE OUR SPACE - PROTECT LONGSIGHT’S CREATIVE FUTURE!
Longsight Community Art Space (LCAS) is at risk. Unless we raise £10,000 over the next 12 weeks, many of our free, inclusive arts and wellbeing activities could be lost. We need your support to keep our doors open and our community thriving. Most importantly, this support will get us through whilst we establish more permanent and more secure income sources and diversify what we offer to build a sustainable model.
WHAT IS LCAS?
LCAS is a grassroots creative hub, based on Northmoor Road in Longsight, Manchester. It has grown from a humble Northmoor Road storefront into a thriving cultural commons. Over the past four years, we’ve welcomed over 9,000 visitors - from toddlers planting seeds to elders sharing stories. Our walls have held exhibitions, festivals, poetry, workshops, and healing - all led with and for the community.
Just a short walk from the space, we’ve also co-created a Community Orchard Garden in a local park - an open, green sanctuary that hosts volunteering days, food-growing workshops, recycling projects, nature-based sessions, and gatherings with retired South Asian men who regularly use the park. This space has become a vital part of our work, helping residents reconnect with nature, build relationships, and reclaim local green space.
“I hadn’t stepped foot in the park since being mugged. Helping with the planting project gave me my confidence back.”
– Community member, 2024
What We Do
LCAS is run by the community, for the community. Our purpose is to enhance the quality of life and wellbeing for people in Longsight and surrounding areas through accessible creative opportunities.
We offer:
- Free and low-cost creative workshops tackling isolation, stress and poor mental health
- Urban greening projects reclaiming disused park spaces and engaging families with nature
- Multigenerational cultural events and festivals, co-produced with local groups and residents
- Exhibition and event space for community groups, artists, and organisers
- Volunteering days and nature-based workshops
- Food growing, composting and recycling projects
- Sessions with retired South Asian men, who now feel a sense of safety, pride and ownership
- Hands-on environmental learning for families and children
- Local carnivals and festivals that provides people of diverse backgrounds with a platform to showcase their skills and talents
In 2024, we ran over 50 workshops and events, welcoming over 3000+ unique participants.
What We’ve Built - Together
In just four years, LCAS has become:
- A launchpad for 200+ local artists, many exhibiting for the first time
- The home of SNUG - The Sustainable Northmoor Urban Greening Project, a pioneering initiative revitalising Northmoor Road and Crowcroft Park
- A free, inclusive space hosting cultural markets, workshops, film screenings & more
- A lifeline for creativity, connection, and collective care in one of Manchester’s most underrepresented neighbourhoods
Why This Matters Now
Losing LCAS wouldn’t just mean losing a venue. It would mean losing: The only community-run arts space in Longsight
- A safe, creative hub for working-class voices, migrants, elders, and emerging local talent
- Our sole paid staff member, an artist-organiser who keeps our programmes running and our doors open
How Your Support Will Help
Your donation will:
- Cover essentials: rent, utilities, materials - keeping our space alive
- Protect our only paid role, ensuring LCAS stays open and artist-led
- Keep all programming free and accessible, because art should never be a luxury
- Help us grow, securing LCAS as a permanent home for art, resistance, and joy
Join Us Today
£5 or £500 - every pound counts. Here’s how you can help:
- Donate now and be part of Longsight’s cultural legacy
- Share this appeal - with friends, local businesses, and on social media
- Talk about us - help amplify the voices of our community
This isn’t just about survival. It’s about solidarity. Together, we can ensure Longsight’s creative heart keeps beating.
Organizer
