Leicester's hidden nightlife project gets £10,000 grant

The project hopes to hear people's memories of Leicester's nightlife

A project to explore 50 years of Leicester's nightlife has been awarded a £10,000 grant by Historic England.

The project, by not-for-profit social enterprise 2Funky Arts, will focus on music of black origin, including hip-hop, soul, reggae and jazz.

Founder Vijay Mistry said: "I know how passionate people are about the whole culture of music and how it's changed over the years."

Historic England said it was excited by the work.

'Accessible'

The project is one of 11 across the region that will receive grants, in a Historic England scheme, with a particular interest in recognising and celebrating working class histories.

Mr Mistry said: "I am born and bred in Leicester and I have seen our nightlife change, from the 60s and 70s to the present, and the venues people went to.

"We want to hear stories and pictures and create an exhibition out of it."

He is calling on about 45 volunteers to help create an exhibition based around photography and personal anecdotes of a history he said had been little documented - or "hidden" - down the years.

The exhibition, which will be held initially in Leicester, will examine the city's cultural landscape and nightclub venues and also highlight 30 first-hand oral histories about the era.

Mr Mistry said the focus would be around clubs such as Il Rondo, The Spectrum and many others that had come and gone, where the music and culture was strongly influenced by working class people, particularly those with black, African and Caribbean heritage.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: "These community-led projects demonstrate that heritage is all around us and accessible to everyone.

"They will highlight that wherever people live they are surrounded by historic buildings, landscapes and streets, industrial and coastal heritage that can help bring communities together."