Chapeltown, Harehills and the surrounding neighbourhoods are vibrant, culturally rich communities with a high proportion of young families. At the same time, many residents face significant social and economic pressures. Parts of Harehills fall within the most deprived areas nationally according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation, with high levels of child poverty and limited access to cultural resources.

The area is also one of the most diverse in Leeds. Many families speak languages other than English at home and bring a wide range of cultural traditions and musical heritage.

Over the past four years in Leeds, Music at Heart CIC has reached more than 300 families and currently works with around 80 families each week across nine weekly music classes for babies, toddlers and young children. Demand continues to grow, and we plan to expand to 11–13 weekly classes from September 2026.

However, we know there are many more families in our community who would benefit from music, creativity and connection, but who do not yet feel able to access cultural activities. We regularly hear from families looking for places in our classes, yet our current church venue only allows us to hire our classroom for three days each week. Demand already exceeds the space available, with enough interest to run classes five or six days per week.

Early parenthood can be joyful but also deeply isolating. Many parents experience loneliness, anxiety and poor mental health during the early years.

Through our bursary programme we see this first-hand. In 2025, around 70% of Music at Heart bursary places were used by parents — particularly mothers — who were experiencing poor mental health or isolation during early parenthood.

Regular opportunities to meet other parents, sing together and participate in gentle musical activity can play an important role in supporting parental wellbeing and strengthening early parent–child relationships.

“This music group has been by far the most thoughtfully planned, compassionate and supportive group I have found in Leeds. It was also the most beautiful space to be in whilst I was in the midst of postnatal anxiety and depression.”
— Kelly

“As a mum experiencing postnatal mental illness, finding the Music at Heart community was hugely important to me. It’s a truly safe and welcoming space for parents and children alike.”
— Matilda

“It is not just about children learning music — it is a true community. Creating a permanent space for this would be a huge asset to the area.”
— Joanne

“My baby loves this group. It is very engaging and I learn so many things I can do with my child at home.”
— Yasaman

Research consistently shows that musical interaction in the early years supports language development, bonding, communication and wellbeing.

Despite this evidence, access to high-quality early years music remains uneven and often financially out of reach for families facing social or economic barriers.

Potternewton Park is a much-loved 32-acre park at the heart of the community and the home of the internationally recognised Leeds West Indian Carnival, which celebrates the area’s Caribbean heritage and attracts visitors from across the city each year.

Despite its importance as a community gathering space, the park currently lacks some of the basic facilities families rely on when spending time outdoors with young children, including accessible public toilets, indoor shelter and family-friendly refreshment space.

For parents with babies and toddlers, these facilities are not optional — they are essential for being able to safely spend time in the park.

Restoring East Lodge would allow these facilities to return while also creating a welcoming indoor community space open throughout the year.

Music at Heart Community Spaces is committed to ensuring that East Lodge reflects and celebrates the cultural heritage of the local community.

Through community gatherings and consultation events, local residents have already begun shaping ideas for how the building could celebrate the identity and history of Chapeltown and Harehills. Suggestions have included:

• artwork celebrating the history of Potternewton Park and the Leeds West Indian Carnival
• murals honouring Caribbean musical traditions in the area
• collaboration with local Black artists and community groups
• partnerships with Leeds West Indian Carnival and other cultural organisations
• opportunities for residents to contribute to the design and decoration of the building

By locating the project within Potternewton Park itself, East Lodge will become a visible and welcoming cultural space where local families can gather, create and celebrate the area’s heritage together.

Communities such as Chapeltown and Harehills are vibrant, resilient and culturally rich, but like many urban areas they can also face social challenges. Recent events locally have highlighted the importance of positive community spaces that bring people together.

Establishing a welcoming community building within the calm setting of the park would play an important role in creating opportunities for connection, creativity and shared experience for families and local residents from many different backgrounds.

The proposal to bring East Lodge into community use has already received significant support from local residents. A public petition calling for the building to be secured for community benefit has gathered more than 1,500 signatures, demonstrating clear demand for the building to become a welcoming cultural space for families and the wider community.

The project is supported by a growing network of local partners including:

Official partners

Music at Heart CIC

In kind support and volunteer contributions

Kerrie McKinnon – architecture support and early building development plans

Barnaby Aldrick – photography

Stack Architecture – pre-application support to the Council

Music at Heart CIC – venue hire costs for community gatherings

Fundraising steering group – significant voluntary campaign support

Local families and volunteers – community organising and engagement

The building will combine early years music education with welcoming community space, supporting families from Chapeltown, Harehills, Chapel Allerton and the wider Leeds area.

The aim is to create a small but vibrant cultural home where families, artists and educators can gather regularly for music, creativity and community activity.

Current Floor Plan

Proposed Floor Plan (subject to funding and planning)

Architecture credit: Kerrie McKinnon

Ground Floor – Community & Family Space

• small community café and family-friendly gathering space
• affordable food and drink for park users and families
• accessible toilet with baby change
• space for small performances and gatherings, community art/crafts and workshops
• outdoor community garden with seating and small forest-school play space
• fully accessible at ground level with a ramp to the main entrance and accessible path to outdoor areas
• heritage portico above front door restored

The café will be operated by a community-led social enterprise partner aligned with the charity’s values, providing affordable refreshments for park users and families. It will operate primarily as a daytime family and community space, helping animate the building while contributing to the long-term sustainability of the project.

First Floor – Early Years Music Suite

• sound-proofed early years music teaching suite
• main music room for Kodály-inspired sessions
• adjoining calm breakout room for children needing lower sensory stimulation
• kitchenette and instrument storage
• additional toilet and baby changing facilities
• space for community meetings, training and small group hire
• subject to planning permission, lift access to the first floor

When not in use by Music at Heart CIC, the upstairs suite will be available for community hire for rehearsals, workshops, children’s events, choirs and community gatherings.

The building will be financially sustained through a combination of café income, room hire, Music at Heart CIC tenancy and ongoing charitable fundraising.

East Lodge will reflect the rich cultural heritage of Chapeltown and Harehills.

Through community gatherings and consultation events, local residents have already begun sharing ideas for how the building could celebrate the history and identity of the area. These ideas include artwork celebrating the history of Potternewton Park, murals honouring the Caribbean musical traditions of the community, and connections with the Leeds West Indian Carnival, which takes place in the park each year.

By working with local artists and community members, we hope the building itself will become a celebration of the area’s musical and cultural heritage.

Once purchased, East Lodge will be held in charitable ownership by Music at Heart Community Spaces CIO. This ensures that the building will remain a community-focused cultural space for generations to come, protected from commercial development and governed for long-term community use.

By restoring this historic building and bringing it back into daily use, we hope to ensure that East Lodge once again becomes an active and welcoming part of life in Potternewton Park.

When we first began planning for East Lodge, our intention was to combine community fundraising with applications to major trusts, foundations and national funders.

Over the past six months, we have built a strong team of trustees, advisors and supporters, sought professional advice, researched funding opportunities and developed a detailed fundraising strategy for the project.

A key part of that strategy relied on Music at Heart Community Spaces becoming a registered charity in time to submit major funding applications before the purchase deadline.

Unfortunately, the charity registration process has taken significantly longer than anticipated. Despite applying twice for an accelerated process, these requests were not approved, and the charity is now expected to be registered in August 2026.

While we remain confident that East Lodge would be an attractive project for many charitable funders, grant applications typically take several months to prepare, assess and award. This means that grant funding is unlikely to arrive in time to secure the building by September 2026.

As a result, our strategy has changed.

To save East Lodge, we now need to rely primarily on:

• Major philanthropic donations
• Support from local businesses
• Gifts from individuals and families
• Community fundraising and local advocacy

This campaign is ultimately about people coming together to save a building that matters.

Many community assets across the UK have been preserved because local people decided they were worth fighting for. We believe East Lodge deserves that same opportunity.

Every donation helps. Every introduction matters. Every conversation brings us one step closer to creating a permanent home for music, creativity and community at the heart of Potternewton Park.

Campaign target: £500,000

Project Timeline

Spring–Summer 2026

Building the foundations

• Music at Heart Community Spaces CIO established and trustee team formed
• Community consultation and engagement
• Independent RICS valuation completed
• Professional advice secured
• Initial fundraising strategy developed
• Community campaign launched to save East Lodge
• Major donor, business and philanthropic conversations begin

Summer 2026

Growing community support

• Public awareness campaign across Leeds
• Community events and fundraising activities
• Engagement with local businesses, organisations and community leaders
• Development of detailed plans for East Lodge’s future use
• Change of Use application submitted

August–September 2026

The campaign to secure East Lodge

• Major philanthropic gifts sought
• Community fundraising campaign reaches full momentum
• Local businesses invited to become founding supporters
• Public campaign to demonstrate community demand and support
• Final fundraising push to secure the purchase

September 2026

Target date to secure East Lodge

• Purchase of East Lodge completed
• Building transferred into charitable ownership
• Community ownership campaign celebrated

Autumn–Winter 2026

Planning the future

• Detailed building surveys and improvement plans
• Accessibility and compliance planning
• Community consultation on future use of the building
• Development of partnerships, programmes and activities

Spring/Summer 2027 (subject to funding, planning and building works)

Opening East Lodge

East Lodge opens as a permanent home for music, creativity and community

Accessibility improvements completed

Dedicated early years music classroom established

Community spaces brought into regular use

Family, arts and wellbeing programmes launched

Community café and social space developed

✓ Over 1,500 signatures of public support

✓ Independent RICS valuation completed

✓ Community fundraising campaign launched

✓ Seller committed to giving the community an opportunity to purchase East Lodge before it is placed on the open market

✓ Trustee and advisor team established

Next milestone: Submit Change of Use application

Campaign target: £500,000

Current focus: Major donors, business supporters and community fundraising

For the first time in generations, East Lodge has the chance to become a permanent community-owned home for music, creativity and connection.

We have done the planning. We have built the team. We have sought professional advice. We have developed a vision for how this beautiful building could serve families and communities for decades to come.

Now we need people.

Because of the timescales involved, we cannot rely on traditional grant funding to secure the building. If East Lodge is to remain in community hands, it will be because individuals, families, businesses and philanthropists decide that this place matters.

Right now, we are seeking pledges of support from people who believe in the vision.

Whether you can introduce us to a potential major donor, make a future pledge, organise a fundraiser, share our campaign, or simply tell others about East Lodge, your support could make all the difference.

This is more than a campaign for a building.

It is a campaign for a permanent home for music, creativity and community at the heart of Potternewton Park.

Will you help make it happen?

As we develop plans for East Lodge, we are keen to hear from individuals, organisations and businesses who may be interested in using the space in the future.

We are particularly interested in hearing from:

• Artists, musicians and creative practitioners
• Family support and parent/carer groups
• Schools, nurseries and early years providers
• Wellbeing and therapeutic practitioners
• Charities, community groups and voluntary organisations
• Local businesses whose values align with our charitable aims

At this stage, we are simply gathering expressions of interest and learning more about local need.

If East Lodge becomes available as a community space, would you be interested in hiring space on a regular basis? We would also love to hear about the types of spaces you currently use and the rates you typically pay elsewhere.

Your feedback will help us shape the future of East Lodge and ensure it meets the needs of the communities it exists to serve.

To register your interest, please fill out the contact form below and we will send you the enquiry form: ‘Register Your Interest in Using East Lodge’.

Support the Campaign

The campaign to save East Lodge is now underway.

We are currently seeking pledges of support, introductions and community champions who can help us secure East Lodge before it is placed on the open market.

You can support the campaign by:

• Making a future philanthropic pledge
• Introducing a potential major donor or supporter
• Connecting us with businesses that may wish to back the project
• Sharing the campaign with your networks
• Helping organise fundraising and awareness-raising activities
• Offering professional expertise or advice
• Becoming an advocate for East Lodge as ‘The Heart of Potternewton Park’ within your community

Every pledge, introduction and conversation helps build momentum, and we need these to happen now without delay.

Together, we can bring East Lodge into community ownership and create a permanent home for music, creativity and community at the heart of Potternewton Park.

We are seeking a small group of visionary supporters who believe in the future of East Lodge as the ‘Heart of Potternewton Park’ and want to help bring this once-in-a-generation opportunity to life.

The Founding Circle will bring together individuals, families, businesses and organisations who share our belief that community spaces matter, that every child deserves access to music and creativity, and that East Lodge in Potternewton Park, Leeds should become a place that serves local people for generations to come.

Founding supporters may choose to help through:

• Philanthropic pledges
• Business sponsorship
• Introductions to potential donors and supporters
• Professional expertise and in-kind support
• Advocacy and community leadership

Founding Circle members will play a vital role in helping secure East Lodge and bringing the building into community ownership.

Founding supporters will be recognised as part of the story of how East Lodge was brought into community ownership.

Recognition may include:

• A Founding Supporters Wall within the building
• Recognition in project publications and campaign materials
• Invitations to key project milestones and celebrations
• Acknowledgement on the Music at Heart website
• Naming opportunities, where appropriate

Most importantly, founding supporters will become part of the story of how East Lodge was saved for the community.

If you would like to discuss becoming part of the Founding Circle, please contact Caitlin Mayall, Chair of Trustees for Music at Heart Community Spaces CIO (in formation).

Caitlin Mayall
caitlin@music-at-heart.co.uk

Over the past year, local residents, families, artists, community organisations and supporters have come together to help shape the vision for East Lodge.

As the campaign develops, we will continue to host community gatherings, fundraising events and opportunities to get involved.

To hear about future events, please join our mailing list or follow Music at Heart for updates.

We would love to welcome you.

Elizabeth Fellows – Advisor (Finance & Funding)

Lizzie works in a senior finance role at Hyde Park Source, a Leeds-based charity managing multiple community programmes, assets and grant funding streams. She brings expertise in financial governance, risk management and funder accountability.

Mike Love – Advisor (Capital & Arts Buildings)

Mike is a founding trustee of Left Bank Leeds and was involved in the early work to bring the building into charitable ownership. He brings experience in capital fundraising, arts infrastructure and heritage building stewardship.

Linda Holland – Advisor (Fundraising & Strategic Development)

Prospect researcher in advancement (fundraising and alumni relations) at the University of Leeds. Linda brings expertise in fundraising strategy, prospect research and development, and donor relations, and has experience supporting capital campaigns as well as campaigns in the arts and cultural sectors.

A small, time-limited steering group supports the capital campaign to secure East Lodge into charitable ownership. Members include experienced fundraisers, charity leaders, community advocates and supporters with expertise across culture, higher education and community development.

Music at Heart Community Spaces CIO will own and steward East Lodge as a community asset for public benefit. The charity provides space for a range of cultural and community activity, including early years music education. Music at Heart CIC will be the primary delivery partner and anchor organisation within the building, alongside space made available for compatible community, cultural and charitable activity.

Any financial relationship between the CIO and Music at Heart CIC will be governed by a formal lease agreement at an agreed market or sub-market charitable rate, with all conflicts of interest declared and managed in line with Charity Commission guidance.

Music at Heart Community Spaces exists to steward community spaces for long-term community benefit, with East Lodge currently the charity’s first and primary project.

The charity’s role is not to deliver a single programme, but to steward spaces that enable stable, accessible community assets supporting music, arts and cultural participation for generations.

By placing the building into charitable ownership, the trustees ensure that East Lodge cannot be privately sold for profit and that any income generated through its use is reinvested into maintaining the building, improving accessibility and supporting inclusive community activity.

The charity prioritises participatory arts and educational use, particularly activity benefiting children aged 0–7, families and the local community. At the same time, the building will remain open to a wider range of compatible cultural and community uses that align with the charity’s objects.

Trustees are responsible for ensuring that all decisions relating to the building — including partnerships, programming and financial arrangements — are made solely in the best interests of the charity and the communities it serves.

In this way, East Lodge is intended to become the first small but lasting piece of cultural infrastructure stewarded by the charity for Chapeltown, Potternewton, Harehills and the wider Leeds community.

Music at Heart Community Spaces CIO is committed to stewarding East Lodge as an inclusive, accessible community asset with a clear early years focus. We recognise that children, families and residents experience barriers to arts and community spaces in different ways — particularly Disabled people, SEND families, and communities who have historically been under-represented in cultural decision-making locally and nationally.

East Lodge sits adjacent to the home of Leeds West Indian Carnival and within an area of profound Black cultural heritage. The charity is committed to ensuring the building visibly reflects and celebrates the cultural history of Chapeltown and Harehills through programming, partnerships and the curation of the space itself.

Our approach is grounded in ongoing consultation and partnership, not one-off engagement. This includes active relationships with Chapeltown Neighbourhood Forum, Leeds West Indian Carnival, local nurseries and schools, and Disabled-led and SEND-informed practitioners.

Inclusion is embedded in our governance and delivery through a diverse trustee and advisory network, named voluntary leadership roles, and a commitment to adapting the building, programming and use of the space in response to lived experience. East Lodge will continue to be shaped with — not just for — the communities it serves.

We are committed to ensuring East Lodge becomes a genuinely accessible space, shaped through consultation and delivered with integrity. Our current commitments include:

• Step-free ground floor access
• Accessible WC and baby-change facilities
• A formal SEND and Disabled consultation process prior to renovation
• Commitment to meet and, wherever feasible, exceed minimum regulatory accessibility requirements
• Programming co-designed with Disabled and neurodivergent families

Access will be considered in both the physical design of the building and the nature, format and delivery of activity within it.

Community engagement is embedded in the life of our charity and extends beyond one-off consultation. Alongside a skills-based trustee board, voluntary leadership roles, advisors and a volunteer-led fundraising steering group, we are hosting a series of community gatherings open to local families, educators, community groups and partners — including early years and KS1 teachers, school leaders, cultural organisations and residents.

We will maintain open channels for participation through online consultation, in-person gatherings and regular project updates as the acquisition and development process progresses. This approach combines strong governance with local accountability and meaningful community voice, helping ensure East Lodge is stewarded for long-term public benefit as a welcoming, culturally active community space.

No. They are separate legal entities.

Music at Heart Community Spaces is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) responsible for owning and stewarding East Lodge for public benefit.

Music at Heart CIC is a Community Interest Company delivering early years music education on a not-for-profit basis. It may rent space within the building as an anchor delivery partner, but it will not own or control the property.

The charity’s objects, as submitted to the Charity Commission, are to provide and maintain accessible community facilities for music and the arts for the public benefit.

Charitable ownership ensures East Lodge cannot be privately sold for profit, and that any surplus income from rent or compatible hire is reinvested into the building’s upkeep, access improvements and community provision.

The project follows a community asset stewardship model, placing East Lodge into independent charitable ownership to secure long-term public benefit and community access — an approach closely aligned with community ownership and cultural infrastructure funding priorities.

East Lodge will become small-scale cultural infrastructure for the Chapeltown, Potternewton and Harehills communities: a permanent, accessible base for early years music education and community arts activity, held in charitable ownership so it remains accountable to public benefit and rooted in local need over the long term.

Music at Heart CIC will pay rent under a formal lease agreement approved by the trustees. Any financial arrangements between the CIO and the CIC will be managed in line with Charity Commission guidance, with conflicts of interest declared and properly recorded.

The charity exists to steward the building for public benefit, not to subsidise private gain.

Charitable ownership ensures the building cannot be privately sold for profit in the future and that any surplus income generated through its use is reinvested into maintenance, accessibility improvements and community activity.

Ownership also allows the trustees to make long-term improvements and access adaptations that would be difficult under a short-term lease.

The building will prioritise charitable and community use aligned with the charity’s objects. This includes early years music education, participatory arts activity, rehearsals, small performances and community gatherings.

Compatible hire may also take place where it supports the sustainability of the building while remaining consistent with the charity’s public benefit aims.

Accessibility is a core priority. Plans include step-free ground floor access, accessible WC facilities and a formal SEND and Disabled consultation process prior to renovation.

Accessibility will be considered both in the physical design of the building and in the way activities are programmed and delivered.

The charity operates under a Charity Commission Foundation Model Constitution which requires trustees to declare and manage conflicts of interest.

Trustees must withdraw from discussions where they have a personal or connected interest, ensuring that all decisions are made in the best interests of the charity and for public benefit.

Yes.

Once registered, the charity’s annual accounts and reports will be publicly available via the Charity Commission website in line with statutory reporting requirements.

No.

While early years music education will be a core activity within the building, the charity’s purpose is broader: to steward accessible community spaces for music, arts and cultural activity. East Lodge is the charity’s current project.

The trustees will keep all options under review and will only proceed with the purchase if they are satisfied that East Lodge can be acquired and operated responsibly and sustainably. The campaign is being developed in stages, allowing the charity to assess progress and make informed decisions as fundraising develops.