A NEW home for creative industries has opened its doors in Leamington as part of a major transformation of the old town.
The Fold is situated in the refurbished grade II listed United Reformed Church on Spencer Street and contains a green screen studio, foley suite and sound suite, multiple meeting rooms, networking and co-working spaces, and a members’ club.
The state-of-the-art sound and visual production facilities are nestled in the coves and tunnels of the church crypts while open-plan workspaces, meeting rooms and relaxation areas encourage collaboration on the ground floor.
The Fold will also be the first Midlands base for the SAE Institute, which is working in partnership with independent marketing group Cogent to provide two-year degree courses in creative media.
The Fold is one of three formerly derelict buildings in Spencer Yard that have being restored and brought back to creative industry use by regeneration specialists Complex Development Projects.
CDP acquired the buildings from Warwick District Council as part of the ten-year Creative Quarter partnership which aims to transform the Old Town into a destination for creative businesses.
The scheme has received a grant from the Future High Streets Fund as part of the government’s plan to renew and reshape town centres – making them a more attractive place to live, work and visit. The financial package also includes a loan from West Midlands Combined Authority.
Ian Gathard, CEO of the Cogent Group, said The Fold would be accessible to everyone that wanted to work in a creative, collaborative environment, whatever their background.
He continued: “We wanted to create a properly accessible creative community for people regardless of their background or education who might have struggled to get a foothold in the industry in the past.
“I love the fact that CDP’s development team has been able to retain the wonderful interiors of this historical building maintaining its history and making it applicable to the modern world.”
CDP spokesperson Ian Harrabin added the scheme was an example of how a historic building could not only be brought back into use, but also by introducing modern additions, could be brought up to date as an inspiring place to work.
He added: “We are very pleased to be working with Cogent, whose innovative use will really bring the building back to life. None of this would have been possible without the close partnership with the council, Future High Streets funding from the government, and the loan from WMCA. This is partnership working at its best.
“This is only the first chapter of our major transformation of the Old Town and we hope it will be the catalyst for attracting even more creative businesses and freelancers to the Midlands.”
