Left Bank Leeds CIC

What Left Bank Leeds CIC does

Left Bank Leeds CIC is a Community Interest Company that operates a Grade II* listed former church on Cardigan Road in the Burley area of Leeds (LS6 1LJ) as a multi-purpose community arts and events venue. The building, originally constructed in 1907 as St Margaret's Church, was repurposed under the CIC structure founded in 2015 to deliver community-led cultural, social, and commercial programming for LS6 residents and the wider Leeds catchment.

The company's product surface is operationally diversified across four revenue streams: venue hire (private events, weddings, corporate functions, market and community-group bookings at capacity of 350 standing or 170 seated), a café-bar, ticketed events and workshops, and market-stall fees for food and craft traders. Ticket pricing spans £3-£80, with a significant portion of the programme offered free or on a Pay-What-You-Feel basis, reflecting the CIC's community-access mandate. Customer segments span local residents, independent artists and performers, wellness practitioners, wedding couples, food traders, and community groups.

The venue operates with an 18-person staff led by Director Sue Jennings, supported by a Building Manager and a Café Manager, and is sustained by a mix of earned commercial revenue and grant funding from the National Lottery, Leeds Community Foundation, Leeds City Council, and Leeds Inspired. Operational and programming partnerships with Navigatr (Discovery Fund), Assembly House, Friends of Burley Park, Hyde Park Source, and Hyde Park Book Club underpin year-round programming and the 2025 Elements of Nature outdoor initiative, which extends activity into the surrounding grounds and community garden. There is no proprietary technology platform or disclosed AI/ML capability; operations rely on standard venue booking, ticketing, and event-listing tooling.

Name

Left Bank Leeds CIC

Legal name

Left Bank Leeds CIC

Website

https://leftbankleeds.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Left Bank Leeds CIC operates a Grade II* listed former church in Burley, Leeds as a multi-use community arts venue, delivering venue hire, a café-bar, ticketed events, workshops, and food markets to local residents, artists, wellness practitioners, and wedding clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Venue and Space Hire: Left Bank offers its space for private event hire and wedding hire. The venue accommodates up to 350 standing and 170 seated guests, with flexible packages tailored to individual requirements. Bookings are managed through direct enquiry and site tours.
2. Café-Bar Sales: The on-site independent café-bar serves food and drinks daily, including vegetarian and vegan options, cakes from local bakers, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and their own house beer 'Reluctant Hero' brewed on-site. Some menu items are pay-what-you-feel (PAYF).
3. Ticketed Events and Workshops: A broad programme of ticketed creative workshops, fitness classes, performances, and community events. Ticket prices vary from free/PACF (pay-as-you-feel) to £3–£80 per session. Ticketing is handled through third-party platforms including Ticket Tailor, Eventbrite, Fixr, and BuyTickets.
4. Market Stall Fees: Night markets, maker markets, and junk yard sales generate revenue through stall fees charged to independent local traders and makers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Left Bank Leeds CIC operates a community arts and events venue inside a Grade II* listed former church building (St. Margaret's, built 1907) in the Hyde Park/Burley area of Leeds (LS6). It sells venue hire for weddings and private events, runs an independent on-site café-bar serving food, drinks and its own house-brewed beer 'Reluctant Hero', and delivers a rolling programme of creative workshops, exhibitions, fitness classes, community gatherings and markets.

Product overview

Left Bank Leeds CIC operates as a community arts and events venue housed in a Grade II* listed former church building in Leeds. The company offers a unified portfolio of venue hire services (including weddings, events, and general hire), an independent café-bar with locally sourced food and drinks including their own brewed beer 'Reluctant Hero', and a regularly programmed schedule of creative workshops, exhibitions, and community activities such as the Community Garden and Culture Club evenings. The offering is a single integrated venue concept combining hospitality, event management, and community arts programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venue Hire General venue hire of the Grade II* listed former church building for private events, performances and functions, with capacity for up to 350 standing and 170 seated guests and flexible packages.
• Wedding Hire Dedicated wedding venue hire in the Grade II* listed building, offering flexible custom packages, capacity for 350 standing and 170 seated guests, and personal tours for prospective couples.
• Café-Bar Independent on-site café-bar open Monday–Friday 10:00–16:00 (Wednesdays until 9pm) serving vegetarian and vegan food, locally sourced cakes, hot and cold drinks, alcoholic beverages and the venue's own house-brewed beer 'Reluctant Hero'. Some items are pay-what-you-feel.
• Creative Workshops Rolling programme of ticketed creative workshops for the local community, including art classes, textile sessions, embroidery, life drawing, creative writing courses and craft groups, delivered by visiting artists and practitioners.
• Exhibitions Visual arts, photography, textiles and installation exhibitions showcasing community and visiting artists in the venue's unique interior space.
• Community Garden Outdoor community vegetable garden with regular volunteer sessions, community garden events and gorilla gardening activities open to local residents.
• Culture Club Regular evening creative community gatherings featuring workshops, socialising, board games and skill-sharing activities for the local community.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NavigatrcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeft Bank Leeds partners with Navigatr, an international digital badging platform, to offer skills development badges to volunteers, workshop participants, and emerging creative practitioners. Badges recognise achievements in creative leadership, community participation, and arts initiatives, connecting individuals to real-time job opportunities.
• Leeds Civic TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeeds Civic Trust funded the Framed in Leeds community arts trail (Heritage Open Days 2025), a project led by Left Bank Leeds in partnership with volunteers and local photographers.
• Friends of Burley ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeft Bank Leeds collaborates with Friends of Burley Park on community initiatives including lantern-making workshops and a wassailing event, co-creating events that animate the local park space.
• Assembly HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssembly House co-programmes the 'See You Naked Mondays' non-traditional life drawing class at Left Bank. Assembly House artists and residents also collaborate on exhibitions and workshops. The relationship is ongoing and central to Left Bank's arts programming.
• Hyde Park SourceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHyde Park Source has partnered with Left Bank on Healthy Holidays family activities and community events. A community organisation focused on the Hyde Park area.
• University of Leeds – School of Performance and Cultural IndustriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeft Bank collaborated with the University of Leeds School of Performance and Cultural Industries on the Creating Climate Futures project, which produced student-facilitated workshops and audio artworks.
• Canal Connections CICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeft Bank Leeds partnered with Canal Connections CIC and The Boat Co North to curate an exhibition celebrating the Aire & Calder and Leeds & Liverpool Canal for the opening of 'The Lock House' at Leeds Dock.
• 999 Call for the NHS / Threads of SurvivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeft Bank Leeds hosted the Threads of Survival exhibition, a national NHS campaign group initiative featuring quilts made during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, created by over 150 people across the country.
• Season WellminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSeason Well delivers cooking and food workshops at Left Bank, including healthy eating sessions for families and children, as part of Healthy Holidays programming.
• Cross Gates Healthy HolidaysminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCross Gates Healthy Holidays partners with Left Bank to co-deliver free family activities and meals during school holidays, providing healthy food and creative experiences for local children.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Old Market: Community arts and events venue in Hove housed in a heritage building, offering theatre, music, workshops, and a café-bar. Highly comparable to Left Bank's repurposed-heritage community arts venue model combining performance, workshops, and food/drink.
• The Custard Factory: Creative quarter in Birmingham comprising repurposed heritage buildings housing independent businesses, arts venues, food/drink, and events. Comparable model of repurposing heritage assets for community/creative use, though at a much larger scale.
• Hyde Park Picture House: An independent community cinema in the same Hyde Park/LS6 area of Leeds, housed in a heritage building. Operates with a similar community-focused mission, mixed programme (film, events, café), and relies on grants and earned income — directly comparable to Left Bank's venue model and geography.
• Headrow House: Leeds bar and live events venue offering food, drink, and ticketed events programming. Comparable in operating as a multi-storey independent venue combining hospitality and events in Leeds city centre.
• Belgrave Music Hall: Multi-purpose music, food and events venue in Leeds combining street food vendors, bars, and live events in a characterful building. Comparable business model combining venue hire, food/beverage, and ticketed events programming for similar audiences.
• Northern Monk Refectory: Leeds brewery taproom with on-site café-bar, food offerings, and regular events/workshops. Comparable in combining brewed-on-site beverage (akin to Left Bank's 'Reluctant Hero' beer), food service, and event programming for the Leeds community.
• Wharf Chambers: Cooperative arts, music, and community venue in Leeds operating as a member-led space hosting gigs, film screenings, and workshops. Comparable grassroots community-venue model with volunteer ethos and mixed programming.
• The Brunswick: Independent music and arts venue in Leeds offering live music, community events, and food/drink. Shares the multi-revenue stream model (venue hire, bar, ticketed events) and community-engagement ethos with Left Bank.
• Friends House: Quaker heritage buildings (including in Leeds) used as community event, meeting, and conference spaces with simple food/drink offerings. Comparable heritage-venue hire model with a community-purpose mission.

Others

• Assembly House: Leeds-based arts organisation and existing Left Bank partner that runs an artist studio collective and co-programmes events (e.g., 'See You Naked Mondays'). Operates as a complementary arts venue with overlapping audiences rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/leftbankleeds
• Facebookfacebook.com/leftbankleeds
• Instagraminstagram.com/leftbankleeds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/left-bank-leeds-cic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Left Bank Leeds CIC