Local Legends and the first months of the Eastern Angles Centre

2022 is a big year for Eastern Angles - as well as being our 40th birthday, this Spring will also mark the first anniversary of the opening of the Eastern Angles Centre! 

When the opportunity to expand our Ipswich base arose, we immediately began making plans to transform Bramford Road's Victorian primary school building into a lively arts and heritage hub, accessible to all.  

Despite being forced to keep our doors closed in 2020, we were determined to get started with the new Centre and planned to create an exciting outward facing window display featuring Local Legends nominated by the community.  

Led by Ipswich based, Colombian born, visual artist and illustrator Catalina Carvajal, Local Legends saw local residents nominate the heroes that would decorate our windows. Catalina illustrated displays for the Bramford Road windows and local children sent in their own artwork to be displayed along Gatacre Road. Together they celebrated the Local Legends that bring this vibrant community alive and marked our first community project in our new space.  

Slowly, and quietly, our doors opened to various local groups and organisations – today we regularly welcome Inside Out Community,  Let’s Talk Reading, Ipswich Reggae Choir and several amateur dramatic groups into the Centre.  

We’ve recently moved the Local Legends artwork into our Centre room – the home of our Digital Drop In and Homework Club sessions. Since starting in September 2021, Homework Club has grown from strength to strength with increasing numbers of students from local schools attending each week. Thanks to funding from Ipswich Borough Council and Activities Unlimited, we have a collection of laptops available to use for personal study and have also expanded the team to 4 members of staff to provide the young people with the best support possible.

Today the Eastern Angles Centre is the lively community building we hoped it would be, providing space for creativity and connection in the heart of West Ipswich. We’re planning for 2022 to be a big year of celebration for Eastern Angles as we look back on our 40-year theatre history and finally give the Eastern Angles Centre its long awaited grand opening event.  

This business expansion has been supported by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, through the Business Resilience and Recovery Grant Scheme.