Light Up Leicester - Roots of Our Tree
As one of the creative partners for Light Up Leicester 2025, we produced and delivered ‘Roots of Our Tree,’ an arts and heritage project celebrating Leicester’s diverse cultural roots. We launched Light Up Leicester with an unforgettable large-scale procession, with over 300 young people coming together to celebrate the collective artwork they had created. illuminating the King Richard III Visitor Centre.
School Workshops
As part of Roots of Our Tree, we travelled to schools and local communitIes, exploring ancestry, heritage, and identity through creative expression. The workshops encouraged young people to bring their personal stories to life and design their own symbols.
These personal symbols appeared on the leaves, collectively creating the Roots of Our Tree installation, representing Leicester’s diverse communities and the connections between our past and present.
King Richard III Vistor Centre Trip
A group of young people from Spinney Hill Primary School travelled to the King Richard III Visitor Centre, learning about genealogy and ancestry, as part of their project research process. They learnt about how the remains of King Richard III were analysed and investigated by scientists and historians to confirm his identity, and learn more about his family history.
Set to appear at the entrance of the Richard III Visitor centre, the installation will feature 300 glowing leaves created through our workshops with local schools and communities, representing Leicester’s diverse connections between our past and present. We'll be sharing more on the day as we look to piece it all together.
Roots of Our Tree Installation
The final artwork featured 300 glowing leaves created through workshops with local schools and communities, representing the richness and diversity of Leicester City.
These leaves were brought together during a procession which launched Light Up Leicester, with all the young people involved creating a travelling forest of leaves through Leicester's City Centre, ending at Leicester Cathedral, where the leaves formed a beautiful collective tree.
The installation illuminated the entrance of the Richard III Visitor Centre across the festival weekend, and then was moved to Leicester Cathedral where it was exhibited for a further two weeks.
Roots of Our Tree Creative Team
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Lead Artist - Tom Cleaver
Community Producer - Katie Vyas
Videographer / Director- Kieran Vyas
Photographer - Tom Morley
Creative Producer - Jiten Anand
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A huge thank you to the staff and young people from Mellor Primary, Queensmead Primary, Spinney Hill Primary and Sparkenhoe Primary
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Funders & Supporters - Arts Council England, Belgrave Library, Highfields Centre, King Richard III Visitor Centre and Leicester Cathedral​