The conferences that give back
As Leicester rebuilds its economy after the lockdowns, there are things that all of us in the locality can and are doing to boost it and help it to restore. Emily Miller visits St Martins House Conference Centre & Lodge to see just how a conference at the venue can help the local community.
Events and conferencing venue in the heart of the Leicester’s city centre, St Martins House, suffered the effects of lockdown greatly. Like all in the hospitality sector, the lockdown had a very quick and almost devastating immediate effect on the organisation as a whole. As a not-for-profit organisation, the funds created by St Martins House as a business are ploughed straight back into the Diocese of Leicester. Much of the work that they do within the Leicester community has suffered too.
Leicester’s Diocese is a family of more than 18,000 Christians who worship in church buildings, houses, community spaces and schools. With over 320 churches, 234 parishes, almost 100 schools and academy trusts, and a rapidly growing number of fresh expressions of Church, taking in villages, market towns and the city of Leicester, they describe themselves as a rural diocese with urban heartlands.
The Diocese does extensive charitable work within the local community including a great deal of effort to combat the growing homelessness in the city working with One Roof Leicester and Leicester Homelessness Charter. This work was of course vital during the pandemic and moving forward, will be more so.
Nigel Jobson, Business Director at St Martins House Conference Centre and Lodge, said: “Community has always been a huge part of the work at the Diocese.
Our communities need to come together to support each other in the aftermath of COVID, whether through financial challenges or relationship and mental health effects, the work will become more prevalent and essential than ever before.”
St Martins House offers the opportunity to give back to the local community. As well as helping to support churches in the city and towns and villages across the county, hosting a large conference or small meeting here aids the Diocese of Leicester in continuing the charitable work they carry out. With an elegant mix of period features and contemporary styling St Martins House provides four spaces which are all COVID safe and have been accredited with Visit England’s ‘We’re Good to Go’, confirming that they are taking all possible measures to keep everyone safe.
“Now though, as Leicester is starting to return to a new normal, we are seeing a growing demand for our conferencing facilities and meeting rooms.
“Whilst the requests for video conferencing go down, of course it was a much needed tool whilst the pandemic meant business was being run from homes, the desire to now meet face-to-face once again, with social distancing measures in place, is growing. We can more than meet this demand and have the space and availability to accommodate.”
St Martins Lodge, a luxury accommodation just a short stroll across the courtyard overlooked by the Cathedral, offers beautifully appointed non-serviced accommodation and lends itself perfectly to social distancing with the building free of public spaces such as a lobby and bar area. With exceptional levels of cleanliness in every detail, St Martins Lodge is a safe and welcoming location for those looking to stay in the city for business or leisure.
“The lodge allows for delegates to travel from further outside of the city and provides a welcoming and additional convenience for holding a conference at our venue. Delegates have enjoyed being able to once again relax and enjoy the accommodation after a busy day of business. And, in supporting the lodge guests will once again be providing support for the vital work that the Diocese does in and around Leicester in this challenging time.”
Hosting your conference at St Martins House does more than help our local economy it helps our community too. Call 0116 2615200 or visit stmartinslodge.co.uk to see how your conferencing and accommodation needs can be met.
Contact
Address
St Martins House,
7 Peacock Lane,
Leicester,
LE1 5PZ,
United Kingdom
Phone
0116 261 5200
