A social enterprise has secured a new lease at its historic Norwich home and it is now aiming to purchase the building.
The Shoebox Hub is based in Castle Meadow and profits from its commercial activities fund various community projects.
Last September, the social enterprise received notice from the private owner and landlord of the building that terminated its lease.
The Shoebox had originally been due to leave the site in April 2024 but it has now negotiated a new three-year lease until December 31 2026.
The building has a rich history and in 1861 it was purchased by James Pond who turned it into the booming Ponds Foot Fitters.
Two flights of stairs below ground level is a hidden street and undercroft, featuring architecture dating from the 15th century, and tours have run there since 2017.
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The Shoebox is now keen to try and secure the long-term future of the venue and it will soon be launching a Crowdfunding campaign to buy the building.
Tom Gaskin, CEO of The Shoebox Enterprises CIC, said: “We are obviously delighted that we can stay but we don’t want to be in this position again.
"We will be inviting people to donate to our campaign to help us try and buy the building and retain it as a community asset, so people can continue to enjoy visiting the historic hidden street and the community hub for years to come.”
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Tours of the hidden street were initially run through a collaboration with the Missing Kind charity, which previously occupied the premises.
The Shoebox Enterprises then took on the lease in May 2021 and began operating tours independently as The Shoebox Experiences.
The Shoebox Experiences also runs the Secrets of the Tunnels escape game in the historic street and guided tours across the city - book tickets at theshoebox.org.uk/experiences.
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