Living room put up inside city cathedral
THERE are lots of ways that people get themselves into the Christmas spirit.
Whether it’s whacking on a festive song, turning up Mariah Carey or putting up the decorations - everyone has something that gets them in the mood.
Two teams have worked together to create an unusual installation that will be in Leicester cathedral in the run up to the big day.
To encourage people to feel at home in the cathedral John Lewis has installed a living room in part of the historic building, with comfy chairs, television, cushions and rugs.
The living room will also be accompanied by a film made by the cathedral community which sums up how different people understand the word ‘home’, and how they can feel at home in the cathedral.
The Dean of Leicester, Revd David Monteith, said: “Home matters to all of us. We are delighted to invite others to experience a little glimpse of home and to ask if God might be part of our sense of home.
“We are very glad to be working with our neighbours from John Lewis whose business helps many people create their own sense of home.
“Together we help make Leicester a place we can be proud to call home.”
People are also invited to go along and write a message, a thought or a prayer to add to the installation.
Gary Rowntree, head of branch at John Lewis Leicester, said: “We were asked by the Dean of Leicester if we would like to create an installation for the festive period. The brief was to come up with an interactive display, which visitors to the cathedral could engage with.
“Our visual merchandising team took their inspiration from Scandinavia, starting with a structure that could be a house, barn or stable. We wanted to create something natural and cosy, a home you might stumble across whilst taking a winter woodland walk.
“The inspiration for the message tags came from the gesture of leaving messages to loved ones on padlocks attached to bridges.
“We are inviting visitors to attach tags to the sides of the house, which in time will gradually create the walls, helping to build a home with messages and memories of love and joy and in turn helping to bring our community closer together.”