In our latest independent spotlight feature we caught up with Pickle Illustration who tell us all about why they love Phoenix Cinema so much!
Hi, I’m Lauren from Pickle Illustration. I’ve lived in Leicester all my life and have been avidly following Cool as Leicester blog for many years. I love to recommend an independent when i can, and in the current uncertainty there are still many ways of supporting your local favourites!
On our Instagram @pickleillustration, we run a series called ‘Pickle Picks’ where we select our favourite independent businesses to shout out and show our appreciation for. Our pick for this blog, Phoenix cinema, has already featured as a Pick but we thought, considering the whole self-isolation business (have you heard?) they could do with an extra big shout out. We want to highlight how you could help one of our, and hopefully your, favourite spots in Leicester.
I am embarrassed to say, that the Phoenix cinema wasn’t on my radar until a certain film was released which I was desperate to see. The film in question was Loving Vincent. Being an artist, if you will, this film was on my radar. I found the only place I could see it was at the Phoenix cinema. So, I gathered some friends from my course (One of them being fellow Pickle Olivia) and we took the train from Loughborough University to Leicester and went to the Phoenix. The film was stunning and looking around the cinema I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been here before. The food menu was modern yet inexpensive, the staff were super friendly and willing to have a chat and the array of films they were showing was impressive. Ranging from independent films to National Theatre live, to a Mystery film for a reduced ticket fee. This was the kind of cinema I had always hoped to discover, and it was right on my doorstep.
Since then I have been many more times and am constantly recommending it. I had the pleasure of seeing Parasite there the night before the Oscars were announced and I felt beyond chuffed that the Phoenix was the only cinema showing it for miles!
Now, after convincing you that the cinema is a must go (you all already go anyway I know) I now have to highlight how you could help.
- Giving a one-off donation. Even just a pound
- £5 gift vouchers online (To use when they’re open) Why not treat a friend or family with one of these in the post? A post quarantine cinema date is always something to look forward to…
- Donating to #Phoenix2020. If you hadn’t heard there is plans for Phoenix to expand to a four-screen cinema with garden terrace and I’m getting excited just thinking about it… This means they can not only show blockbusters but those cheeky independent films we love.
- Engaging with their online content. Give them a comment on their Instagram posts and tell them you love what they do, it’s bound to give anyone a pep in their step.
See all the options right here.
Hopefully this has inspired you to reach out and help a local business. Remember to stay home and stay safe, but most importantly, stay supportive of those local businesses you love.
