Tribe Carlisle in Bitts Park has puppachinos and family-fun events on hand for grand opening

Community interest company, Tribe Carlisle, won the contract to operate Carlisle City Council’s new cultural and creative courtyard in Bitts Park, which will officially open to the public this Saturday August 28.

Built from shipping containers, the courtyard aims to showcase a range of local companies and fuse “concepts of the modern street market and independent retail”.

Tribe will be hosting a range of family-friendly events free of charge to Carlisle residents and visitors at Bitts Park, including face-painting from 11am to 2pm, a magic and games show from 1pm to 3pm, and an illustration workshop between 3.30pm and 4.15pm.

Carlisle City Council’s Portfolio holder for Culture, Heritage and Leisure, Stephen Higgs, said: “The temporary Bitts Park courtyard is based close to the car park.

“It will be populated by local businesses and will provide additional amenities for the benefit of park users.

“The project is part of our overall plans to support the local economy post-Covid.

“These plans include short, medium and long term initiatives funded through the various government schemes.”

Tribe Carlisle was set up following a £150,000 grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to Carlisle City Council.

Containers are set to be occupied by street food vendors and bars, including The Tasty Greek, Beirut Bites, Pokey Parlour,...Continued from page 1... Bella Tacos, Sissy That Print, Love Dough, and Tribe Bar.

Tribe has already announced a number of upcoming events, with numerous ones such as the Teddy Bear Picnic, Puppy Yoga, and Launch Event Party (on Friday) selling out due to popularity.

The site also hopes to offer a range of other events including VR Experience Days, live music, performances, and comedy acts.

Fittingly soon after National Dog Day, the Pokey Parlour announced that they would be on hand to offer dog-friendly puppachinos and ice cream all day long.

The Pokey Parlour will be offering puppachinos and ice cream for dogs

Tribe Carlisle are also excited to help young creatives in Cumbria express themselves, perform, network and promote themselves within the local community - local musician Diogo Filipe Ferreira will be performing from 8pm on Saturday until late.

One of the containers at the courtyard, called The Hive, which is being left as a pop-up container to be rented out to businesses who want to test the market.

Tribe manager Emmanuel Lorenzana said: "It’s an exciting time for Carlisle. Tribe will bring a new energy and new opportunities to the city and create a safe, creative space for all ages to flourish and socialise.

"We’re also keeping one space as a pop-up destination, called The Hive, which we will be able to offer to businesses for a weekly rate, so visit our website if you have a business idea and want to join a progressive and like-minded community to make it happen."

local musician Diogo Filipe Ferreira will be performing from 8pm on Saturday

As part of the operating model, all tenants will be required to reinvest back into local disadvantaged communities. This could be donating a share of profits, sharing time and expertise, or creating job opportunities. There are also no shareholders, so all profits are reinvested into the site and Bitts Park area, with an independent advisory group formed to support decision making and distribution.

Keep up to date with what is going on at Tribe Carlisle by visiting their Facebook page.

Alternatively, you can find out more on their website at https://tribecarlisle.co.uk/.