Entered by: LEEDS 2023 & The WOW Foundation

As part of LEEDS 2023 Year of Culture, Leeds Culture Trust and The WOW Foundation collaborated on The WOW Barn. A temporary venue constructed on The Cinder Moor, an under-utilised area of land in the North of Leeds, in just 24 hours - reclaiming the disused site as a safe space built by, and for, women and non-binary people.

Just 1% of skilled tradespeople in the UK identify as female and the team wanted to challenge the stereotypes by offering women and non-binary people the chance to learn new skills, build a room of their own and imagine a different future. Leeds has a proud history of activism and alternative building practice, so The WOW Barn aimed to actualise this legacy and revitalise conversations around gender equality.