Leicester - Information
Background - Leicester is both a multi-cultural and a multi-faith city.

With a population of 280,000, Leicester is the largest city in the East Midlands and the tenth largest in the country.

Its importance was first recognised by the Romans and later by the Danes, who used it as a strategic stronghold to control the Midlands. Since then it has developed into a major commercial and manufacturing centre, known better for the diversity of its trade than for its dependence on a single industry.

It is also a historic meeting place. For centuries people of different races and cultures have gathered in Leicester, creating a rich and unique heritage. This diversity continues today. The city's thriving ethnic minority community accounts for more than a third of Leicester's population and continues to enrich city life.

Leicester’s greatest strength is the people who live and work here, and the rich variety of our communities. Ours is a vibrant, diverse, multi-cultural city of great potential and ambition.

Leicester has a strong industrial heritage. The city has “re-invented itself” many times, to emerge again and again as a city of employment and innovation.

The city centre has seen huge physical change in recent years, including many new cultural and leisure facilities. Our retailers have thrived even in the face of out-of-town competition. New pedestrianised areas, shopping centres, public art and transport facilities have all made Leicester a more attractive place to visit, shop, and work.