Clown, mime artists, ringmaster and a fortune teller are all part of a Victorian circus themed show organised by undergraduate learners from Leicester College, who are set to entertain shoppers at the Highcross this Saturday.

The learners were invited to appear on Rupal Rajani’s show on BBC Radio Leicester to talk about their exhibition.

The eight learners, all from a variety of creative backgrounds from Photography and Footwear, to Artistic Make-up and Special Effects are in the final stages of putting together the themed show at a one day pop up shop.

The free event will be held in what was the previous Old Salon Shop, at the corner of St Peters Square, near the John Lewis entrance on Saturday 1 February 2014 from 12 – 5pm.

Bobbie Atkin-Ferrugia, Kelly O’Dell, Sonal Bhatt, Sophie Smalley, Chelsea Brown, Shelby Hamer, Abi Flack and Rosie Blake-Smalley make up the group of learners behind the project, supported by somewhereto_ and Leicester College.

They are all enrolled on the BA (Hons) Professional Studies (Creative Industries) programme which allows learners, from a variety of creative backgrounds, to complete the final year of their degree at Leicester College.

They are amongst the first batch of learners to take part in the programme which began in September 2013.

The aim of the project is to showcase the work of the learners so it’s on display for the viewing public to see. The group of learner have themed their event ‘Le Grande Cirque’, combining their different talents and skills.

The event was born after the undergraduate learners were set a ‘live brief’ by the charity organisation, somewhereto_ The organisation helps young people to access empty commercial space and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund.

somewhereto_ were so impressed with the learners’ response to their live brief, that they arranged for the learner’s plans to become a reality.

Learner Bobbie Atkin- Ferrugia added: “We’ve been working on this project since last November and this exhibition is a chance to exhibit our talents. We’ve made it very entertaining and appealing with the circus theme and we are all very excited about it. Not only do we all get to showcase our work, it’s given everyone involved a good work perspective and extra responsibility.”

Learner Kelly O’Dell said: “This is a really good opportunity for us. We’re in the city centre so we will be very accessible for people to get to us. This is a brilliant chance to promote our skills and our work and at the same time, it will be a great day out for the family so we’re encouraging everyone to come.”

Kim Newell, Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Professional Studies (Creative Industry) said: “The learners entered the programme for the first time this year, all progressing from Leicester College Creative Foundation Degree programmes and as part of their assessment, are required to respond to a ‘live’ brief.

It is absolutely fabulous to see our first intake of learners on this new programme showcasing their wonderful talents at the Highcross with their Grande Cirque Performance.”

Abi Flack, Bobbi Atkins-Ferrugia and Chelsea Brown spoke live on air to BBC Radio Leicester’s Rupal Rajani about their event at the Highcross.

The learners were invited to talk about their work on the Lunchtime Show with Rupal Rajani on BBC Radio Leicester. They explained how the event was born and about their time at Leicester College.

Learners on the same programme have similarly worked for companies such as Next Plc and Organic Pirate to broaden their skills and experiences.

For more details on Le Grande CIRQUE, click here to visit the website.