Shine, the Leeds-based, award-winning social enterprise that has supported women ex-offenders, local children, entrepreneurs and artists in the Harehills area of the city since 2008, has put its landmark property up for sale as the organisation focuses on developing its programme for women-led start-ups.
Eddisons has been appointed to market the grade II listed, 40,000 sq ft Victorian former Harehills Middle School building, which stands on a one-acre site and has been converted by the Shine organisation into a conference, meeting and events centre.
Shine managing director Dawn O’Keefe, who founded the organisation 18 years ago with fellow social entrepreneur Todd Hannula, said: “Shine has become a byword for inclusive entrepreneurship, community, and regeneration.
"What began as a bold £5m vision for a derelict building, is now a fabulous, high-spec health and education space in Harehills serving public, private, and third-sector businesses. Developed as the Gipton Board School in 1897, it continues to inspire today.”
The Shine business hub is used by a diverse range of organisations ranging from the NHS and the University of Leeds to Goldman Sachs and several international consulting firms.
“Shine is thriving, but we know the building has more to offer and we believe someone with fresh ideas and commercial ambition can take it even further,” O’Keefe added.
Following a sale, O’Keefe and Hannula will turn their focus to the expansion of their SheCanShine programme for women-led start-ups, building peer-powered networks across the UK.
Eddisons director Matt Jennings said: “What the Shine team has built in Harehills is remarkable - a true destination that blends architectural beauty with commercial viability and community impact.
“There are very few opportunities like this in Leeds right now, and we’re already seeing interest from investors, operators, and institutions across sectors.”
The Shine building in Harehills features modernised offices and co-working spaces, a conferencing centre and meeting rooms. The one-acre site includes an amphitheatre style garden, an allotment, parking for 55 cars, two EV chargers, and cycle-friendly infrastructure close to St James Hospital.
