my management group (1)

At the Welcome Centre, lunchtime, for the first meeting of my management group since the end of October last year. The gap between meetings can be blamed on radical changes in the governance of the Council of Faiths, ushered in at the AGM in that month (and the election of a new Chair at that same meeting), the demands of the festive season and the disruption caused by the snow and ice (not least the unbearable cold in the Welcome Centre itself) have meant we've gone longer without this kind of meeting than we would have liked. But here we are at last, and it's good to get back on track.

When I took up this post, nigh on three years ago, my management group consisted of three officers of the Council of Faiths: Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary. This group is now six-strong: two are current officers (Chair and Vice-Chair); three are former officers; five of them are Directors of the Council of Faiths. In terms of religious affiliation, members of my management group come from the Anglican, Baha'i, Hindu, Orthodox Jewish, Roman Catholic and Sikh communities. The size of the group may make it difficult to get everyone together in the same place at the same time, but the range of experience and perspective on offer to me through the variety of members is really valuable. My line manager, for day-to-day contact and ongoing oversight, is Cllr Manjula Sood, current Chair of the Council of Faiths and Leicester's Deputy Lord Mayor.

The photo shows the Town Hall Square which is just outside the Welcome Centre. It's a lovely view - and I can't help saying it's all the lovelier for the snow and ice having gone.