To Leicester Cathedral Visitor Centre this morning for Cathedral AM. This bi-monthly networking breakfast brings together people working in, living in, or otherwise concerned with Leicester city centre. When I lived in the West End, barely a ten minute walk from the Cathedral, I hardly ever made it here in time for breakfast. Now I live halfway across the city, I arrive half an hour early and have to park myself in Cafe Nerro with a cappuccino and the morning paper!
The scheduled speaker for this morning (Deb Watson, Director of Public Health and Health Improvement, NHS Leicester City) has called in sick. Into the breach steps Police Sergeant Nick Westwood, Deputy Local Policing Unit Commander, based at Mansfield House Police Station, Belgrave Gate. He was going to speak this morning for five minutes about the forthcoming demonstrations by the English Defence League (EDL) and Unite Against Fascism (UAF) in Leicester on Saturday 9 October - so now he has the floor for longer.
Nick speaks about the preparations that the Police are making, in association with Leicester City Council, to ensure that the day passes off as peacefully as possible. He asks thqat we take this information back to our own communites, groups or organisations, so that as many people as possible might have confidence in what is being done to ensure that they are kept safe and that normal life can go on. He tell us that a large number of officers from other forces around the country are being drafted in for what will be the biggest policing operation that Leicester has seen in 25 years. Police will be patrolling not just the city centre, but will be visible and available in all parts of the city. There will be more officers on duty (on and around the day) specialising in public order and in hate crime. Police will be visiting locations, premises and sites that are considered vulnerable and speaking to local shops and businesses well in advance of the day. The routes of the two demonstrations have not yet been declared. This is one of the areas with which Leicestershire Police are negotiating with both the EDL and UAF.
There will be a prayer vigil in Leicester Cathedral on the Friday evening before the demonstrations. The cathedral is busy with prearranged activities on the Saturday, otherwise it would be publicised as a safe haven for anyone in the city centre who feels threatened (as was done with the Cathedral in Bradford). Canon Barry Naylor expressed the hope that some other church in the city centre might be able to fulfil this role.
Both Leicester University and De Montfort University have open days on Saturday 9 October, when potential students and their parents, many of whom will never have seen the city before, will be coming to Leicester. Both those institutions are understandably anxious about what kind of impression visitors will get about Leicester that day.
Sarah Levitt, Head of Leicester Arts and Museums, tells us that on Sunday 10 October, the day after the two demonstrations, there's going to be a big, positive public event around the gaint TV screen in Humberstone Gate. "Celebrate One Leicester" will allow the people of Leicester to show how much we love the diversity and harmony of the city. Details will be announced soon.
On other matters, I get to speak to John Florance of BBC Radio Leicester, about Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). He expressed interest in his Sunday morning show covering the Council of Faiths contribution to the week's events.
I also get to meet Jaz Mann (and his Signer, Adam). Jaz works with Action Deafness, where he is Lead Development Officer on the HearNow Project. He's looking for opportunities to promote this project within the faith communities. We discuss ways in which the Council of Faiths may be able to help him.
Find out more about Action Deafness:
http://www.actiondeafness.org.uk/
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