THE "JEWEL OF LEICESTER'S CHURCHES" NEEDS SUPPORT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

The "jewel of Leicester's churches" needs support

I was pleased to hear a "significant grant" of £40,000 was made just before Christmas to St Mary de Castro, from the National Churches Trust.

Known as the "jewel of Leicester's churches", grade I-listed St Mary de Castro is nationally important: it is where King Henry VI was knighted in 1426 and it is thought the poet Geoffrey Chaucer was married there.

King Richard III's body is also believed to have lain in rest there after his death at the Battle of Bosworth.

Today, with Leicester Castle, it forms one of the important heritage areas of the city.

However, at more than 900 years old, its 80ft-tall spire is needing urgent financial attention, as Vic Allsop, of St Mary de Castro explains: "We are delighted English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund has made a significant in principal grant of £187,000 towards restoration.

"We're in phase one, the development project. Phase two is the work itself.

"When the project started and scaffolding was erected inside the spire, close inspection revealed bad news.

"Previous inspections with 'cherry pickers' and binoculars did not identify cracks in the tower that were severe, putting the potential stability and future viability of the spire at stake.

"We had to act quickly: permission was given to carry out advance works to stabilise what was potentially a serious situation for the church.

"At the churches own cost of £30,000, the spire was stabilised and made safe by introducing nine stainless steel bands inside the spire."There is a possibility the spire will need to be taken down and rebuilt, which could potentially exceed £500,000. The phase one specification will confirm the final figure.

"The damage to the spire was caused by previous restorations, inappropriate stone and concrete pointing at the top of the spire, which has put pressure on and is eroding the stonework below.

"Regular inspections take place from the internal scaffolding. In the summer, the SOS (Save Our Spire) Appeal started. We have been overwhelmed by many offers of support and it is clear St Mary de Castro has the support of the community.

"We recently launched the Save our Stones Appeal with the help of one of our sponsors Newby Castleman. This is a practical way in which people can make a contribution to the restoration of the spire."

For more information on how you can help, contact appeal co-ordinator Rosemary Mason on 07710 531792 or via: sosstmarydecastro@ btinternet.com

www.stmarydecastro.org.uk

SPIRE APPEAL GETS BIG BOOST

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Spire appeal gets big boost

An appeal to save the spire of one of England's most historically important churches has been given a £40,000 funding boost.

St Mary de Castro's spire appeal has been given the money by the charity National Churches Trust.

Described as the "jewel of Leicester's churches", its spire is in desperate need of repair after six-metre cracks were discovered on four of its six faces.

The money donated will go towards the SOS (Save Our Spire) fund-raising appeal, which was launched in September and is looking to raise up to £500,000 to fix the damage.

Church member and appeal co-ordinator Rosemary Mason said the award was a timely boost for the appeal.

"We are one of only eight church projects in the country to be awarded one of these grants, so it's a big coup for us," she said.

"It helps a tremendous amount towards paying for essential repairs and in building up momentum behind the appeal."

Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, said: "We are delighted to be providing funding – a £40,000 Cornerstone grant will help fund major repairs to the church spire of this nationally significant church."

The grade I-listed St Mary de Castro is on heritage watchdog English Heritage's 'at risk' register.

King Henry VI was knighted in St Mary's in 1426 and it is also thought Geoffrey Chaucer was married there.

King Richard III's body is believed to have lain in rest in the church after his death at the Battle of Bosworth.

English Heritage has already offered to pay £187,000 towards the spire repair, with supporters raising more than £2,000 since the appeal's launch.

"The appeal is going really well," said Mrs Mason.

"Our Sponsor a Stone scheme has had a very positive take-up, with about 45 people signing up and more people approaching us every day for the chance to have their names recorded in the church archives for posterity.

"It's been a fantastic response and we're grateful to everyone for their continued support."

De Montfort University students have adopted the spire appeal as part of the university's Square Mile (Mile2) regeneration project, supporting the communities of Woodgate, Tudor Road, Fosse Road and Newfoundpool.

Mark Charlton, Mile2 manager, said: "St Mary de Castro historically served these areas and our students wanted to be part of the SOS campaign.

"We organised a fundraising carol concert in the church and students will stage a vintage clothing fair in the spring."

Work on the spire is expected to begin in the new year.

www.stmarydecastro spireappeal.co.uk

A DIVINE INSIGHT INTO CHURCH

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

A divine insight into church

Internet users around the world can now tour Leicester Cathedral's Gothic interior with the simple click of a mouse.

The historic building is one of the first cathedrals to be featured on Google Maps and visitors to the website can see most of the church's grade II*-listed stonework, alter and vibrant stained glass windows, as well as neighbouring St Martin's House.

Web users can even stand on the cathedral's altar for a vicar's-eye-view of the pews, and explore the building's numerous vestibules.

The panoramic images on Google Maps were taken by Leicestershire photographer Chris Jones.

Chris, who captures many photographs of Leicestershire for Google, said: "I think it's a really interesting building to document – especially with the Richard III connection."

He could take images from 30 specific points, or "steps", inside the church, and those are the points from which the Google Maps visitor can view the cathedral's interior.

Chris, who runs LeicesterPhoto Design, in Littlethorpe, used a digital camera with a panoramic head, taking three shots every 90 degrees.

He then "stitched" the images together with software supplied by Google to give a realistic impression of the building's interior.

In August, he uploaded his first church to Google Maps when he visited St Mary de Castro, in Castle View, Leicester.

He said: "It's up to me what buildings I choose to include in the map and, at the minute, I'm concentrating on heritage sites.

"There's so much history in Leicester it's not hard to think of places which would be of interest to a great many people.

"I think this is a great way of opening up places of interest."

Chris has also added Launde Abbey to Google Maps, which goes live today, as well as churches in Bottesford and Lutterworth.

A spokeswoman for Leicester Cathedral said: "This is a fabulous way to publicise your church and to show those who are nervous about coming over the threshold what it looks like inside."

Stuart Bailey, chairman of Leicester Civic Society, said the new Leicester additions to Google Maps was "marvellous".

He said: "The more we can do to promote our city's heritage the better.

"If someone in Colorado can go on the internet and take a tour of Leicester Cathedral then that's fantastic – and if it encourages them to come to Leicester, that's even better."

To view the cathedral, visit Google Maps and click on the doors of the building.

I STILL SAY PROJECT IS WASTE OF £3 MILLION

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

I still say project is waste of £3 million

As the dissident who put forward his views on the Cathedral Gardens 'Focus on the social issues, not gardens' (Mercury, September 22), I wish to respond to Peter Hobson, director of the Cathedral Gardens project (Mercury, September 25), as my letter, clearly, has hit a raw nerve within the Diocese of Leicester.

To begin with, Peter Hobson was disappointed that I wrote under "name and address supplied", particularly as I am apparently so well-informed. All too often, whistle-blowers seek anonymity, but he may need to ask himself how it is I am so well-informed.

I am all too aware of the good work that goes on within the diocese, on a number of levels, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to do more.

While Peter Hobson claims the Diocese Mission for Social Responsibility has been restructured, it is difficult to know in what way.

What I do know is for the past year, the diocese has, sadly, been without a director of social responsibility.

With reference to whether to invest in capital projects, I understand the need to maintain existing Church properties, but there is a budget of about £8 million per annum set aside for this, through the Diocese of Leicester Board of Finance.

I fail to see how the Cathedral Gardens is a capital investment, as I am unsure in what way this £3 million project would achieve a financial return.

I would not have a problem with public funding being used towards the much-needed repair of the spire of St Mary De Castro Church, as this is part of Leicester's proud heritage.

I take objection to Peter Hobson's repeated references to "the poor", which in my mind demonstrates, as a minister of religion, his "poor" awareness of social issues to simply pigeonhole people in difficult circumstances as "poor".

I simply pointed out that financial resources from public funds would be better directed to projects working with those affected by homelessness, substance abuse, poverty and suffering.

Surely, most people would rather see some money directed to worthy causes rather than the Cathedral Gardens – by way of, for example, organisations such as Macmillan Nurses, which does great work with those in suffering and often placed in abject poverty – rather than see another fountain built in the Cathedral Gardens, at great expense, only for it to end up like the existing fountain in the gardens, which, as I passed it last Sunday, shortly before evensong, contained a green sludge and is little more than a receptacle for discarded drinks cans, beer bottles and used prophylactics.

I think it is time for the diocese to review its plan for the Cathedral Gardens, which is clearly an extravagant gesture in the present economic situation, and for the debate to continue in the community.

As for my anonymity, should Peter Hobson wish to contact me via the editor, he may do so.

Who knows, I might even challenge him to a live debate on local radio.

Name and address supplied

AN APPEAL TO IN-SPIRE US ALL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

An appeal to in-spire us all

An appeal has been launched to save the spire of one of England's most historically important churches.

The spire of St Mary de Castro, Leicester, is in desperate need of repair after six-metre cracks were discovered on four of its eight faces.

Architectural engineers have been called in to install steel bands inside the 120ft structure to save it from collapsing.

However, up to £500,000 may be required to fix the damage properly.

Supporters have now launched an SOS – Save Our Spire – Appeal. Its official launch took place at the church on Saturday, where civic leaders and guests gathered to hear about the 900-year-old building's plight.

Vic Allsop, chairman of the SOS Appeal, said: "Repair of the structure of the spire is necessary due to it being identified by English Heritage as not safe in its present condition.

"English Heritage has kindly offered us a grant of £187,000 towards our £329,000 target.

"However, the project could well end up costing up to £500,000.

"A tremendous amount of work has gone in over the past few months in getting us this far but there is still a long way to go.

"I was born in Leicester and this church is important to me, our city and to an awful lot of other people.

"Heritage is something we lose if it's not looked after."

Church member and appeal co-ordinator Rosemary Mason, said: "The spire is such an iconic feature in Leicester's skyline and we at St Mary's wish to preserve this gem for future generations to enjoy.

"St Mary's is a church for everybody and that's why help from the whole community is so important to this project."

People can sponsor a single stone for £15, or a decorated stone for £250, and have their names inscribed on it.

The church's rescue plan includes developing links with the wider community.

A brass band concert will be one of the first big fund-raisers on December 1.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and chairman of Leicestershire County Council Peter Lewis attended the appeal launch, where Lady Gretton, Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, was revealed as its new patron.

 Accountants Newby Castleman is sponsoring the appeal.

Sir Peter said: "I am very impressed at how the church has brought so many people together and I'm confident individuals and businesses will support the spire appeal."

Councillor Lewis said: "We should all work together to make sure that in this time of cuts and financial difficulty, treasures such as this building are not forgotten."

For details of how to donate or get involved call Mrs Mason on 07710531792, e-mail:sosstmarydecastro@ btinternet.com

www.facebook.com/SaveOurSpireStMaryDeCastroChurchLeicester

GOOGLE MAY BE GODSEND FOR 900-YEAR-OLD ST MARY DE CASTRO CHURCH, IN LEICESTER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Google may be Godsend for 900-year-old St Mary De Castro Church, in Leicester

From famous landmarks to neighbouring streets, Google mapping technology has made virtual tours of the planet as easy as clicking a button.

Now, the internet giant has taken its service a step further by depicting the insides of buildings – and a Leicester church is believed to be the first in the country to be included.

The interior of St Mary De Castro Church, in Castle View, has been pictured for Google's Business Street View by Leicester photographer Chris Jones.

It is perfect timing for the 900-year-old church, which is just about to launch a £140,000 fund-raising appeal to repair its eroded spire.

Church member and funding co-ordinator for the Save Our Spire appeal, Rosemary Mason, said: "We thought it was a great idea. You can do so much through technology these days and this was an ideal opportunity to show off our wonderful church.

"Our hope is that it will bring people forward who can help or donate to our appeal."

Vic Allsop, fellow church member and chairman of the appeal, said: "It really will open up the church to the whole world and that's exactly what we want to achieve."

Before Business Street View, the mapping technology only allowed internet users to see the outside of buildings. The new service was launched in May to give companies the chance to advertise themselves.

Chris, who runs LeicesterPhoto Design, in Littlethorpe, has photographed several businesses in the city, including the Very Bazaar shop, in Silver Street, and hi-fi specialists Cymbiosis, in Hotel Street.

"I've been taking photos of churches in Leicestershire and Rutland for years as a hobby," he said. "They're such beautiful buildings, so when I got a call from Google asking me to help out with Business Street View, I jumped at the chance.

"I was recently contacted by the church to help out with some publicity shots for its campaign for free, and I realised it would be ideal for Street View and could really help with the appeal."

Chris's photos will go online in the next few days.

The Save Our Spire appeal will officially launch next month. Anyone who wants to donate, or find our more, should e-mail:sosstmarydecastro@btinternet.com

MAPPING FAITH & PLACE IN LEICESTER CONFERENCE

The Grand Hall in St Martins House is the venue for this conference, concluding the first phase of the University of Leicester's Mapping Faith and Place project. I haven't been in the Grand Hall before, but it's a setting that lives up to its name, one fit for a queen. Literally, in this case, as HM Queen Elizabeth II was served lunch here on her recent visit to Leicester which kicked off her Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. Some of those attending today were guests on that occasion.

Deirdre O'Sullivan (Lecturer in Medieaval Archaeology at the University of Leicester) welcomes attendees and introduces the project. The rest of the day is taken up with a number of presentations:

Heritage and Multi-Faith in Leicester, Canon Dr John Hall, Director, St Philip's Centre for Study andEngagement in a Multi-Faith Society

English Heritage Policy on Faith Buildings, Dr Lind Monckton, English Heritage

History and Interpretation, Surinderpal Rai, Chair, Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara

Leicester Perspective, CllrManjula Sood, Assistant Mayor (and Chair, Leicester Council of Faiths)

Jain Heritage in Leicester, Dr Atul Shah, CEO, Diverse Ethics

The Church of St Mary de Castro: a Document in our Midst, David Lamb, St Mary de Castro

An Archaelogical Approach to Understanding Religious Buildings, Neil Finn, Archaeological Consultant

The Story of Leicester, Sarah Levitt, Leicester City Council Arts and Museums Service

An interesting variety of presentations, to be sure, but it wouldn't be unfair to say that they're something of a mixed bag. Although the conference is sponsored by the University of Leicester, it's not, strictly speaking, an academic occasion, so it would be wrong to hold all the contributions to the kind of rigorous standard. Let's just say that the standards of preparation and delivery vary today.

Mapping Faith and Place in Leicester has been funded by the Art and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) within their funding stream, "Care for the Future: Thinking Forward Through the Past". After the end of this initial period of funding, the project moves into a new phase, focusing on the past, present and future uses of one faith-related site in particular: Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara on East Park Road.

The Council of Faiths has lent a hand at various stages of the Mapping Faith and Place in Leicester project (although if we'd grasped how significant it is, we'd surely have done more to help). I've posted entries about the launch event in October 2011 and the first, second and third seminars for the project in this blog. We borrowed the project's pop-up banners for our display at Highcross during Inter Faith Week 2011, when we also distributed many copies of the Leicester Faith Trail booklet (the second, updated edition of which is published today). Members of staff Deirdre O'Sullivan and Dr Ruth Young (Senior Lecturer in Archaeology and Director of Distance Learning Strategy) and students from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History took part in that exhibition. There are several members of the Council of Faiths here today and, of course, our Chair, Cllr Manjula Sood, is one of the platform speakers. But I can't help wishing we'd been able to make a more formal presentation. There were some questions from the floor about inter-faith issues in Leicester that some of the platform speakers were unable to answer, that would have surely been part of a proper presentation by the Council of Faiths (regarding consultation with the city's decision-making bodies, for example).

I've enjoyed being involved in this project. It's opened some doors for me and introduced me to some good people I might otherwise never have met. I hope that I (and Leicester Council of Faiths) can play an active part in the project's future development and even find new ways to contribute and collaborate.

As I do at the end of all my blog posts referring to St Martins House, I refer any reader wondering about the omission of the possessive apostrophe from the building's name to a letter from Rev. Peter Hobson, Director of St Martins House, published in the Leicester Mercury, 29 March 2011.

CASH GRANTS WILL REPAIR CHURCHES

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Cash grants will repair churches

Some of the county's oldest churches will share more than half a million pounds of lottery cash for urgent repairs.

The 12th Century church of St Mary de Castro, the city's parish church, will receive £187,000 to fix stonework and look at ways to mend its crumbling spire, which has been shifting slightly, causing cracks.

Deputy churchwarden Michael Hay said: "This will make a very big difference. The church's council couldn't have raised the money itself.

"The spire is 500 years old and the stone is of pretty poor quality and has been weathered badly. It hasn't been repaired for nearly 100 years."

Most of the money will fund an investigation to find the best way to fix the spire.

Once that is complete a larger, more expensive repair project will begin.

Mr Hay said: "For the main job we'll be launching a county-wide fund-raising appeal once we know the full costs. We're expecting something in the order of £500,000 but it could be more."

St Peter's in Kirby Bellars, near Melton, will get £145,000 for masonry work on the tower and spire, which are crumbling so badly the church bells have not been rung in more than a year for fear of causing more damage.

Vicar, the Rev Peter Collins said: "I want to get the tower and spire restored so the bells can ring down the Wreake valley again, so this is absolutely terrific news."

Another church benefiting from the Heritage Lottery Fund cash will be All Saints Church in Seagrave, Charnwood, which will receive £66,000 to replace copper roofing and timber.

St Martin's in Stapleton, near Hinckley, will receive £31,000 to repair the spire, St Peter's in Redmile, near Bottesford, will get £47,000 to fix the roof and St Peter's in Tilton on the Hill, near Leicester, got £59,000 for tower repairs.

The money comes from the National Lottery and is given out by English Heritage. Places of worship for all faiths and denominations can get grants of up to £250,000.

Emma Sayer, head of Heritage Lottery Fund in the East Midlands, said: "Historic places of worship are an irreplaceable part of our heritage.

"In the past 10 years, the Heritage Lottery Fund has invested £155 million into these wonderful buildings."

For more information, visit: www.english-heritage.org.uk

DEATH OF KING AND MARTYR REMEMBERED

This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Death of king and martyr remembered

At noon tomorrow, there is to be a service at the Church of St Mary de Castro, Castle Street, Leicester, commemorating the death of Charles, King and Martyr.

This is very appropriate in view of the part played by Leicester in the English Civil War and the Siege of Leicester in May 1645, when King Charles I was present.

Refreshments, a display and, hopefully, members in uniform from the Civil War re-enactment societies, will follow. All are welcome.Leaflets will be available at the service describing why King Charles is described as a martyr, a controversial subject.

The Church of St Mary de Castro was close to the scenes of the main action and indeed, the south wall of the churchyard is, to this day, still loop-holed in preparation for a last-ditch stand by the defending garrison and townspeople of Leicester.

There is also a mass grave of the defenders close to the churchyard.King Charles was offered his life by Parliament if he would abandon Episcopacy, the governance of the Church of England by the Bishops, which we still have today; but this would have removed the church from being part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, which we still say in the Creed and would have made the church into a sect.On this point, Charles stood firm and for this he died.

I can be contacted on 0116 271 6086 for any queries on leaflets and I hope as many as possible will attend this historic service.

Chris Stephens, Oadby

ANGLICAN CHURCH CONGREGATION IN LEICESTER CONSIDERS CONVERTING TO CATHOLICISM

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

 

Anglican church congregation in Leicester considers converting to Catholicism

The congregation at one of the oldest Anglican churches in Leicester is considering converting to Catholicism.

About 50 members of St Mary de Castro's congregation met Catholic leaders yesterday to discuss the move.

It followed the Pope's invitation last year to disaffected Anglicans, who feel their Church has become too liberal, to convert to Roman Catholicism.

Pope Benedict XVI's decree would allow traditionalist Anglicans to accept all Roman Catholic doctrine and teachings while maintaining aspects of the Anglican tradition.

Nine-hundred-year-old St Mary de Castro, in Castle Street, near St Nicholas Circle, is already an Anglo-Catholic church.

Anglo-Catholics agree with most the Roman Catholic church teachings, but use the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer and hold Evensong. They would still be able to do if that, if they moved to the Catholic church.

Terry Doughty, from Leicester's West End, organised yesterday's meeting.

He said he believed that if a vote took place now, the majority of the congregation would stay as they are, but added there was lots more to discuss before a decision was reached.

"The Church of England has deviated from traditional beliefs and has become more liberal in its way of looking at things – for some it has become too liberal," said Mr Doughty.

"Women as bishops is one of the reasons traditionalists are unhappy."

He said there were "certainly members of this congregation who would want to take up the Pope's generous offer".

"It's hard to say what could, or might happen until more discussions are held at a higher level," added Mr Doughty.

He said if the congregation did convert, he believed the church building would "in all probability remain with the diocese and those who wanted to become Catholic would have to worship elsewhere".

The Church of England's ruling General Synod voted in 2008 to consecrate women as bishops.

Churchwarden Joyce Levell and her husband, Frank, from Groby, both said they were against female bishops and would support a move to Catholicism if a vote took place.

Mr Levell, 78, said: "There's not a lot of difference between Anglo-Catholic and Roman Catholic.

"I wouldn't be opposed to joining up with the Catholic church if things continue and I think a lot of people within the church share my views."

Father Leon Pereira, prior at the Catholic Holy Cross Priory, in Leicester, was at yesterday's talks and answered questions.

He said: "Recent developments have made them sit up and think their church is not Catholic, whereas they have always had this mindset they were very much linked to Catholicism."

The Archdeacon of Leicester, the Ven Richard Atkinson, said he valued the Catholic church but hoped Anglo-Catholics would remain within the Church of England.

He said: "The invitation is a fundamental shift in identity. It's not that simple.

"Our focus is working closely with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters in the county but I'm surprised by the Pope's offer, which I believe is untimely and unhelpful.

"The whole church is in a careful process of deciding how we can respect and celebrate the role of women."