IS CULTURE LIMITED TO JUST ONE AREA?

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on its website):

Is culture limited to just one area?

Any place that designates one small area as a Cultural Quarter does not deserve the title City of Culture, since it implies that culture does not exist anywhere else.

John Cotton, Leicester

SUN SHINES ON AN INDIAN SUMMER TO ENTICE CROWD OF 8,000

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Deevani Jina, Mansi Vithlani and Prianka Lakhani

Sun shines on An Indian Summer to entice crowd of 8,000

ABOUT 8,000 people visited a cultural festival of dance, cooking, entertainment and everything Indian in the city centre.

An Indian Summer Festival was held in Leicester's Cultural Quarter at the weekend.

There were stalls selling everything from food to clothing and jewellery, as well as dancing and tuk-tuk rides.

Visitor Pushpa Solanki, 54, of Evington, Leicester, said: "I only got to see half of it, but it was fantastic. It was very well organised.

"I liked the involvement of everybody from different communities. The tuk-tuk brought back memories of when I go to India – it's a form of transport I enjoy."

Festival director Bipin Anand said: "It was an absolutely awesome weekend! People were commenting on what a fantastic vibe there was and many said that the festival was so different from anything they had ever experienced in Leicester.

"When we started An Indian Summer more than two years ago we had a vision in mind on what we wanted the festival to be like, this year is the closest we have come to achieving that vision.

"Next year's festival will be bigger, better and take us even closer to achieving our initial vision."

The estimated 8,000 festival visitors over the weekend was well up on last year's 3,500.

"AMAZING" FESTIVAL KICKS OFF

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

"Amazing" festival kicks off

A cultural festival of dance, cooking, entertainment and everything Indian has kicked-off.

This weekend, the city's Cultural Quarter is hosting the third annual Indian Summer. Festival director Bipin Anand promised the best yet.

He said: "It's going to be an amazing festival. Since we started in 2011, we have refined and perfected the festival and now have nine venues and will make good use of the Cultural Quarter.

"We've got some great guests, including the comic Paul Chowdhry, and people can learn how to make a great curry, have a go at different dances. There are more than 100 things for people to enjoy."

KNIGHTS, CAMERAS, ACTION AS THE CITY SALUTES ST GEORGE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Knights, cameras, action as the city salutes St George

by Tom Mack

Hundreds of people gathered in the sunshine to enjoy this year's St George's Festival.

Morris dancers, stilt walkers and youngsters dressed as knights and princesses were among the sights in the city's Cultural Quarter on Saturday afternoon.

There were also performances by young dancers, a chance to learn circus skills and live musical entertainment at the area's pubs.

CBeebies favourite Mike the Knight also made an appearance.

Claire Smith, 31, of Braunstone Town, was there with her two children, aged four and one.

She said: "We came down here for Mike the Knight because my children both love him.

"We've had a really nice time and it's beautiful weather."

Gareth Harper and Hannah Winn, who live in Braunstone Town, were also making the most of the weather.

Gareth, 30, said: "It's great. We came to see the parade of knights and princesses and we've also seen the morris dancing and I had a springbok and kangaroo burger from the market, which sounds like it might be hard to keep down!"

Hannah, 26, said: "I'm looking forward to seeing Mike the Knight because I always watch it with my five-year-old son."

Sisters Georgia and Ellie Bradbury, of Aylestone, were among the performers in Orton Square, dancing with fellow members of the Studio 79 street dance group.

Georgia, 13, said: "I was nervous but we've been rehearsing a lot in the last two weeks and it went all right."

Ellie, 10, said: "It's nice to see all the little children dressed up as knights and princesses."

The annual performance by Leicester Morris Men marked the beginning of their year of 60th anniversary celebrations. Dick Allsop, of Knighton, who danced with the group, said: "It seems the crowd is getting bigger and the weather is getting better each year."

Susan Shirley, 51, of Aylestone, was among the spectators.

"We're having a great time," she said. "I love the Morris dancing. It's a great tradition."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby was also enjoying the show.

He said: "There's a great mix of things going on. In the past, there have been one or two years when the crowd hasn't been very big. Of course, the weather helps a lot."

During the afternoon the nearby Phoenix cinema hosted live music from 12 young singer-songwriters and there were folk music sessions at the LCB Depot.

The Cultural Quarter festival ended with a ceilidh hosted by Leicester's Red Fox Band.

Elsewhere in the city centre on Saturday, the traditional battle between St George and Dragon was put on by the market's stallholders at 11am and 1pm.

TIRATH YATRA WALK, STAGE 4: SHRI SHIRDI SAI BABA TEMPLE

Stage four of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Colton Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

The temple was dedicated to public worship less than a month ago, an occasion which was covered in the Leicester Mercury.

The temple is in the former Guild of Disabled, which was opened in 2009. It is a Grade-II Listed Building in the heart of the St George Conservation Area (better known these days as the "Cultural Quarter"). No one in our group seems to know anything about the history of the building and our hosts don't say anything about it. I think that's sad, as the building has a fascinating background. So I'll put that right, here on the blog. Information about the history of the building, provided by Helena Edwards (a trustee of Mosaic) was published in the Leicester Mercury, 1 October 2009: 

Mosaic is the latest name of the organisation that built the Guildhall, the Cripples Guild (later Leicester Leicestershire and Rutland Guild of Disabled People) and it was our base until recently.

Unfortunately it was by then a listed building and protected from alterations, so we could not get permission from the city planners to make the adaptations necessary to satisfy the Disability Discrimination Act access levels.

It was sold, with much regret, in 2000 and the organisation moved into rented accommodation in 2002.

Sadly, the developers who bought the old building have apparently not done anything with it since. It is a great shame as it is not only architecturally but socially special, as possibly the first meeting place in the UK built with disability access in mind.

LORD MAYOR SET TO LAUNCH ST GEORGE'S DAY PARADE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Lord Mayor set to launch St George's Day parade

Little knights and princesses can take part in a parade to celebrate England's patron saint.

The St George's Festival takes place on Saturday in and around the Cultural Quarter in Orton Square, Leicester.

Lord mayor Abdul Osman will launch the event at midday, with the Leicester Morris Men performing the first of the day's dances.

This year's theme is knights and princesses, with prizes on offer for the best children's costume.

Youngsters who arrive in fancy dress will be invited to take part in the festival's parade at 2pm, with prizes for the best costumes.

Visitors will be able to take part in Maypole dancing sessions, craft activities, circus skills and a St George's Festival dragon hunt.

There will also be live music and dance performances in Orton Square, and at The Ale Wagon and The Exchange pubs, in Rutland Street. Visitors can also take part in street art workshops in the Ramada Encore hotel.

The celebrations continue on Sunday with three traditional medieval St George's Day plays at Jewry Wall Museum, from 11.30am until 3pm.

The Scouts' annual St George's parade will begin at Market Place at 1pm.

To find out more information, visit: www.visitleicester.info

CREATIVE COFFEE LEICESTER, 27 FEBRUARY 2013

At Phoenix this morning for the fortnightly meeting of Creative Coffee Leicester. We have a speaker today: Julia Harmer, Marketing & Service Development Manager at LCB Depot, talking about Makers Yard in Leicester's Cultural Quarter, the oldest surviving hosiery factory in the East Midlands, which is opening this month as a dynamic and inspiring workspace for creative entrepreneurs. That's Julia in the photo above, speaking with Jed Spittle of Manic Music (who is based at Phoenix and is also a member of Creative Coffee Leicester's management team).

I benefit from a brief chat with Emma Fitzpatrick (Concept Designer and Visualiser) which inspires me with some new ideas for useful ouptuts from the "resilience audit" that I'm working on with Leicester City Council.

AN INDIAN SUMMER 2013: STEERING GROUP MEETS AT PHOENIX

At Phoenix this afternoon for the first meeting of a steering group working toward this year's celebration of An Indian Summer, Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 June.

Bipin Anand (in photo above, standing) presents a short video to kick off the meeting, recalling some of the highlights of the 2012 event.

The Council of Faiths had a strong presence in the first celebration of An Indian Summer, offering an informal seminar entitled How Diverse is Leicester? We didn't really get the chance to do anything last year. I'm looking forward to us playing a fuller role in the upcoming event.

An Indian Summer is one of just two annual events that take place across the Cultural Quarter (the other being Oxjam). An ambitious and extensive programme of activities will make this third celebration of An Indian Summer the most memorable yet. The absence of Summer Sundae Weekender this year should allow An Indian Summer to make an even bigger impact.

BY GEORGE! WE KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE PATRON SAINT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

By George! We know how to celebrate patron saint

A bumper weekend of events to celebrate England's patron saint is to take Leicestershire by storm – whatever the weather.

St George's Day will be marked on Saturday with an afternoon of music and activities in and around Leicester's Cultural Quarter.

This year's theme, Kings and Queens of England, is to herald the forthcoming celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Youngsters dressed as knights and princesses, craft events, maypole dancing and circus skills sessions will feature as part of the festivities which centre on Orton Square, outside Curve.

Assistant city mayor Councillor Piara Singh Clair said: "This will be a wonderful celebration in the city and I'm sure lots of people will enjoy the attractions on offer."

The celebrations will be launched at noon by Leicester's Lord Mayor, Coun Rob Wann and a performance from the Leicester Morris Men.

Walkabout characters, street arts and performers, a ceilidh hosted by Leicester's Red Fox Band and dancers will also be in the Cultural Quarter.

Musicians of all ages can bring instruments to join in a session at the LCB Depot, in Rutland Street.

A prize dragon hunt will take visitors to all the venues, key sites and main events in the area.

In the county, Hinckley will host a children's craft workshop, street theatre featuring St George and the dragon, morris dancing and a town centre Find the Flag hunt.

Coalville's celebrations include St George, his dragon and damsel in distress in the Belvoir shopping centre from 10.30am to 2.30pm, tunes from Leicestershire Co-op Brass Band and a dragon mask-making workshop.

In Loughborough, all-girl morris dancing group Bare Bones Morris will perform at the market.

On Sunday, two Scout groups will parade in Leicester to renew their promise, in honour of their founder and to show respect to the Queen.

Celebrations continue on Monday at Leicester Market from 11am, with displays, a knight tournament, medieval craft demonstrations, authentic medieval games and a re-enactment of St George rescuing a maiden from the dragon at 12.15pm and again at 2pm.

Andrew Cardwell, 37, of Thurmaston, said: "It's good to see so many things organised for St George's Day. Compared with St Patrick's Day, there is usually nothing at all."

David Garnett, 60, of Oadby, said: "I'll probably wear a red rose and go down to the pub and celebrate."

Café Creatif

Around noon, I attend Café Creatif at the LCB (Leicester Creative Business) Depot, Rutland Street. Smaller and less formal than CreativeCoffee Club (and much more so than Amplified Leicester) which both meet at Phoenix Square, just round the corner in the city's Cultural Quarter.

I speak with Ben Ravilious about the "Leicester on the Map" project he's coordinating, specifically regarding mapping places of worship around the city. This has never been done before, in even a paper format, never mind electronically. I think it would be an exciting, interesting and useful project.

Find out more about LCB Depot:
http://www.lcbdepot.co.uk/

ST GEORGE'S DAY IN ST GEORGE'S CULTURAL QUARTER

I take Harry and Grace to the Cultural Quarter today, for an afternoon of family activities to celebrate St George's Day. The full and proper name for this part of town is St George's Cultural Quarter, appropriately enough!

The fun takes place mostly in Orton Square, outside Curve - and it's a lovely sunny day for it. It's odd to think of these celebrations taking place in Orton Square, since Joe Orton (Leicester's most famous modern playwright and a scandalous figure in and beyond his own lifetime) was one of those characters who helped form my own idiosyncratic notion of what the English and Englishness were all about, observed through my personal telescope, growing up north of the border. I saw Orton's What the Butler Saw at the Citizens' Theatre in Glasgow in 1976: and what an eye-opener that was at the age of 16. It's a symbol of how times have changed that Joe Orton would have a public spot in his home town named after him. Good for Leicester!

Now, look at these ladies in the photo below. I don't remember there being twin dragons in the story of St George! And doesn't it change the tone a little for the dragon(s) to be female? Didn't St George rescue a damsel in distress from the dragon?

It's a bright and happy occasion today, full of imaginative ways for the kids to find out more about the country's Patron Saint and appreciate the myths, legends, true stories and tall tales that breathe life into what it means to be English - in the past, in the present and in the future. And after all the protests I make for the Scottish side of Marry and Grace's  heritage, they were born here and their mum's English. Oh, hang on - she's half Welsh ... does that mean that they should be shouting for the dragon too? Maybe even just a little bit?

GEORGIE FAME

Some iconic English "Georges" (fact or fiction, past or present, living or dead) for St George's Day. Each one represents something quintessentially English.

Pictured above: Georgie Fame (b. Clive Powell, 1943), rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. Fame's version of the song "Yeh Yeh", released January 1965, spent two weeks at number one on the UK singles chart. "Get Away", released July 1966, was also a number one hit single. Fame's greatest chart success was "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967, which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom, and No.7 in the United States. Both "Yeh Yeh" and "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" each sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.

Highly appropriate to have Georgie Fame here, since, as well as being the weekend-long St George's Day Festival, this weekend also sees the unveiling of the Leicester Walk of Fame in the city's Cultural Quarter.

ST GEORGE'S DAY FESTIVAL IN LEICESTER 2010

A weekend of celebrations to mark St George's Day in Leicester kicks off today - one of the biggest celebrations of England's patron saint Leicester has seen, with live music, dance and poetry performances planned on a stage in Orton Square. There are also city tours, food and drink plus family activities.

The fun begins at 1100 today, when Leicester Market hosts a battle between St George and the dragon, with a second performance at noon. In the evening, there's a festival of English beers at the Criterion pub, in Millstone Lane, and, at 7.30pm, a St George's Day service at St Mary de Castro Church.

The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Councillor Roger Blackmore, said: "It's one of Leicester's great strengths that we celebrate all kinds of festivals in all kinds of communities. I think it's right and appropriate that St George is prominent among them".

Couldn't agree more with the words of the Lord Mayor. Just a few weeks ago, while being interviewed live at the crack of dawn on BBC World Service, I was asked to respond to a recorded insert of three young white women recorded at a bingo session, saying that there's nothing for the white community in Leicester, that they're forgotten and neglected in favour of more recent arrivals and incomers. A weekend such as this shows up such a comment as being quite untrue.

As well as the Cultural Quarter family events and entertainment throughout Saturday, Jewry Wall Museum will have activities from 11am to 4pm.

On Sunday, at 2.55pm, more than 1,000 Cubs and Scouts will parade through the city centre to Leicester Cathedral. On the same day, a festival of arts and crafts takes place at Leicester Market.

Byron Chatburn, head of Leicestershire Scouts, said: "It's fantastic that we have 1,000 young people out and about over the St George's Day weekend celebrating what it means to them to be a Scout. "It's very important at this time of year to reflect on the past twelve months and look forward to the next twelve."

I hope I'm not being particularly perverse here, but the photo of St George slaying the dragon at the top of this post is not from Leicester. It's a statue that stands outside the Italian Chapel on the little island of Lamb Holm in the Okrney Islands, a spot I've visited twice in the past 25 years. As you might imagine, faithful reader, I take a special interest in iconic Georges and this is my favourite representation of St George and his scaly nemesis.