KING RICHARD III VISITOR CENTRE BRIEFING

At Leicester's medieval Guildhall this afternoon (the hottest day of the year so far) for a briefing for "key individuals and organisations" regarding the latest developments on the King Richard III Visitor Centre and its relation to Leicester's bid to become UK City of Culture 2017.

City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby leads both parts of the meeting, with contributions from many of the attendees, representing interested parties from city and county.

City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby & Nisha Popat (Business Development Manager, Leicester City Council)

Early in the meeting we break into small groups for a quick bit of workshopping, in which we consider three questions:

• What are the opportunities for the city in general in relation to Richard III?
• What are the opportunities for your organisation in relation to Richard III?
• What opportunities could arise for your organisation from the Richard III Visitor Centre?

It's revealed for the first time today that the major themes around which the Richard II visitor experience will be structured are:

• Death
• Dynasty
• Discovery

Since final planning approval is still pending for the Visitor Centre and eveyone is avoiding the temptation to count their chickens before they've hatched, the presentation today is more concept than content. But even that offers an inspiring glimpse of the benefits to come.

There's an exhibition of artist's impressions of the Visitor Centre that we can peruse at our leisure before and after the formal presentations. A few of us sneak into the temporary Richard III exhibition in the Cathedral Visitor Centre attached to the Guildhall. This exhibition welcomed its 100,000th visitor this week.

I'm glad to see Smita Shah here. Smita represents the Jain Centre on Leicester Council of Faiths, Since the Jain Centre is just a stone's throw from the site of the Visitor Centre, she publicly acknowledges that they expect a positive impact on the number and range of visitors they'll expect to receive once the Visitor Centre opens. I hope that the example of the Jain Centre will help other faith communities and organisations in the city feel involved in what has already become a great boon to Leicester - one which can only increase in years to come.

SANDFIELD CLOSE PRIMARY PUPILS VISIT JAIN CENTRE

This morning I'm at the Jain Centre, Oxford Street, helping out with a visit of Year 5 pupils from Sandfield Close Primary.

This is the first of four visits in two days to local places of worship, arranged in association with The Mighty Creatives (a charity based in Leicester's LCB Depot, working across the East Midlands to champion young people's creativity and innovation).

The group is kitted out with cameras of different kinds (for stills and video), digital voice recorders and good old fashioned paper, pens, pencils and crayons. Artwork that the children produce as an outcome of their visits will be on display under the title, "Faith in Neighbours" in the Mezzanine at Curve as part of An Indian Summer later this month.

This afternoon the group moves on to Leicester Cathedral. Tomorrow morning we'll be visiting BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Gipsy Lane; in the afternoon, the Islam Information Centre, Highfield Street.

LEICESTER CITY OF SANCTUARY AGM

Hotfoot from the Faith Awareness Summer Visit to the Jain Centre, I head for the Annual General Meeting of Leicester City of Sanctuary in St Andrew's Church Hall, Jarrom Street, hardly ten minutes' walk away. Except when I get there, there's a different event entirely going on. Once I get someone to open the door to me, I discover that unintentional double booking; seems I missed an email about the change of venue. An apologetic Canon Barry Naylor first invites me into the warmth and offers food and drink, but I demur (even though it's bloomin' freezing out and I haven't had my tea). He points me in the direction of St Margaret's Church Hall where I'll find the City of Sanctuary AGM. That's a little more than ten minutes' walk but I feel committed now, so off I go.

Just a few hours ago I was asked (via Facebook) to sign an electronic petition through Change.org ("the world's petition platform") to release Abdul Ghafar Rajabali and halt his deportation. I did so and shared it with my Facebook friends. By the time I reach St Margaret's Church Hall, I see that 20 of them have also signed - and I imagine that some of them will have shared the petition with their own friends.

Even though I arrive at the venue just as the meeting is breaking up, I hope it's still worth showing my face. I want to express support not only for City of Sanctuary as an organisation and for what they are doing about Abdul's plight, but also lend personal support to a few friends who have been leading the campaign for Abdul's release.

Photos by Ambrose Musiyiwa, publishing as Civic Leicester. Reproduced by permission. More of Ambrose's photos from this meeting may be seen online.

FAITH AWARENESS SUMMER VISITS: JAIN CENTRE

The Faith Awareness series of summer visits to places of worship and other faith-related sites in Leicester begins this evening at the Jain Centre, Oxford Street. As well being contracted to work 20 hours a week for Leicester Council of Faiths, I now do a day and a half a week with Faith Awareness, the inter-faith programme of Christians Aware.

I must have visited the Jain Centre more than a dozen times. I think I first came here in 1988, in the first year that the Jain Centre was open and within a year of my moving to this part of the world from Dumbarton. I was entranced by it then and still am now. On each visit I see something new and learn something new. I don't know how anyone can say, "Oh yes, I've seen the Jain temple" and just tick it off their list. This place seems to change, develop, evolve in ways - and at a rate - that set it apart from most other faith sites in Leicester. I hope it's not too fanciful to believe that my own changes, development and evolution may be keeping pace with it in some way.

Our small group is taken on a guided tour of the Centre by Dr Ramesh Mehta and Pradip Mehta. As well as giving us an overview of the history and teachings of Jainism, they describe the history of the Centre itself and discuss the community's plans for celebrating the 25th anniversary of its foundation this summer. Many of the occasions associated with this anniversary are taking place in London, because it's central for the many participants coming from overseas and because Jains in Leicester don't have access to venues here large enough to be able to hold the number of people taking part. The Centre has a flag flying above it, which is renewed annually on 14 July, the date of the founding of the Centre. The flag which will be raised there on 14 July this year (precisely at 12:39), marking the silver jubilee of the Centre, is currently being taken on a circuit of Jain community centres, homes and places of worship around the country. At each stop, it becomes a focal point for practices of devotion, meditation and purification. Dr Mehta said we could think of it as being like the Jain community's version of the Olympic Torch relay. Dr Mehta helped me write the Council of Faiths leaflet on Jains, which was one of my first tasks in this post. Now that it's time to prepare a new edition of that leaflet, I hope to call on his help again.

Carved pillars of Jaisalmer yellow sandstone in the worship area of the Jain Centre 

When I was first looking for information about Jains and Jainism for my work, nigh on six years ago, I could find little that was accessible or reliable online. That has changed recently with the appearance of professional sits created by Jain organisations such as the Institute of Jainology, Jainworld.com, the Jainpedia Project, a comprehensive section on the BBC Religions website, thorough representation on Wikipedia and on more specialist sites such as the New World Encyclopedia. Even Kew Gardens Plant Cultures website has a section on Jainism.


The hand represents fearlessness and symbolizes the attitude of ahimsa (non-violence) to all living creatures



Dr Mehta tells us that if we want to understand the Jain way of life in a nutshell, we should remember the three "A"s:

• ahimsa: non-violence
• aparigraha: non-acquisitiveness
• anekäntaväda: multiplicity of views

He also gives us a mnemonic by which we can remember the principles of this ancient religion with a message for the modern world:

• "J" is for justice
• "A" is for amity
• "I" is for introspection
• "N" is for nobility

Two of my favourite Jain Centre facts: the building accommodates several sects of Jainism, each with their distinctive interpretations, identities and practices. The different sects have their own spot set aside in the Centre for their use.

  

My other favourite Jain Centre fact: it's the only Jain place of worship in the world with stained glass windows. Rather than brick up, cover or replace with ordinary glass the stained glass windows from of the original Congregational Church, the local Jain community decided to create a series of windows of their own, telling the story of Mahavira (599-527 BCE), 24th and latest in the line of Tirthankaras. A contemporary of Gautama the Buddha, Mahavira is credited with establishing Jainism in the form we know today.

Detail from one of the stained glass windows in the Jain Centre, illustrating episodes form the life of Mahavira

I love that word: Tirthankara. The best translation into English is "ford-maker". Think of this life as a fast-flowing river which can only be crossed by means of the ford made by the Tirthankara. To ignore the ford that the Tirthankara has made and try to cross otherwise means being caught up in the currents and risking being swept to your doom!

This is the first of six Faith Awareness visits planned for Monday evenings in May and June. The others are as follows:

• All Saints Church, Kerrysdale Avenue (Monday 20 May)
• BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Gipsy Lane (Monday 3 June)
• Islam Information Centre, Highfield Street (Monday 10 June)
• Neve Shalom Progressive Synagogue, Avenue Road (Monday 17 June)
• Guru Amar Das Gurdwara, Clarendon Park Road (24 June)

I may not be ale to attend every visit personally, but I hope to arrange for a blog post on each of them. Watch this space!

INSIDE THE WEST'S FIRST JAIN TEMPLE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Inside the west's first Jain temple

by Tom Mack; pictures by Alex Hannah

Worshippers at the city's Jain temple are hoping to spread their message of peace and non-violence as they celebrate their silver jubilee.

The distinctive temple in Oxford Street, Leicester city centre, opened 25 years ago this July.

The celebrations began on Monday when two visiting nuns from India joined in with a special day to celebrate one of the temple's founders – Shantaben Babulal Shah – who died 15 years ago.

Her daughter, former temple president Smita Babulal Shah, said: "Our religion is about avoiding violence – not just violent actions, but also violence in our words and our thoughts.

"My mother would not even pour hot water down the drain because she was worried about the tiny creatures which lived in the drain. 

"She always wanted to spread the message of non-violence to the wider world.

"Her work here has created a temple which caters for most of the sects of Jainism.

"We have five different areas for the five main sects and we are very keen for more people to come."

Jainism is a religion with similarities to Buddhism and Hinduism and started in the Gujarat area of India.

It became a formal religion in 527 BC before dividing into many different sects, but all followers share a commitment to the reverence of all living things.

Monday's special celebration included a conversation with the two nuns from India on the subject of peace.

Smita said: "The whole session is about peace – individual peace, family peace and universal peace and how we attain it."

Retired GP Dr Ramesh Mehta is the chairman for the temple.

He said worship at the temple, which is mostly in Gujarati, with some English, would appeal to many other people in the city.

He said: "We want more people to know they are welcome to come to the temple every day and not just people who are already familiar with Jainism."

Smita said: "We regularly have visitors from all over England and one man comes once a month from Dublin.

"Our temple here was the first Jain temple in the Western world and we have tried to make a contribution to the city and the county.

"As a small minority community, we have come a long way."

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 2: JAIN CENTRE

Stage two of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: The Jain Centre, Oxford 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.

If you're wondering what became of stage one (Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal, Narborough Road) which was the starting point of the walk, I was on my way there myself when I met the group coming the other way through Bede Park, heading for the Jain Centre.

Jainism is seen as a religion in its own right as far as membership of Leicester Council of Faiths (and, for that matter, of the Inter Faith Network of the UK) goes, but no one involved today seems to object to the Jain Centre being included in a walking pilgrimage round Hindu places of worship in the city.

One of the distinctive and laudable features of Leicester's Jain Centre is that it offers a home for several sects of Jainism under one roof, giving each one its own worship space, while practitioners of the different denominations mingle socially.

Last year, on the Holi Yatra Walk, we spent quite a while in each place of worship, joining in devotions, receiving a talk or guided tour, enjoying refreshments. Consequently, we fell far behind schedule and overran by a few hours. I stay in the vestibule to update social media (Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook) about the walk while my fellow yatris head upstairs to the worship hall. I haven't even finished doing that before they come back down the stairs, start getting their shoes on and head out the door towards our next stage. I wonder if we're going to try and keep up this pace all day!

PETERBOROUGH INTER-FAITH COUNCIL VISIT LEICESTER

Today Leicester Council of Faiths is hosting a visit to the city by our counterparts from Peterborough. Their party of 31 (including seven children) arrives an hour late due to circumstances beyond their control, as their coach has broken down not long after setting off, and they've had to wait for a replacement one to turn up.

In the photo above, Rosemarie Fitton and Narendra Waghela (both members of Leicester Council of Faiths) await the arrival of our visitors at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Gipsy Lane. Narendra represents the local Swaminarayan community on our Council of Faiths and often acts as guide to visitors here at the Mandir. Rosemarie is Senior Lecturer in Interior Design at De Montfort University, her specialism being sacred spaces in public places (that's not what it's called officially, but I made up that diescriptionand I'm going to keep using it). Rosemarie's company, Heterarchy, designed the interior of the Mandir. She's on hand to speak to our visitors today about the work Heterarchy has done in this site - and both she and I will be accompanying the Peterborough group on the other stages of their visit.

Stage 1: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

As the Peterborough group arrive an hour late, it's more of a speedy dash through the Mandir than we would have liked. Still there's time to take in some of its many pleasures and treasures and to whet the appetite for a return visit.

Stage 2: Masjid Umar, Evington Lane

Despite having lived in the area for a couple of years, I've never set foot inside Masjid Umar before today. We arrive just in time to observe worshippers taking part in afternoon prayer. By a happy coincidence, Fayyaz Suleman, Vice-Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths, is among the congregation today. He joins us for a Q&A session, responding to comments and questions from some of the visitors.

Stage 3: Jain Centre

Our final stop is the Jain Centre on Oxford Street. We arrive just at the end of a major event in the Centre, as the community has come together to celebrate the end of Paryushana, an eight-day period of fasting and one of the two most sacred periods in the Jain calendar. Smita Shah, past President of Jain Samaj Europe and a Director of Leicester Council of Faiths, shepherds the group round the centre (see photo above). I'm glad of the chance to meet some members of the Institute of Jainology, who are demonstrating their online resource, Jainipedia - and we're all glad to end the day by sharing in a vegetarian meal here, provided through the generosity of the Jain community. In the photo below, Smita Shah is talking with Jaspal Singh, Chair of Peterborough Inter-faith Council.

It would be remiss of me to end this blog post without mentioning a few things I noticed about this Peterborough group that distinguish it from ours here in Leicester.

Firstly, the size of the group: 31 is an impressive number, but even then their Chair, Jaspal Singh, informs me that there were would have been even more of them, if it were not for the fact that their local Buddhist and Jewish communities are involved in events of their own today, so have been unable to come along. A fortnight ago, we struggled to fill a minibus with less than half that number on our annual Peace Visit to three places of worship: and only three actual members of Leicester Council of Faiths were amongst that number.

Secondly, the composition of the visiting group: this was certainly different from any lineup that we could have drummed up from our membership. There were children present - seven of them. The only kids that show up at anything organised by Leicester Council of Faiths are mine! Once you subtract the children from the total number of visitors (leaving 24), a third or so of the adult members of the group were young people, of typical student age. Leicester Council of Faiths has long experienced difficulty in engaging young people in our activities (so much so, that we've recently been toying with the idea of appointing a volunteer position of Young People's Champion to try and get some movement on this issue). The Peterborough group had five Nepalese people, none of whom could speak English (one of the main group translated into Urdu, and one of the Nepalese women translated for their group from that).

Thirdly, membership and structure: Peterborough Inter-faith Council seems a looser and less formal entity than Leicester Council of Faiths - even, it might be said, less hierarchical and rigid. As far as I can see from today's visit and from the contacts leading up to it, the Peterborough group doesn't seem to have issues about who is there to represent local faith communities. The group appears to be made up of a diverse membership of people, brought together by their interest in finding out more about what other religions stand for and how their followers live. However, it might be fairer and more accurate to compare Peterborough Inter-faith Council with something like Dr Russell's Interfaith group in Leicester. Our more formal, more representative nature may be the key to opening doors for engagement with local authorities, service providers, schools, colleges and universities. Although it often gives cause for complaint, it may be the very thing that elevates Leicester Council of Faiths to the position where it can actually do some good for the city as a whole. It's horses for courses, innit?

PEACE VISIT 2012

Today Leicester Council of Faiths is holding our annual Peace Visit. This is one of what might be called our "signature" events for the benefit of the general public in Leicester (the others being our exhibition in Highcross during Inter Faith Week at the end of November and Holocaust Memorial Day in January).

There are twelve of us when we set off by minibus from Town Hall Square (after a brief welcome from Cllr Manjula Sood, Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths). The size of the group varies at each stop; at its height later in the day, there are 13 of us. It's a pleasant, sunny and warm day and we have a nice mix of old hands and new faces among us today.

Stage 1: Jain Centre

Our first stop is the Jain Centre on Oxford Street. The itinerary for the Peace Visit has changed each year (as has the name of the event, which has occasionally gone under different titles). The Jain Centre, however, has been a constant: and no wonder - it's surely the most distinctive among Leicester's many places of worship. I've visited it at least a dozen times and each time I do, something new has been done to the place. There's a nice panel display in a long corridor that's recently been opened up, conveying the history, beliefs, principles and practices of Jainism.

Stage 2: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

This temple has been open to public worship for less than a year, but has already become a major attraction, not only for worshippers but also for tourists. We're shown around by Narendra Waghela, who is one of two representatives of the local Swaminarayan community on Leicester Council of Faiths. He explains a few of the technical secrets behind making the whole site function to award-winning standards. It really is a beautiful place, with something to delight all the senses as well as elevate the soul.

Stage 3: All Saints' Church, Kerrysdale Avenue

We emerge from Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, get into our minibus and cross the road to our next stop. The Church of All Saints serves Leicester's Asian Christian congregation. Originally St Gabriel's (the statue of the Archangel has been retained above the entrance, as you can see top right in the photo above), the church was closed due to falling number of Anglican worshippers and remained unused for two years until it was resurrected in June 2012 for this diverse community. I haven't been to this church today (in either of its forms). We're given a warm welcome (in what is a surprisingly cold building) by the Pastor, Sunny George, and a handful of the congregation.

Stage 4: Guru Ravi Dass Sikh Temple, Harrison Road

Final stop on our short tour is another place I haven't visited before. This temple is named for Guru Ravi Dass, a revered historical figure among Sikhs and Hindus, previously unknown to me. Guru Nanak is reported to have met him and some of his verses are included in the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. Today's been quite an education for me - as are most days in this job!

I reckon that, if we had the resources, we could fill a minibus on this kind of tour once a month. There's certainly variety among the places of worship that we could visit plenty of them with dreary repetition. With adequate promotion, we could surely get a dozen people on board, once a month. Ajay, who is Co-ordinator at Leicester Council of Faiths, organises our annual Peace Visit. I wonder how he'd feel about that ...

HOLI YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 3: JAIN CENTRE

Third stage on the Holi Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: The Jain Centre, Oxford Street. The goal is to visit 15 Hindu places of worship in Leicester on foot today. Three down ...

Holi (Hindi: होली) is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus, also known as the Festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal and in countries with large populations from India or of Indian descent who follow Hinduism.

Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, "journey", "procession"), in Hinduism and other Indian religions, means pilgrimage to holy places and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri. It is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to go on a yatra. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. (Thanks to Wikipedia for these definitions.)

While Jainism is identified as a distinct religion in its own right in terms of membership of the Council of Faiths, no one involved today seems particularly fussed that it should be included in a route taking in all the Hindu places of worship in Leicester.

One of the distinctive features of Leicester's Jain Centre is that it accommodates many different sects of the religion under one roof, giving each its own space for worship, while the followers can mingle together socially. As well as the main area for worship (seen in photo above), several smaller rooms present variations on Jain belief and practice for the benefit of those who worship differently (as shown in the photo below, taken on a Peace Visit organised by Leicester Council of Faiths in September 2009).

I leave some flyers and A4 posters for the upcoming REDP event Choice Unlimited (after asking permission, of course). I also leave information about the Council of Faiths next open meeting, a panel presentation entitled "God in my faith" coming up during the week.

FLOG IT AND BLOG IT!

A phone call late this afternoon at the Welcome Centre from Alex Price, a researcher for Flog It! (BBC Two's daytime show in which members of the public try and make money out of their antiques with the the help of experts by taking a risk at auction).

They're filming an episode at the Jain Centre here in Leicester in the coming week (although I've been asked not to say precisely when, just in case it attracts more attendess than the Jain Centre can comfortably accomodate). Alex has rung to check on a few facts and figures about the Jain community in Leicester, Leicestershire and beyond for the scripted introduction to the venue. Nice chatting with him, I hope we have the opportunity to talk again.

CHRISTIANS AWARE AT JAIN CENTRE

Monday evenings wouldn't be Monday evenings without doing something with my friends in Christians Aware. This term, Christians Aware has organised a series of visits to various places of worship around Leicester. This one is to the Jain Centre in Oxford Street.

There are nine of us in the group and (as is the way at Christians Aware events) four of the party are new to me. In the photograph, on the left is Satesh Shah, our host at the Jain Centre and guide to its riches this evening.

HUNDREDS ENJOY JAIN EVENT

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Hundreds enjoy faith event

By Gemma Peplow

Hundreds of worshippers took to the streets for a holy celebration yesterday.

Members of the Jain Centre, in the city centre, were joined by other followers from all over the country for a procession.

With many worshippers banging drums and others sprinkling holy water, they paraded outside the centre, in Oxford Street, and around part of the nearby De Montfort University campus.

Organisers said up to 700 people took part in the day's celebrations, which included prayers and a meal inside the centre after the procession in honour of Mantuga-Suri, a monk who wrote the religion's most famous prayer.

Neeta Kothari, 47, and her sister-in-law Smita, 45, were among the centre members taking part.

Neeta, who lives in the Abbey Lane area of the city, said: "This is a holy ceremony and it is very special for us. People have come from all over the country to take part.

"This is a day when you are not thinking about anyone else apart from God."

Smita, who lives in Hamilton, Leicester, said: "We're proud to be taking part. We're volunteering as well so we are helping out."

Rajesh Mehta, 57, travelled from Birmingham to join the celebrations.

He said: "I think this is a very good way of celebrating. It's a very proud day."

Mitesh Shah, 35, travelled from Solihull and was taking part in the procession with several family members, including his two daughters Tvara, nine, and Kavya, four.

"It's an important day where you meet people and worship God," he said.

Divyesh and Rina Shah, of Stoneygate, Leicester, also took part.

Rina, 45, said: "It's a very religious and spiritual event."

Jainism is an Indian religion which promotes pacifism.

Yesterday's event was being held in Leicester for the first time.

According to legend, Mantuga-Suri was chained and imprisoned by a king.

He composed the prayer, the Bhaktamara Stotra, in prison. With the completion of each verse, a chain broke, and he was free when all the verses were finished.

Jain Centre president Smita Shah said: "We have had hundreds of people here.

"It's been a wonderful day. It's very important to have people coming together, with everybody taking part, from elderly people to children.

"I would like to thank everyone who has been involved to make the day a huge success."

She said the event was expected to raise about £10,000 in donations, with some of the proceeds being given to a charity for disabled people.

George Ballentyne, of the Leicester Council of Faiths, said: "It's a great event. The Council of Faiths is really glad to see the range of diversity in the city."

SACRED SPACES: INSIDE OUT CONFERENCE AT JAIN CENTRE

At the Jain Centre, Oxford Street, Leicester, for a day-long conference sponsored by the Religious Education Council for England and Wales and the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom. It's an event for RE teachers and specialists to get together with representatives and workers from faith organisations to see how school visits to sacred spaces might be enhanced for the benefit of all involved, that the worth of learning outside the classroom might be more widely celebrated, embraced and supported.

Since we've been doing this at the local level recently (with two sessions of Sacred Spaces training at Leicester Cathedral in October 2010 - see blog entries for those occasions), it's appropriate that a national event on this topic should be held here. Attendees have come from as far afield as London, Manchester, Norwich and North Yorkshire.

The Council of Faiths exhibition is on show, giving those present the opportunity to see something of the diversity of faith communities in our city. Thanks to Rosemarie Fitton and Lalit Chhajed for putting it all up, while I conveniently had to duck outside to answer a phone call! This is the last time that Rosemarie will be shadowing me on her placement for her MA in Interreligious Relations at St Philips Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi Faith Society (although I'm sure I haven't seen the last of her - nor is it the final time she'll be mentioned in this blog). By contrast, this is Lalit's first day as summer intern at the Jain Centre. He's come here through the same internship programme at De Montfort University through which we've recruited our intern, Rahat, who starts with us on Monday. Lalit also applied for our summer internship, but his clear and undoubted talents didn't quite fit with the post we'd advertised. Lalit is excited and inspired by social media; he's interested in helping faith organisations recognise and exploit its potential. He and I make tentative arrangements to get together soon and swap ideas about this common interest.

Sarah Lane Cawte (Chair of the Sacred Spaces Sector Partnership Group) introduces the day's programme and Smita Shah, President of Jain Samaj Europe and Treasurer of Leicester Council of Faiths, welcomes conference participants to the event, to Leicester and to the Jain Centre.

Janet Ingram, Education Officer for Leicester Diocese, kicks things off by talking about the "Faith Stories" format for visiting sacred spaces in Leicester, usually involving three different faith community places of worship and activity.

Putting that theory into practice, after a guided tour of the worship hall in the Jain centre, the group sets off for visits to the Nagarjuna Kampada Budddhist Centre in Guildhall Lane, followed by a stop at Leicester Cathedral before returning to the Jain Centre for a vegan lunch (without onions or mushrooms).

This is the time when everyone gets an opportunity to look over our exhibition and pick up some of our leaflets. I've also put out brochures for An Indian Summer, which features a strong contribution from Leicester Council of Faiths.

And in one of those recursive occlusions that social media presents so nicely, I've put the laptop on the table beside the leaflets, so that everyone can have a look at themselves (erm ...) looking at this (as it were).

After lunch, we hear short presentations by three attendees from different backgrounds about their experiences in relation to learning outside the classroom, through school visits: Alex Carlton, Education Officer at Southwark Cathedral; Jill Carr, Consultant for Leicester City Council on Religious Education, Community Cohesion, and Closing the Gap; Marilyn Bowles, Associate Tutor on the Primary PGCE course at Leicester University.

Next in the afternoon programme there are four workshops on offer:

Sharing spaces - developing collaborative learning days (Pam Elliott)

This workshop explores ways of working with other providers to maximise the learning potential of a school visit. Pam Elliott is a former Head of Religious Studies and has led the Education Department at Manchester Cathedral for the past five years. During this time she has worked with a range of Manchester institutions to create some unique learning experiences including "The Place of Peace", "A Shared Story", "Wealth and poverty Learning Days" and "Ho,man Hunt and Religious Art".

How to make meaningful contact with faith communities (Hannah Ashleigh)

This workshop considers the real value of visits and visitors and how to ensure that experiences gained from learning outside the classroom bring this personal dimension of faith to life. It looks are how to make the most of speakers who are invited to schools and how the use of stories, artifacts and photographs can make a real impact on learning about and from faith communities. Hannah Ashleigh is Education Policy and Projects Manager for the Board of Deputies of British Jews, where she is responsible for the planning, development and delivery and delivery of educational initiatives designed to promote the understanding of Jewish faith and heritage in schools and wider British society. She also works extensively in education policy, working with government and with colleagues from other faith groups on all issues that could affect faith schools and our diverse communities more broadly. she has a masters degree in Professional and Community Education and Development.

Developing an RE trail in your locality (Sharon Artley)

This workshop explores different themes for RE trails, how to set one up in your locality and look at available resources. Sharon Artley has been working in Religious Education for over 30 years - as a teacher, head of department and senior manager and (since 2003) as a consultant, lecturer, inspector and trainer. she has published articles, developed digital resources, lectured, run courses and delivered training, both locally and nationally and has a specific interest in the impact ICT can have on the delivery and outcomes of high quality RE. She is editor of the Sacred Space section of the REOnline website and jointly set up the RE trails website. she supports primary and secondary RE in the north of England and is currently working on three national RE projects. Sharon holds degrees in Theology and has a Fellowship in Holocaust Education with the Imperial War Museum.

Using a sacred space for learning and spiritual development (Diana Ives & Emma Anderton)

This workshop explores ways in which the Southwell Minster education team use the Cathedral with school groups to develop understanding of RE and give students the opportunity to gain a sense of spirituality for themselves. Diana Ives has lived in Nottingham for 20 years, teaching across the primary age range in schools in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. She lives with her husband and two daughters. Emma Anderton grew up in Nottingham and has many year's teaching experience within the primary age group. she has two grown up sons and lives in Newark with her husband and daughter. For the last seven and eight years respectively, Diana and Emma have worked as Education Officers at Southwell Minster, the Cathedral church of the Southwell and Nottingham Diocese, which hosts 9,000 schoolchildren (and 900 teachers and accompanying adults) every year, aged 18 months to Sixth Form. The role is diverse and involves family, cross-curricular and some adult learning, as well as providing RE experiences.

I'm grateful to Sarah for giving me a few minutes in the final plenary session to say something about the Council of Faiths exhibition and use of social media.