DELIGHT AT PROGRESS OF CITY'S FIRST FREE SCHOOL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Delight at progress of city's first free school

Teachers, parents and children at Leicester's first free school say they are delighted with the progress in transforming its building.

Krishna Avanti primary, in Evington, opened in September in a grade II-listed building, formerly occupied by Leicester Grammar Junior School.

Youngsters have been working in temporary buildings put up on the site while thousands of pounds of refurbishment and extension work got under way.

The work is due to finish in August, in time for the autumn term, when pupils numbers at the school will increase from 30 to at least 75.

Head teacher Christopher Spall said: "We're thrilled with the way work's progressing.

"It's going to look amazing with a square piazza being created and cloisters around it – it's got a real spiritual feel to it."

Free schools are set up by charities, parents or teachers outside local authority control, but paid for by the state.

The building work at Krishna Avanti includes the creation of a classroom block for years one and two, refurbishment of the existing building inside and outside, with new windows, carpets and redecoration.

The square piazza is being built towards the back of the school and a garden area for the children to grow their own vegetables will sit to one side of it, alongside a new-look outdoor area with play equipment.

There are still 15 places left for parents who wish to send their children to the school.

Sabrina Braithwaite, from Narborough Road, in Leicester, is sending her son, Jahziah, five, from September.

She said: "I've looked around the school before but I wanted to bring my son so that he could get used to it.

"I'm very impressed with the school's calm ethos and its vegetarianism. I like the fact that children do yoga and I think he'll be happy here.Jahziah said: "I really like the school playing field."

Pargan Dhadda, from Queen's Road, has a son, Angath, five, at the school, and another son, Aaryan, four, who will start in the new academic year.

He said: "I was a little bit worried at first because it was a new school but I've been really pleased with how it's been run.

"The grounds are very impressive and far better than any other school we looked around and because it's a small school the children get lots of individual attention."

The primary, which will eventually have places for 420 children, is sponsored by education charity the I-Foundation.

It has a Hindu ethos but children of all faiths attend and follow the national curriculum.

School governor Pradip Gajjar said: "We're very happy with how the school and the work is progressing."

£7 million church building wins architectural award

Here's nice piece from today's Leicester Mercury. Congratulations to St Martins Houeer - and all who sail in her!

£7million church building wins architectural award

A church-run set of offices and community centre has won another award for its design.

St Martin's House, next to Leicester Cathedral, received the chairman's award at the East Midlands Local Authority Building Control Awards.

The building, which opened at the beginning of the year and was the former home of Leicester Grammar School, was one of 63 buildings nominated for the award.

Dave Smith, chairman of the East Midlands Region Local Authority Building Control, said he chose St Martins House above all the other projects because of the attention to detail in renovating and regenerating the building, which was given Grade II Listed status shortly before the work began.

He said: "I have seen too many older buildings fall into disrepair and to see this project not only renovate a fabulous building but to retain so many of the original features while exceeding current standards is heartwarming." Pete Hobson, director of St Martin's House, who was the project manager during the construction, said: "We knew when we started this project that it had to be completed to a very high standard and add to the life of the community.

"This award is a testament to the hard work put in by all our partners to achieve our goals for this important step towards the long-term goal of establishing Cathedral Square as a destination for all."

The £7 million redevelopment of the former Leicester Grammar School into St Martin's House has already been commended by both the Civic Society, in their annual architecture awards, and the Leicestershire and Rutland Society of Architects, in their design awards.

The awards praised everyone involved in the project: St Martin's Cathedral Properties Ltd, consultants Pick Everard, JH Hallam Contract Ltd and Leicester City Council.

Nice to see the article features a possessive apostrophe on St Martin's!

Read this article, along with reader comments (and the opportunity to leave your own) on the Leicester Mercury website: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/163-7million-church-building-wins-architectural-award/article-3598198-detail/article.html

NAGARJUNA KADAMPA BUDDHIST CENTRE OPEN DAY

At the newly opened Nagarjuna Kadampa Buddhist Centre, Guildhall Lane for their Open Day, 1100-1600. I've been familiar with the name of this group in through the centre they run in Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire, but wasn't aware that they have a long association with Leicester, dating back some 18 years, when they had a centre in the Knighton district of the city.

The premises are certainly impressive, with a big, open and bright reception area leading into a cafe of the highest professional standard (with an imaginative and impressive vegetarian menu) that's open to the public 1000-1600 Monday to Saturday and a book and gift shop on the ground floor. I join a 15-minute tour of the building, starting in the meditation room which would easily seat over 60 people and is adorned with statues and images, the significance of which are explained to us by our guide. Then we go upstairs to a large meeting hall, where (for today only) there are various fund-raising stalls (tombola, cakes, retro clothing and bric-a-brac) and an art demonstration. I get a veggie hot dog with onions and mustard and enjoy a brief chat with Lekmo, a nun who lives at the centre.

St Katharine's Building, where the Centre is located, used to be part of the complex of properties belonging to Leicester Grammar School before it moved out to its new site in Great Glen. A visual record of the transformation of the building for its present use (in a slide series on show in the cafe today) testifies to the amount of work they've put into making it this good. We're told that the big blue door which serves as the entrance to the Centre had been sealed up on the inside and hadn't been used for twenty years.

As well as the fine premises, friendly people, warm and professional welcome, I have to give a nod to the Centre's full and imaginative programme of activities. They're running lunchtime meditation sessions every day of the week; more in-depth weekly classes on Monday evenings; day courses (topics including "Experience Inner Peace", "The Art of Enlightenment", "Finding Stillness", "The Kind Heart"); and weekend meditation retreats. I particularly fancy what they're calling, "Stop the Week ... Start the Weekend" - a relaxation meditation followed by a three-course vegetarian meal. The Centre is being promoted as an island of calm in the middle of the city - and a jolly good thing that'll be too!

I'm going back tomorrow at noon, to have a talk with Kadam Chris Heyes, Resident Teacher at the Centre. There are a few ways in which we might be able to work together, such as during the week-long Leicester Speaks event (October) and during National Inter Faith Week in November. Barry Naylor (the Urban Canon) and I have also discussed making some sort of "Spirituality Trail" through the city centre, taking in Leicester Cathedral, the Jain Centre, the Dark Side Cafe in Cank Street (meeting place for local Pagans) and this new Buddhist Centre. In particular I mention the next meeting of Cathedral AM this Wednesday (21 October). The Nagarjuna Kadampa Buddhist Centre would appear to fit right in with the kind of organisations that attend that event so I'll obtain an invitation for them.

CHURCH LEADERS UNVEIL PLANS TO TRANSFORM LEICESTER'S CATHEDRAL SQUARE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Church leaders unveil plans to transform Leicester's cathedral square

Church leaders have unveiled plans to turn an historic area into a public square.

About £1m will be spent creating a plaza outside Leicester Cathedral – one larger than Town Hall Square, with seating for 1,000 people.

It is the first phase of a £12m plan to develop the building and the area around it, which includes the former grounds of Leicester Grammar School.

The buildings were bought by the church in March 2008.

The square will form part of the Heritage Quarter being planned by the city council.

It will include the Magazine, Jewry Wall museum and Castle Gardens.

Plans have been submitted to the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England.

Pete Hobson, director of the project at the Diocese of Leicester, said: "It is one of the oldest areas of Leicester and it deserves attention.

"The work to the cathedral will involve flattening the mounds outside it and levelling the area to create a larger public space with greenery.

"However, it's only the first stage of the project and we are still developing it."

The commission, the body responsible for all Church of England cathedrals, will consider the plans next month.

Dean of Leicester Vivienne Faull said: "Leicester Cathedral is a little-known gem hidden away in our city.

"By developing the space in front of it in this way, we will not only be creating a safer and much more welcoming place, but also a space that can be used by both city and church for large gatherings of all sorts."

Developers have suggested a series of water features, including jets placed within the pavement and a Place Line – a memorial in the form of a pavement inlay, detailing the city's history.

All of the headstones in the area surrounding the cathedral would be removed.

However, the details would be recorded and an alternative memorial incorporated into the design.

Derek Hollingworth, vice-chairman of Leicester Civic Society, said: "It's a good idea and a step in the right direction.

"We need to conserve and restore as many parts of historic Leicester as we can.

"I knew something was in the pipeline for the historic quarter and now it's good to see someone has finally put pen to paper."

Developers said there would be the potential to create a performance stage.

The last phase of the development is expected to see the restoration of the inside of the cathedral and the development of the highways around the site.

Proposals for the former school, would see it transformed into the St Nicholas Centre.

This would house a dance studio, exhibition areas and conference halls.