Today's display is quite a step-up from the one-hour event with
which we launched the first Leicester Speaks a year ago. In October 2010 we had
a stage in Humberstone Gate for
60 minutes onto which John Coster and I (as Co-Chairs) sought to usher
unsuspecting folk to take the microphone so that they could have 60 seconds in
which to speak about something important to them. Just about everyone involved
thought the event successful, so it makes sense to have it bigger and longer
this year.
We also had a Pre-Launch Event in Gallowtree Gate at the beginning
of August, which did a lot to raise awareness of Leicester Speaks and encourage
more organisations to get involved this time.
There are a couple of dozen displays from different organisations
in a street market layout, along both sides of Humberstone Gate. The photo
above shows (from left to right) Harry Perry of Leicester Secular Society (our
neighbours under canvass here today), that guy who's always hanging around with
his big camera and whose name no one seems to know; Fari Wyman (the first Mrs
Ballentyne) and our son, Alastair.
There are a number of fixed slots throughout the day when we
encourage people to get up and speak, but this proves a lot harder than it was
last year. On reflection, I think that when people see this much bigger, more
professional staging, they expect to be entertained rather than get up on stage
and do something themselves.
It was good to have Fari on hand this afternoon, as a chap from
Leicester's small and rarely noticed Zoroastrian community came to the stall
and they two of them were able to converse in Farsi.
The
day proves exhausting, particularly trying to to marshall reluctant speakers
onto the stage. By the end of it all, John Coster and I agree that, after two years of co-chairing Leicester Speaks, someone else should have that privilege next year.
