THREE TAKE OATHS AS DEPUTY LIEUTENANTS OF COUNTY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Three take oaths as Deputy Lieutenants of county

Three Deputy Lieutenants have been commissioned under oath in honour of their service to the community.

The Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Jennifer, Lady Gretton, made the appointments at a ceremony at Beaumanor Hall.

Deputy Ramanbhai Barber, of, Leicester, is president of Shree Sanatan Mandir, in the city, and an executive member of Leicester Council of Faiths.

Janie Martin, of Woodhouse Eaves, is county president of the Royal British Legion (Women's section) and president of the Friends of Charnwood Forest.

Dr Bridget Towle, of Loughborough, is president of Girlguiding Leicestershire and a member of the University of Leicester's Council.

HIGH SHERIFF'S CHARITY EVENT

I have the honour of being invited by the High Sheriff of Leicestershire, Resham Singh Sandhu MBE DL, to join him and his guests - chief among them being Lady Gretton, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire - at a fund-raising event this evening in aid of Crimebeat Warning Zone, the High Sheriff's chosen charity.

There's a convivial atmosphere on what is an unseasonably warm evening (warm enough to melt the chocolates on offer). The proceedings are lent a slightly surreal air by many of the guests perching on the edges of (high quality) baths, shower stalls etc in the display areas of Plug Interiors, which is the venue for the evening.

A decent amount of money and considerable good will is raised for a good cause this evening. It's a privilege for me to play a part in that, however small.

QUEEN'S GARDEN PARTY AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

To London this morning, to attend a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Cllr Manjula Sood, Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths and former Lord Mayor of Leicester, secured invitations for Ajay Aggarwal (Coordinator at the Council of Faiths office) and I to attend this event today. I don't really know if you're invited to attend a Garden Party for a particular reason, but Manjula said it being in recognition of our work in promoting community cohesion - and her word is good enough for me.

The process started back in January. Manjula recommended our names to the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, whose office passes them on to the Palace, whence the Lord Chamberlain's Office issues the invitations. We can each take one guest with us. Ajay's wife is poorly today and can't come. Clare is with me. We've both agonised over what to wear. I buy a new suit (the day before, of course!) I haven't bought a new suit in at least seven years and am embarrassed to admit that I've gone up from a 34 inch waist to a 38 in that time.

Dress code for the day is:

Ladies: Day dress with hat or Uniform (No medals). Trouser suit may be worn

Gentlemen: Morning Coat, Lounge Suit or Uniform (No medals).

Chains of Office may be worn; National Dress may be worn.

Clare is wearing a Fascinator. If it were not for occasions such as this (and Ladies Day at Ascot), the Fascinator would surely have died out by now. There are plenty on show here, of varied designs and colours. Some of them look amazing, like little clouds of sprites orbiting the wearer's head; others look weirdly like the result of an explosive gunshot wound! Clare's is very subtle - it's cyan, matching the main colour in her outfit. She's worn it since leaving the house this morning. When she got into a taxi to go to the train station, the taxi driver asked her, "And where are we going to?" She replied, "Buckingham Palace" to which the driver responded, "No, where are we going to now?"

Gates open to admit guests at 1500. We spend an hour or so before that in Green Park. We have a brief pleasant chat with a fellow guest, who turns out to be Photo Editor for the magazine Derbyshire Life. I take the opportunity to leave her my card for REDP (of course). I get two 99s from a kiosk at the other end of the park and walk back to the bench Clare's on with arms ever more outstretched, to prevent the melting ice cream dripping onto my suit.

Here's the timetable for the afternoon, taken from the printed programme:

1500 Gates open

1530 Tea is served in the main tent until 1700

1540 Yeomen of the Guard hold ground

1600 The National anthem announces the arrival of Her Majesty The Queen and Members of the Royal Family. A small number of individual presentations will be pre-arranged with those who are to be presented in the Garden near the Terrace Steps. Gentlemen at arms will then form lanes for the Queen and Members of the Royal Family to move through the guests.

1615 Tea is served in the Diplomatic Tea Tent

1630 Tea is served in the Royal Tea Tent

1710 The Queen and Members of the Royal Family depart

1800 The National anthem

We enter the Palace grounds not through the gate at Hyde Park Corner, as the queue is probably shorter there, with a wait of about 20 minutes. We move down through the gardens following the sound of the band, eventually settling in a shady spot from which we can see the front entrance to the Palace. The Royal Car (I don't know if that's meant to have initial caps, but best to play safe) draws up and two people who appear to be the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh (recognisable at some distance by his distinctive gait) alight and go on up the steps into the Palace.

Several myths and misconceptions exist about these Garden Parties (many of which I believed myself before attending). It's certainly a mistake to describe it (as so many do) as "taking tea with the Queen". We don't see the Queen or any other member of the Royal Family close up. No one comes into contact with any of them unless you have a specific invitation to the Diplomatic Tea Tent or the Royal Tea Tent. A good number of people position their seats in front of the Royal Tea Tent (which stretches for quite a way and is open to view for almost its entire length) and get a good view of the dignitaries inside. That's not really our cup of tea (Ah thang yaw!) and we spend most of our time looking round the gardens. Clare's a bit of a birdwatcher, so takes an interest in what's swimming on the lake.

In the general information all guests receive in advance of the day, we're told that "cameras may not be brought as photography is not permitted in the Palace or Garden" (that's in bold caps) and that "mobile telephones must be switched off" (that's in bold caps and underlined). So there are no personal photos to illustrate the visit (although as we walk round the garden, we do see folk taking sneaky pics here and there). I did try and take a few in Green Park, before and after, but I haven't yet mastered the arms-length camera phone self portrait (as you can see, from the one below).

This is a pleasant experience (no matter what my expression might say in the photo above) and a lovely way to spend a sunny summer afternoon. We're glad we went and we're grateful to Manjula for putting our names forward to receive the invitations.

GROUNDBREAKING AT ST MARTIN'S HOUSE

To Leicester Cathedral Visitor Centre this morning, for a reception to mark the beginning of work on St Martin's House.

Bishop Tim welcomes guests, explained the vision for St Martin's House, then introduces the following: Duncan Green (from Pick Everard, consultant architects to the project); Andrew Grainger (Chair of Construction Group); John Hallm (MD of Hallams). There then follow a few words from the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Lady Jennifer Gretton, and from the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Cllr Roger Blackmore.

Rev. Pete Hobson introduces a brief digital video presentation showing us what St Martin's House will look like when it's finished and opened, around this time next year.

We then move outside into Cathedral Square, where Bishop Tim unveils the new St Martin's House logo, leads us all in the Cathedral Square prayer, then climbs into a JCB to break the ground to mark the start of the project (as shown in the photo above). We then move back into the Cathedral Visitor Centre for refreshments and the chance to look over an exhibition about the project. Here's the text of the Cathedral Square prayer:

Lord our God

You breathe new life into your people

Inspire us as we develop Cathedral Square

So that it may be full of new life

Help us to make it a place of welcome,

A place where all people can flourish

A place of prayer, of laughter and of wonder,

A place which gives glory to you

Through Jesus Christ our Lord

Amen

Here's how this event was reported in the Leicester Mercury the next day (Tue 13 Apr):

Work to convert a former school into an outreach centre to help vulnerable people has begun. 

The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, marked the start of the project at Leicester Grammar School site, in Peacock Lane, yesterday. 

He described the moment as the beginning of a "major new chapter" for the cathedral. 

Conversion of the buildings into St Martin's House is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with an opening planned for spring 2011. 

It will be home to social outreach projects, a dance studio, song school and conference space, as well as catering facilities, toilets and a shop. A venue will be built in the former Grand Hall. 

Bishop Tim said: "The transformation of the grammar school into a place of Christian hospitality and welcome, reaching out to the most vulnerable in our society, is a very significant event in the life of our city." 

At the heart of the £3m project is a social outreach centre aimed at helping those people out work and not in any form of training or education. 

Bishop Tim said: "It is the job of the Christian community to serve the wider community, to reach out. 

"That is what we are called to do and this will mark a major chapter in that mission." 

Plans to transform the grammar school and the area around St Martin's were first announced in 2008. 

The diocese bought the school building later that year. 

The work is being funded by the Church and donors including Bardon Hill house-builder David Wilson and the Samworth family, who also co-sponsor Samworth Academy in Eyres Monsell. 

The area outside the cathedral is to be turned into a public square big enough to hold concerts for a crowd of 1,500. 

A third phase will see changes to the cathedral to open it to more natural light. 

The total project is expected to cost about £12m. 

Speaking at yesterday's official ceremony the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Jennifer, Lady Gretton, said: "With Leicester Grammar now in its new home, it is reassuring to know the heritage of this wonderful building will be preserved and put to very good use for the wider community." 

The centre has been designed by architects at Pick Everard and the work will be carried out by city builder Hallam's. 

Managing director John Hallam said: "This is a very exciting project."

Read BBC Leicester's report on this morning's event.