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

WHY IS AN ESTATE OUT ON STREETS IN PROTEST?

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Why is an estate out on streets in protest?

It's an unlikely setting for an ongoing night-after-night street protest.

However, hundreds of people have been gathering in Thurncourt Road, on Leicester's Thurnby Lodge estate, for some weeks now to protest against an Islamic charity's plan to turn a disused Scout hut into a community centre and prayer room.

On Friday, the number of people taking part swelled towards the 400 mark – with about 50 police officers there to oversee it.

The Leicester Mercury has spoken to people on both sides of the debate and to the city council, which is working to resolve the dispute.

The building at the heart of this is the Scout hut in Nursery Road.

The Scout Association paid for the hut to be built in 1974 and it was a busy base for the movement for almost 30 years.

However, the decision to close it was taken 10 years ago.

Peter Hardy, the association's deputy district commissioner, said: "Unfortunately, the leaders who had given great service to the Thurnby Lodge group for many years decided to step down. We tried to find new leaders in the community but there was no response."

After its closure in May 2002, the building lay all but unused, apart from some occasional use by other groups.

It became the centre of the current dispute earlier this year when it became apparent that a charity, the As-Salaam Trust, had stepped forward and wanted to turn it into a community centre.

The trust indicated last week that it would open the centre to the wider community and indicated it would consider reviving the Scout group if there was sufficient local support.

Its members have been meeting at the neighbouring community centre in Thurncourt Road for the past two and a half years. Those meetings have been the focus of the recent protests – which have coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. Residents involved in the protests – some of which have lasted long into the night – insist their argument is with the city council, not the trust.

They believe local people's suggestions for other uses of the building – including a combination of boxing club, gym and dance studio – have not been taken seriously.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and his team say they are talking to the people behind that proposal and hope to find a suitable venue for it in the same area.

The council said it contacted 100 community groups who previously said they needed a new base, to tell them the building could be available. As-Salaam came forward at that point.

The protesters also believe the proposed community centre would bring extra traffic to the area, particularly as it is in a narrow road which is also a bus route.

Maxine Williams, licensee of the neighbouring Stirrup Cup pub, has been at the centre of the group which is organising the protests. She said the protesters' anger was not directed at the Muslim group.

She said: "It all started when someone at the community centre got an e-mail about the Scout hut.

"When it became clear what was happening, we did the correct thing and put a petition forward because we wanted a say over what was happening in our community. There was no consultation and no notices put up in the street, so people felt they weren't being told what was going on."

The future of the Scout hut was to be discussed at the area's regular ward meeting last month. So many people turned up that the meeting was abandoned because it would have breached the building's capacity.

The abandonment of the meeting and the subsequent decision to cancel a ward councillors' surgery a few weeks later angered people.

Residents have said they will continue to stage their street protests, although last Friday's, which drew up to 400 people, was the "big one".

At times, between 30 and 50 police officers have been drafted in to oversee the protests. No arrests have been made. Vanessa McKinnon took part in Friday's protest.

The 40-year-old mum and grandmother to a one-year-old boy, said: "I didn't know that As-Salaam have been praying at the community centre for two and a half years but I can understand why they are looking for a permanent home. But people feel that they already have somewhere to meet.

"A lot of them are coming from far and wide to pray here. We feel there aren't enough things for young people on this estate and we need the council to do something about that.

"I can understand that some people from As-Salaam might be scared by the protests and that's why I have stood on the other side of the road when I've been down there because I don't want to intimidate anyone."

Protest organisers have told the Leicester Mercury they do not welcome the attentions of outside groups such as the British National Party and the English Defence League.

BNP leader Nick Griffin made an impromptu appearance on Friday evening and, reportedly, again yesterday morning. According to eyewitnesses he was greeted with indifference.

Another issue which has arisen is that unfounded rumours have begun circulating through the internet. These include a claim that the neighbouring Anglican Christ Church had been asked to cover its cross for fear of offending Muslims.

Canon David Monteith, Acting Archdeacon of Leicester, said: "There is no truth at all in the malicious rumour that the church was asked to cover the cross. The information is totally unfounded."

PROTESTS STAGED OVER FAITH GROUP PLAN FOR BUILDING

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Protests staged over faith group plan for building

A series of late-night protests have been staged against a faith group's plan to convert a disused Scout hut in Leicester into a community centre.

Dozens of police have been stationed in Thurnby Lodge estate for the past few nights to oversee the peaceful demonstrations, which at their height have attracted up to 150 people.

Residents said they were angry the former Scout hut in Nursery Road looked likely to become a community centre operated by Islamic charity the As-Salaam Trust.

They would like the building, which has been empty for several years, to be developed for the wider community.

They are also concerned about extra traffic the centre might create.

Opponents have held their protests outside the estate's main community centre, in Thurncourt Road, where As-Salaam's members have been meeting for prayers for the past two-and-a-half years.

They said the city council had not asked them for their views on the future use of the Scout hut.

Some support a proposal to set up a boxing club in the building.

Maxine Williams, manager of the Stirrup Cup pub, has been taking part in the demonstrations.

She said: "People are protesting because they feel that they have not been consulted and that the council has handed the keys to the Scout hut to As-Salaam.

"There is a lot of concern about the amount of traffic that it will bring and that people's peace will be shattered."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby was due to meet a group of residents today.

He said: "As-Salaam has been meeting in the area for some time and was looking for a permanent home.

"If the people who are interested in opening a boxing club can establish themselves, we will help them find suitable premises.

"However, our view was they were a long way from being in a position to take this building on."

Mohammed Lockhat, As-Salaam's imam, said: "If we could sit down together and talk, we would be able to understand each other better.

"People have said they are concerned about traffic, but most of the people would be walking to the Scout hut because they live here."

The Scout Association told the city council in September last year that it wanted to end its lease of the hut.

The council said it then contacted more than 100 community groups which had told it they were looking for premises.

Of the groups that expressed an interest, As Salaam was the only one that could meet the lease criteria agreed with the Scout Association, the council said in a leaflet which was delivered to homes on the estate last week.

A police spokeswoman said: "The police have a legal duty to facilitate a peaceful protest and have no powers to stop a demonstration."