CATHEDRAL AM, NOVEMBER 2011

At Cathedral AM this morning (the first one I've been able to attend in quite a while). The advertised speaker is Mayor of Leicester City, Sir Peter Soulsby, but his place is taken today by Assistant Mayor Councillor Ted Cassidy.

Our hosts are this morning, as at every one of these gatherings, are Julie Ann Heath (left, in photo above) and Barry Naylor (right). I'm always glad to see Barry, fine fellow that he is, but I'm especially pleased to see Julie Ann, so shortly after our exhibition in Highcross during Inter Faith Week. It as Julie Ann who first got us into Highcross and I still think of that as being her baby. She was unable to come and see the exhibition last week and we were both sorry about that.

We're meeting not in the usual venue of the Cathedral Visitor Centre, but in the neighbouring St Martins House. I've not yet been beyond the reception area of St Martins House before, so it's nice to get a little further into the building today. It's also nice to be able to mix and mingle without every conversation feeling like a promotion for Inter Faith Week!

ANGEL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GARDEN

Julie Ann Heath with a copy of her book, The Angel at the Bottom of the Garden, an illustrated fable for adults

To St Martins House, in the precincts of Leicester Cathedral early this evening, where I've been invited to attend a launch for three books written (and two of them illustrated) by my friend and colleague Julie Ann Heath.

Julie Ann is in charge of the Diocese's Retail Chaplaincy (keeping an eye on the spiritual needs of those who work in the city centre), organises Cathedral AM (the bimonthly networking breakfasts in the Cathedral Visitor Centre) and is a member of Leicester Council of Faiths.

She's been of great help to me in my work, especially helping secure our first exhibition in Highcross during National Inter Faith Week 2009. To me, she's really rather inspirational.

She gives a brief talk about how and why she came to write these books, her own sources of inspiration in C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) and George McDonald (1824-1905) and how her books have been received.

Julie Ann's books are published by Potters Maze.

£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

Church guilty of sin of omission

Surely there are few things that move people to righteous indignation more than religion and punctuation. Put 'em together and whaddaya got? Here's a letter from today's Mercury Mailbox.

Church guilty of sin of omission

Your newspaper is to be commended for giving St Martin the apostrophe that is his due in the article "Church helping to bring in visitors" (Mercury, March 19).

Not so the cathedral authorities whose "corporate decision" it was apparently to approve its removal and name the new building "St Martins".

What next – St Marys, St Margarets, even, perish the thought, St Pauls Cathedral?

Bryan Lewis, Ratby

Church helping bring in visitors

There's a nice article in the Leicester Mercury today about St Martin's House - which recently opened for business - and its contribution to the creation of a new "Heritage Quarter" for Leicester. This is an attractive part of the city centre, built up around the old Grammar School which has since relocated to Great Glen. It's a part of town that is largely unknown and underused. I know it pretty well because I lived in the West End of Leicester for four years and used to walk through this area into the city centre.

The pictutre above is a computer generated image, produced to raise interest in St Martin's House while it was still in development. I couldn't find a good "real" image of the building online that I could post here. This is an accurate rendering of how it looks now though.

I'm sure that this new development will be good for this area. But I have one question: what happened to the possessive apostrophe in "St Martin's"? It's in this article from the Mercury alright, but it's nowhere to be seen on the new building!

Church helping bring in visitors

In the latest in his series on Leicester's regeneration, Ian Griffin looks at work to create a Heritage Quarter

One of the most historic parts of Leicester is undergoing a renaissance.

St Martin's House, in Peacock Lane, opened this year after the £7 million renovation of the former grammar school site.

The office and conference complex has helped attract hundreds more visitors to the area – including the 14th century Guildhall and 11th century cathedral – which has been dubbed "the heritage quarter".

Now, the site's owner, the Anglican Diocese of Leicester, is looking to spend an additional £2 million revamping the ground near to the building.

But, like other developers in the city, it is being forced to find alternative ways of raising the cash after Government spending cuts.

Half of the funding for the second phase of the project was due to have come from East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA). However, this was lost following the announcement that EMDA was to close.

Rev Pete Hobson, director of St Martin's House, said: "We see it as a flagship project which can kick-start regeneration of the heritage quarter.

"This is a project costing some £7 million, which has come from benefactors, not the public sector.

"In terms of regeneration, it's a good story, but it's early days."

About £3 million of the funding for St Martin's came from millionaire businessmen David Wilson and David Samworth, with the rest coming from the diocese and fund-raising schemes.

Office rent and conference rooms and grand hall bookings mean St Martin's House will generate income for the diocese within two years.

In the second phase of the development project, the diocese is also planning to make the school playground and cathedral precincts into Cathedral Square.

Mr Hobson said he was looking at ways of raising cash, including approaching other potential benefactors.

Businesses said the new venue was a valuable addition to the area.

Celine Issitt, corporate account manager at Hotel Maiyango, in nearby St Nicholas Place, which runs corporate and wedding events at St Martin's House, said couples could get married at the historic Guildhall, before moving on to the former school for the reception.

"I think the regeneration of St Martin's House has contributed hugely to putting the stamp of 'heritage quarter' on this part of the city," she said.

"Obviously, the Guildhall and the cathedral have always been here.

"However, the attraction of St Martin's House has really brought an increased footfall to the area.

"It's a beautiful backdrop. People come in and see the grand hall at St Martin's and their jaw drops."

Stuart Bailey, chairman of Leicester Civic Society, said: "There's a tremendous amount of historic buildings in that area.

"Anything that attracts people into it is only going to be good. It will boost the economy of the area. This, in turn, will help further development."

Read this article on the Leicester Mercury website, along with reader comments:
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Church-helping-bring-visitors/article-3348822-detail/article.html

Find out more about St Martin's House and Cathedral Square:
http://cathedralsquare.dioceseofleicester.com/

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.