INTER FAITH WEEK, DAY 4: JAINISM 101

At 1500 we have the sixth of ten public meetings scheduled for Inter Faith Week, under the series title, "Communities of Faith or Belief in Leicester". We're putting on two talks per day in the Adult Education College (or, more precisely, in the Leicester People's Photographic Gallery which is attached to the Adult Education College).

The speaker for this Beginners' Guide to Jainism - or Jainism 101 - is Mehta Pradip, Vice-President of Jain Samaj Europe.

There are no takers today, so Mehta and I sit together for half an hour or so, chatting usefully about the Council of Faiths, Inter Faith Week and the place of the Jain Centre and community in both.

The photo above is one of two Jain images included in the Favourite Faiths Photo exhibition launched this week at the People's Photographic Gallery. The picture shows worshippers in the Jain Centre, Oxford Street, with the Centre's staned glass windows on show. This is believed to be the only Jain place of worship in the world featuring this short of display, which blends something of the previous use of the building with its current purpose.

INTER FAITH WEEK, DAY 4: NHS STAFF MULTI-FAITH RESOURCE BRIEFING AT MANSION HOUSE

At Mansion House, Glenfield Hospital this afternoon, promoting the NHS Staff Multi-Faith Resource (or "Multisave" as its billed on the whiteboard in reception) that Leicester Council of Faiths has helped produce for Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT).

I'm here with Abida Hussain, Equalities and Human Rights Officer in LPT's Integrated Equality Service, as we continue the process of briefing members of LPT staff most likely to use this resource.

This is the second of three lunchtime briefings this week which we (and LPT) are counting as part of our respective activities for Inter Faith Week.

INTER FAITH WEEK, DAY 4: HUMANISM 101

At 1200 today we've scheduled the fifth of ten public meetings for Inter Faith Week, “Communities of Faith or Belief in Leicester" at Leicester Adult Education College (or, more precisely, in the Leicester People's Photographic Gallery, which is part of the Adult Education College).


The speaker for this Beginners’ Guide to Humanism – or Humanism 101 - is Dr Allan Hayes, Director of Leicester Secular Society.


Unfortunately, due to ill-coordinated information about the venue, Allan is unable to deliver the talk. Through no fault of his, he's not directed to the right place, where at least a couple of people are waiting to listen to him. I'm sorry about this and offer our apologies for a good opportunity having been missed. This is especially regrettable as Humanists are not one of the communities of religion or belief represented on Leicester Council of Faiths and they have not taken part in any of the activities that we've organised for this annual event in previous years. I had deliberately put this public meeting in this year's programme of activities to help rectify this and to help bridge the gap between us - and Alla was the first speaker to commit to the talk out of all ten scheduled.

INTER FAITH WEEK, DAY 4: FAVOURITE FAITHS PHOTO EXHIBITION

You may be wondering, faithful reader, what's become of the Favourite Faiths Photo Exhibition at the Leicester People's Photographic Gallery. This is part of our fourfold presentation for Inter Faith Week (and the gallery is also the venue for the afternoon introductory talks that we're presenting in association with Leicester Adult Skills and Learning Service under the banner, "Discover Communities of Religion or Belief in Leicester").

Due to a technical hitch or two, it's taken longer to get the photos printed than we'd hoped. Then Ian Davies, Director of the Leicester People's Photographic Gallery, was rushed into hospital by ambulance on Monday afternoon with sever chest pains. That threw everything out of kilter at the gallery, including our display. So I'm glad (indeed, relieved) to get a message this morning from our contact at John E Wright (the digital printing company which produces everything displayed in the gallery) that our pictures are ready and have been delivered to the gallery. I ask Arthur Winner (who's come along to help out at the exhibition in Highcross) to come up to the gallery and cast his professional photographers' eye over the pictures. I haven't decided on how the photos are going to be displayed, which ones should go together and so on. But after th ten minute walk up to the gallery, we're greeted by Rob Howden, who tells us that the photos haven't shown up there. So Arthur and I take another ten minute walk over to John E Wright in Marble Street, only to be told that the pictures aren't there, that they were definitely delivered to the Adult Education College this morning. Ah, right so ... this is part of the problem with this new venue. No one knows what it's really called (or what it's supposed to be called, since no one wants to refer to it as the Old Central Lending Library - which is the way you end up describing it when you have to accept that no one knows where it is or what you're talking about!). So Arthur and I head over to the Adult Education College in Wellington Street where - lo and behold - our photos are sitting waiting for us, protected by the biggest swathe of bubble wrap I've ever seen *POP!*


We carry the collected 16 photos (printed on board which is rather too big and unwieldy to carry through the streets) up to the gallery, unwrap them and lay them out along one of the walls, so we can judge how they can be displayed (as in the photo above). I have to say that I'm disappointed in how a few of them have turned out. I'd hoped for better results to be honest (Arthur describes the colour in some of them as "punchy" - I'm not sure what that means, but it doesn't sound positive). In the end, I leave decisions about the order of display in the capable hands of fellow Scot John Toye.


When I come back round to the gallery later this afternoon (to meet the speaker for the Jain slot at 1500), John has been trying to hang the pictures, but tells me that all but one of the larger ones just don't fit! Rather than the whole area of the photo plus white space around it being A2, the picture alone has been printed A2 then additional white space added around. This makes them too big to fit in any of the allotted spaces at the gallery. This is strange and somewhat inexplicable, as the printer (John E Wright) does all the production of these prints for the gallery and should have been working to a set standard. John asks me to leave it with him to contact the printer and talk it over. By the end of the afternoon, John E Wright has committed to printing again the anomalous pictures, to the right size this time, at no extra cost to us. Since the bigger versions are now going spare, I take them down to the exhibition at Highcross, where we can use them to add a splash of colour to the display.

INTER FAITH WEEK 2011, DAY 3: HIGHCROSS EXHIBITION

Third day of our week-long exhibition in Highcross to celebrate Inter Faith Week, showcasing the eight communities represented on Leicester Council of Faiths.

I call in at the Welcome Centre first thing and write out invitations to visit the exhibition for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Assistant Mayors I hand them in at Town Hall for distribution through the City Council's internal mail service.

Ben Jackson of BBC Radio Leicester pays an unannounced visit to the display this morning, where he records interviews with Anne Fishenden, local Quaker and Vice Chair of Leicester SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education), Amy Marsh (of the student team from University of Leicester, School of Archaeology and Ancient History which created the Faith Trail) and me. This is for a segment of Ben's breakfast show that will be broadcast on Friday morning.

Bharat Patel, of Pukaar News, contacts me by phone, to ask if he and a camera crew can visit the stall tomorrow to film an interview with our Chair, Cllr Manjula Sood, and our Vice Chair, Fayyaz Suleman. To make sure that all goes well, I immediately seek written permission for this from Highcross management - which I promptly receive, glad to say.

In the afternoon, we receive a brief visit from City Councillors Sundip Meghani and Barbara Potter. Sundip has encountered the Council of Faiths on more than one occasion, but I've never met Barbara before. Sundip sends out a supportive tweet to his 1,423 followers:

Just visited the excellent Leicester @counciloffaiths Inter Faith Week exhibition at the Highcross shopping centre. Well worth a visit!

Follow Councillor Sundip Meghani on Twitter: @Sundip

Final volunteers on the stall this evening are Yasmin Surti and Deirdre O'Sullivan (in photo above). This reflective log entry was made by one of them (I'm not saying which one, but she's not sitting on the right):

"Another cold and dark evening lightened by George's 'sense of humour' - looking forward to the next round."

I like how "sense of humour" is in "inverted commas". I find that very "reassuring" - wouldn't you, "faithful reader"?

INTER FAITH WEEK 2011, DAY 3: HINDUISM 101

At 1500 we've scheduled the fourth of ten public meetings for Inter Faith Week, under the series title, "Communities of Faith or Belief in Leicester". We're putting on two talks per day in the Adult Education College (or, more precisely, in the Leicester People's Photographic Gallery, which is part of the Adult Ed College).

This should have been a Beginners' Guide to Hinduism - or Hinduism 101 - but our scheduled speaker pulled out and we've been unable to secure a substitute. Were it not for the fact that I'm speaker for the occasion. I go up to the College / Gallery to see if anyone has turned up to listen to the talk. The stalwart Marion Kennedy has, so I advise her that it's not on and apologise.

The photo above is one of two images representing the Hindu community in the Favourite Faiths Photo exhibition, launched this week at the People's Photographic Gallery. The picture is from the celebration of Annakut at Shree Sanatan Mandir, Weymouth Street  (sourced from Kiran Parmar, reproduced with permission).

INTER FAITH WEEK 2011, DAY 3: NHS STAFF MULTI-FAITH RESOURCE BRIEFING AT BRANDON MENTAL HEALTH UNIT

At the Brandon Unit, Leicester General Hospital this afternoon, promoting the NHS Staff Multi-Faith Resource that Leicester Council of Faiths has helped produce for Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT).

I'm here with Abida Hussain (photo above), Equalities and Human Rights Officer in LPT's Integrated Equality Service and Revd. Sally Martin, Lead Chaplain of LPT's Spiritual and Pastoral Care Team, as we start the process of briefing members of LPT staff most likely to use this resource.

This is the first of three lunchtime briefings this week which we (and LPT) are counting as part of our respective activities for Inter Faith Week.

INTER FAITH WEEK 2011, DAY 3: CHRISTIANITY 101

At 1200 we have the third of ten public meetings for Inter Faith Week, under the series title, “Communities of Faith or Belief in Leicester". These hour-long introductions are being held in Leicester Adult Education College (or, more precisely, in Leicester People's Photographic Gallery, which is part of the Adult Ed College).

Leicester Council of Faiths is hosting these meetings in association with Leicester Adult Skills and Learning Service (LASALS). Chris Minter, Head of Service at LASALS, expressed an interest in supporting Inter Faith Week this year and we agreed that this would be an appropriate way for LASALS to do so, by allowing free use of its venue and facilities.

The speaker for this Beginners’ Guide to Christianity – or Christianity 101 – is Revd David Dean, from St Philip’s Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi-Faith Society.

The photo above is one of two Christian images included in the Favourite Faiths Photo exhibition launched at Leicester People's Photographic Gallery during Inter Faith Week. The picture shows a scene from Christ in the Centre - the Passion Play enacted in Leicester city centre each Good Friday (sourced from Kiran Parmar, reproduced with permission).

INTER FAITH WEEK, DAY 3: CELEBRATING DIVERSITY OF RELIGIONS

From today's Leicester Mercury:

Celebrating diversity of religions

A week-long series of events celebrating the diversity of religious faiths is under way.

Inter Faith Week 2011 runs until Saturday. Staged by the city's council of faiths, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, it features exhibitions, talks and films.

Manjula Sood, chairman of the council, said: "Leicester has a diverse range of faiths and this is a wonderful opportunity for people to find out more about this fascinating subject.

"Learning more about the beliefs of others is a key part of increasing understanding between people of all faiths, which in turn benefits relationships in communities across the city."

An exhibition is taking place throughout the week at Highcross shopping centre. There is a film festival at Phoenix Square.Leicester People's Photographic Gallery, in Belvoir Street, is featuring an exhibition of images showcasing holy places and sacred sites.

For more information on events, call 0116 254 6868.

INTER FAITH WEEK 2011, DAY 2: HIGHCROSS EXHIBITION

Second day of our week-long exhibition in Highcross to celebrate Inter Faith Week, showcasing the eight communities represented on Leicester Council of Faiths.

The dynamic of the exhibition is beginning to become clear. The new location and layout mean that we're shifting more of free literature than in previous years. While it might seem that, on the other hand, fewer people are stopping to talk this time round, I don't think that's so. In terms of people approaching the stall, the arrangement of the banners is definitely more appealing and effective than before (and we're able to rotate them every so often, to keep it fresh). Putting the free literature on the trestle tables at the sides of the display space allows people to approach and take what they want in relative safety from the volunteers inside the display. You never know how it's going to work out until you see it in action. The dark semi-circle on the floor that marks the outer edge of the display space marks a safe boundary for the public. If you're brave enough to cross that line, then you're fair game!

There's some discussion with members of the public today about the content of the University of Leicester Faiths Trail, the banner and booklet for which are included in our exhibition here. A woman queries (strongly and at length) why the Cathedral was passed over in favour of St Mary de Castro, while a man objects to the omission of Neve Shalom, the Leicester Progressive Synagogue on Avenue Road. The simple answer to the former is that St Mary de Castro is older and has a more interesting history as a building, especially its relation with the Castle (and, after all, the team who compiled the information and created the trail are second year undergraduate students in the University's School of Archaeology and Ancient History). The answer to the latter is that Neve Shalom wouldn't fit into the schedule of a walking tour - although it may well have to in future, given that the Orthdox Synagogue on Highfield Street is up for sale.

I have gentler chats with Marlene from the Salvation Army and David from the local Eckankar group (whom I first met at the launch event for Leicester Speaks last month in Humberstone Gate).

Here are some comments entered in the reflective log by volunteers on the exhibition today:

“I found it particularly difficult to convince the cynics that true interfaith co-operation can be achieved regardless of the political situation. Also a lot of people had issues with the Faith Trail especially the synagogue which is for sale and Orthodox Jewish community in reduction and also the fact that the Mandir has moved. Otherwise a pleasant experience as I enjoy being a social butterfly!” 

“Even though it was early and Monday morning, several people came and took leaflets and brochures; some of them were very keen to get involved and discuss their personal experiences regarding both individual faiths and the wider religious community, Some very useful comments and suggestions were received from the members of the Jewish and Christian communities.” 

“Several people paused and glanced at the display. A couple or three stopped and chatted. There seemed to be a general acceptance of the display.” 

“Many people have passed by. Some have taken an interest. Leaflets have been taken. Wanting to know about neighbour’s religion. Interesting talking amongst ourselves on the subject of spirituality.” 

“I have rather enjoyed talking with the other volunteers. I get a sense of other space within the little enclave that is made from the tables with flyers and the tall boards showing each faith. A smallish sense of discontent from the retail world around us. And that sense disappears as I go and get coffee. I like that just by my presence I help to show others that there are joyful relations between the faiths.” 

“Some very interesting discussions with three separate individuals, related to faith communities generally and in once case personal experience of the journey to having a full time spiritual life. The siting of the display seemed much better this year in terms of the ease it provides for engaging with passers-by – a sense of it being less intrusive and offering a range of different encounters.”