AN APPEAL TO IN-SPIRE US ALL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

An appeal to in-spire us all

An appeal has been launched to save the spire of one of England's most historically important churches.

The spire of St Mary de Castro, Leicester, is in desperate need of repair after six-metre cracks were discovered on four of its eight faces.

Architectural engineers have been called in to install steel bands inside the 120ft structure to save it from collapsing.

However, up to £500,000 may be required to fix the damage properly.

Supporters have now launched an SOS – Save Our Spire – Appeal. Its official launch took place at the church on Saturday, where civic leaders and guests gathered to hear about the 900-year-old building's plight.

Vic Allsop, chairman of the SOS Appeal, said: "Repair of the structure of the spire is necessary due to it being identified by English Heritage as not safe in its present condition.

"English Heritage has kindly offered us a grant of £187,000 towards our £329,000 target.

"However, the project could well end up costing up to £500,000.

"A tremendous amount of work has gone in over the past few months in getting us this far but there is still a long way to go.

"I was born in Leicester and this church is important to me, our city and to an awful lot of other people.

"Heritage is something we lose if it's not looked after."

Church member and appeal co-ordinator Rosemary Mason, said: "The spire is such an iconic feature in Leicester's skyline and we at St Mary's wish to preserve this gem for future generations to enjoy.

"St Mary's is a church for everybody and that's why help from the whole community is so important to this project."

People can sponsor a single stone for £15, or a decorated stone for £250, and have their names inscribed on it.

The church's rescue plan includes developing links with the wider community.

A brass band concert will be one of the first big fund-raisers on December 1.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and chairman of Leicestershire County Council Peter Lewis attended the appeal launch, where Lady Gretton, Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, was revealed as its new patron.

 Accountants Newby Castleman is sponsoring the appeal.

Sir Peter said: "I am very impressed at how the church has brought so many people together and I'm confident individuals and businesses will support the spire appeal."

Councillor Lewis said: "We should all work together to make sure that in this time of cuts and financial difficulty, treasures such as this building are not forgotten."

For details of how to donate or get involved call Mrs Mason on 07710531792, e-mail:sosstmarydecastro@ btinternet.com

www.facebook.com/SaveOurSpireStMaryDeCastroChurchLeicester

STORY OF UGANDA EXODUS IS TOLD

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Story of Uganda exodus is told

A digital audio trail has been launched that tells the story of Leicester's Ugandan Asians.

New Walk Museum and Art Gallery is running the From Kampala to Leicester exhibition to mark the 40th anniversary of the arrival in the city of about 10,000 people expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin.

The audio trail guides people between the museum and Phoenix, in the Cultural Quarter.

Councillor Piara Singh Clair, assistant city mayor responsible for heritage, said: "This is a fascinating part of Leicester's history and this digital trail through the city will bring it to life as never before.

It is an exciting opportunity to learn more about the exodus of Ugandan Asians."

The trail uses personal testimony from Leicester's Ugandan Asian community.

Restaurateur Dharmesh Lakhani, of Belgrave Road, whose family was among those expelled, said: "It something different and that could be quite exciting."

Accountant Praful Thakrar, of Oadby, said: "This is a very good idea which will help today's generation understand better what their parents and grandparents went through."

From Kampala to Leicester runs until September 30.

Shop windows along the trail will display posters featuring QR codes, which can be read by smartphones to access more information.

www.leicester.gov.uk/ ugandanasianstory/

OUR LEICESTER DAY 2012

Today Leicester Market  is the lively venue for the second  Our Leicester Day. Voluntary and Community Sector organisations from the city and county (Leicester Council of Faiths among them) are promoting themselves and showing what they get up to, so as many people as possible can get involved in their activities. Our Leicester Day is a showcase of what goes on in and around our neighbourhood. A real diversity of activities, cultures and interests is on display, including street performers, musicians and singers among the dozens of stalls promoting organisations from all across Leicester and Leicestershire.

Last year, Our Leicester Day was plagued by Hurricane Katia. Even at a distance, Katia wreaked havoc on the displays, blowing stuff over exhibitions, ripping banners, uprooting displays and scattering literature. Never were "fliers" so appropriately named! The weather today starts milder (and warmer) than last year, which emboldens me to bring down our whole exhibition with all ten pop-up banners. But by the time I get half of them up, it's clear that even without a hurricane, the wind is going to be too strong again. The banners come back down and back into the drums. I keep the two "generic" banners up, with their feet anchored under the drums, but that doesn't work very well, so I do the best I can by tying them together. The wind is still too strong and they blow over (together) several times. They really do seem to be indestructible, thank goodness. It's inconvenient and annoying, but on other stalls it's downright dangerous. Once again, it's a minor miracle that no one gets hurt as some heavy gear goes tumbling down.

Our display is hardly excitement on stilts. I had hoped to put up something nicer, but discretion is the better part of valour, as they say! I wasn't going to run the risk of having our exhibition ruined by falling one too many times - or of it falling on someone. I was too optimistic in thinking we could do this without encountering any difficulty. It's not an outdoor exhibition and I shouldn't expect it to be like one. At least this time we have nice coverings for the tables. We share the stall today with members of the local Brahma Kumaris group (the chaps in white shirts in the photo above). Thanks to them for coming to the aid of our display whenever the wind whipped up. They have a very solid, chunky set of boards themselves, which gets blown over a couple of times before they decide to play safe and pack it away.

Our Leicester Day is certainly a nice opportunity to meet friends and colleagues active in the Voluntary and Community Sector, to make new contacts and to collect details of people who'd like to come to our future activities. But there are far fewer people here today than there were last year and I wouldn't be surprised if many of these absentees have stayed away because of concerns over health and safety issues. I brought Harry and Grace here last year and felt queasy about their safety more than once. Although today started nicely enough, I decided that I wouldn't take that risk with them this time. There was a debrief shortly after the first Our Leicester Day last year at which I raised the matter of health and safety, that it wasn't a secure environment, but it was dismissed with little discussion, from what seemed to be an ideological standpoint. I think it would be tempting fate to have this event in the same place again next year.

Major props, though, to John, Tina, Holly, Will et al, without whom there would be very little here! More power to Somewhere_to, Citizens' Eye and (as I discovered today) Citizens' Ear. Yes indeed but that's still to come!

PEACE VISIT 2012

Today Leicester Council of Faiths is holding our annual Peace Visit. This is one of what might be called our "signature" events for the benefit of the general public in Leicester (the others being our exhibition in Highcross during Inter Faith Week at the end of November and Holocaust Memorial Day in January).

There are twelve of us when we set off by minibus from Town Hall Square (after a brief welcome from Cllr Manjula Sood, Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths). The size of the group varies at each stop; at its height later in the day, there are 13 of us. It's a pleasant, sunny and warm day and we have a nice mix of old hands and new faces among us today.

Stage 1: Jain Centre

Our first stop is the Jain Centre on Oxford Street. The itinerary for the Peace Visit has changed each year (as has the name of the event, which has occasionally gone under different titles). The Jain Centre, however, has been a constant: and no wonder - it's surely the most distinctive among Leicester's many places of worship. I've visited it at least a dozen times and each time I do, something new has been done to the place. There's a nice panel display in a long corridor that's recently been opened up, conveying the history, beliefs, principles and practices of Jainism.

Stage 2: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

This temple has been open to public worship for less than a year, but has already become a major attraction, not only for worshippers but also for tourists. We're shown around by Narendra Waghela, who is one of two representatives of the local Swaminarayan community on Leicester Council of Faiths. He explains a few of the technical secrets behind making the whole site function to award-winning standards. It really is a beautiful place, with something to delight all the senses as well as elevate the soul.

Stage 3: All Saints' Church, Kerrysdale Avenue

We emerge from Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, get into our minibus and cross the road to our next stop. The Church of All Saints serves Leicester's Asian Christian congregation. Originally St Gabriel's (the statue of the Archangel has been retained above the entrance, as you can see top right in the photo above), the church was closed due to falling number of Anglican worshippers and remained unused for two years until it was resurrected in June 2012 for this diverse community. I haven't been to this church today (in either of its forms). We're given a warm welcome (in what is a surprisingly cold building) by the Pastor, Sunny George, and a handful of the congregation.

Stage 4: Guru Ravi Dass Sikh Temple, Harrison Road

Final stop on our short tour is another place I haven't visited before. This temple is named for Guru Ravi Dass, a revered historical figure among Sikhs and Hindus, previously unknown to me. Guru Nanak is reported to have met him and some of his verses are included in the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. Today's been quite an education for me - as are most days in this job!

I reckon that, if we had the resources, we could fill a minibus on this kind of tour once a month. There's certainly variety among the places of worship that we could visit plenty of them with dreary repetition. With adequate promotion, we could surely get a dozen people on board, once a month. Ajay, who is Co-ordinator at Leicester Council of Faiths, organises our annual Peace Visit. I wonder how he'd feel about that ...

GROUPS TO SHOWCASE WORK AT CITY MARKET

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Groups to showcase work at city market

Wheelchair basketball players, sci-fi fans and charity workers will be among those taking over Leicester Market tomorrow.

Up to 100 charities, community groups, societies and clubs are set to showcase their work and activities at the second Our Leicester Day.

It is hoped the event, founded by businessman and charity worker Richard Brucciani, will be bigger and better than last year's debut event.

Mr Brucciani, chairman of hygiene products manufacturer Pal International, said: "We're all looking forward to the return of Our Leicester Day and, luckily, the weather should be a bit better for us this time around.

"There will be a range of activities happening, with all the different organisations showcasing what they've got to offer and, hopefully, it will be even better than last year.

"There will be a performance area this year where budding young pop stars, drama groups and street dancers will perform.

"The Leicester Cobras Wheelchair Basketball team are also going to make an appearance, which is very topical with the Paralympics taking place."

Having secured a £2,000 grant from the RSA charity to stage the event last year, Mr Brucciani has managed to persuade them to hand over £5,000 this time around.

Not all of the money will be spent tomorrow, though, as Mr Brucciani plans to use it for further events.

Rob Hunter, of Dads' United, a resource group for fathers, said: "It was a great day last year working alongside some good men and we all learnt a lot.

"We are aiming to raise the profile of our organisations and hopefully recruit some new members.

"After the terrible windy conditions that we experienced last year, it's nice to see that the weather forecast looks pretty good."

John Coster, managing editor of Citizen's Eye, a community news agency, and one of the event organisers, said: "We're in charge of the filming, photography and social networking and it will certainly be bigger and better than last year."

Other organisations taking part include Leicester Civic Society, Chill Enterprises, Leicester Charity Link and Starbase Leicester, a group for sci-fi and fantasy fans.

Our Leicester Day will take place from 11am to 3pm tomorrow.

For more information about the event, visit: www.leicesterday.org.uk

CITY TO THANK ITS UGANDAN ASIANS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

City to thank its Ugandan Asians

Councillors are to publicly thank the Ugandan Asian community in Leicester for its contributions to the city's life over the past 40 years.

About 10,000 Asians took refuge in the city after dictator Idi Amin expelled them from the east African nation in 1972.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the expulsion, city councillors are to discuss a motion recognising the social economic and cultural benefits the refugees' arrival has had.

Councillor Sundip Meghani has proposed the motion. His father, Shantilal, and his family settled in Leicester after being expelled from Uganda with just £50 in their pockets. His mother, Nainaben, had come to the city before the expulsions.

Coun Meghani said: "It is a symbolic gesture on an issue that is of great importance to the whole city.

"More than 10,000 Ugandan Asians came here. Most were active, hard-working and entrepreneurial people.

"They helped the recovery of an economy that, in the early 1970s was struggling – particularly the hosiery industry.

"Today, they and their relatives play a major part in the city's business. It's in everything from restaurants to banking and the legal sector."

Coun Meghani is also urging his colleagues to condemn those who seek to discourage people fleeing persecution from coming to the city.

He said: "At the time of the expulsions there was a lot of rhetoric from anti-immigration groups and the National Front to try to stop Ugandan Asians coming here.

"The city council also foolishly took out adverts in papers telling them not to come here.

"Leicester reluctantly accepted the Ugandan Asians but now, after 40 years, the city is a much better place for their arrival.

"The city was a very different place back then and there was uncertainty and fear about immigration. Now we know what an important role those fleeing persecution have played."

Dharmesh Lakhani, chairman of Belgrave Business Association, was four years old when his family came to Leicester.

Dharmesh, who runs Bobby's restaurant, in Belgrave Road, said: "Ugandan Asians should also thank the people of Leicester for accepting them.

"I know there was a campaign to stop people coming here and there was a lot of ridiculous propaganda, but I never got the sense from most people that we were not welcome.

"Let's remember, people were uncertain about what to expect. They were not told most Ugandan Asians were successful, middle-class people.

"There are many Ugandan Asians like me who now consider themselves As British as anyone and they have worked hard to develop successful businesses to add to this city.''

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (2,183)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United Kingdom 674
2. United States 605
3. Russia 376
4. France 162
5. Ukraine 110
6. Germany 85
7. India 48
8. China 45
9. Netherlands 37
10. Spain 31

This week's total: 2,183 (last week: 1,813). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.

HERITAGE OPEN DAY AT LEICESTER SYNAGOGUE

Leicester's Orthodox Synagogue, on Highfield Street, is participating in the Heritage Open Days scheme, receiving visitors today and on Sunday (9 October). The Council of Faiths normally includes the Synagogue in our annual Peace Visit at this time of year, but as that's being held on Saturday (10 October), it won't be on the itinerary this year. Rather than miss out on seeing this building (which I love), I'm making my own visit this morning.

Photo by Ben Ravilious, by permission.

IT'S SATAN RUNNING THE SHOW ON EARTH

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

It's Satan running the show on earth

I have read, with interest, many letters discussing the existence of God, the activities of His followers and various associated issues.

I was particularly interested in a letter by Don Tallis ("Diversity exists without Divinity", Mailbox, August 15).

He closes by posing the question: Why does a benevolent God allow disasters, tragic events and the deaths of innocent children?

I will not insult anyone's intelligence with the "God moves in mysterious ways" cop-out.

Having been a Bible student for 29 years, it is clear that God always makes clear His will and purpose. We need to bear in mind that according to 1 John 5:19, it is Satan who is currently running the show here on Earth.

The scriptures also makes it very clear that we are living in what the Bible calls the last days.

The good news is that God will shortly bring an end to the wicked system.

All that has happened throughout mankind's history thus far has come about because God's right to rule was challenged by Satan.

How will this change come about? Well, I'm sure we've all said the Lord's Prayer, where we ask for God's Kingdom to come.

It is that kingdom that will remove Satan and his cohorts along with all the wickedness and wicked people from the face of the Earth.

All of this information and so much more is available to us all in God's handbook for life, the Bible. All scriptures cited are from the "amplified Bible".

I realise that there are so many questions that people may have, on a multitude of subjects. God's word contains the answers.

So, next time someone offers you a free home Bible study, why not accept the offer?

I did and now have a wonderful hope for the future, despite how bleak things look at the moment.

I hope this answers Mr Tallis's question.

Keith Coleman, Worthington

PILGRIMS WARNED OF HAJJ RIP-OFF

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Pilgrims warned of Hajj rip-off

agent watchdogs have issued a warning to pilgrims from Leicester heading off for the Hajj to beware of the dangers of booking with unlicensed companies.

Thousands of Muslims will to be heading Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage which takes place between October 24 and 29.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has warned that many pay for travel arrangements that are sub-standard, or in the worst cases non-existent, leaving travellers out of pocket by thousands of pounds.

Every year pilgrims pay thousands of pounds for specialist Hajj flight and accommodation arrangements.

ABTA risk manager Steve Abrahamson said: "Every year the police and trading standards offices have to deal with cases of Hajj pilgrims who have lost substantial amounts of money or arrived in Saudi Arabia to find that their accommodation and other travel arrangements are of a much lower standard than they had paid for."

By UK law, if a travel company books a customer on a flight-based package holiday, it must have an ATOL (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) licence in place to ensure the customer is financially protected in the event something goes wrong.

If the travel companies are not members of ABTA, they are not policed by its code of conduct which ensures customers receive high standards of service, fair terms of trading and accurate booking information.

ABTA membership also means that if something should go wrong before or after the trip, pilgrims would be able to use ABTA's cost-effective and swift complaint handling service.

ABTA said whether someone is offering a Hajj trip or a holiday, the same laws applied and companies must have an ATOL licence when selling flights and accommodation as a package or act as an agent for a company that does.

Hajj pilgrims should always check that they are legitimate ABTA members and that they hold an ATOL licence.

Pilgrims are encouraged to check with ATOL on 020 7453 6700 whether the company they are booking with is registered.