This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
UK City of Culture programme would come with price tag
by Dan Martin
At least £10 million of public cash will be needed to stage a UK City of Culture programme, according to the Government.
Leicester is one of 11 areas hoping to successfully bid for the title, held by Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
City council bosses and senior arts and business figures believe Leicester being named City of Culture would boost the local economy massively through tourism and the marketing value of winning.
A report to be considered by city councillors next week has said the authority would be required to underwrite the entire cost of a programme of cultural events, should it win the bid.
However, it is anticipated private and public sector organisations would contribute to the final cost.
A city council spokeswoman said the £10 million quoted in the report was a guidance figure from the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) in its notes for bidding cities.
She said: "The figure is an illustrative amount for a bidding city, not a bidding council – and it's not what we're saying Leicester's programme of events would cost.
"Our final bid – which would be submitted in September, if we were to be shortlisted after the first round of bidding – would include fully-costed proposals for Leicester's programme of events."
She said the city already had an impressive annual programme of arts and cultural events, but the calendar for 2017 would require new ideas.
"Those are still being worked on, so it's too early to comment on what Leicester's programme might include – and how much it might cost," she said.
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, chairman of the consortium running the bid, said: "We as a city have the capacity to put these kind of resources behind the bid.
"With the support of businesses and the creative community, who have been very enthusiastic, a programme of this scale is very achievable."
He said it was standard practice for councils to underwrite such bids, adding: "It will bring tens, or hundreds, of millions of pounds into the local economy."
Geoff Rowe, a member of Leicester's bidding board, thinks the figure is based on what Londonderry had spent.
"They invested a lot in capital projects," he said.
"Leicester's bid is focused more on social regeneration and the community rather than major capital schemes."
Conservative opposition councillor Ross Grant said it had been anticipated the Special Olympics hosted by Leicester in 2009 would attract private sponsorship but, in the end, the council used £1 million of reserves to underwrite the games.
"I'd be very wary about saying 'this is great, let's do it' and jumping in only to find we can't afford it," said Coun Grant.
The DCMS guidance notes said a 2009 report suggested "that around £10 million of public funding, as a minimum, over and above a local authority's typical baseline per annum spend on culture, would be needed to prepare for and deliver a reasonable UK City of Culture programme."
The council's annual budget for arts and museums is £5.5 million.
The initial bid process, to be completed by the end of the month, is costing £100,000 split between the council and its partners.
At Phoenix this morning, for the fortnightly meeting of Creative Coffee Leicester. The main attraction this morning is our speaker, Tim Grayson. Tim is an English Symbolist poet English
Symbolist poet, playwright and Cultural Ambassador for Leicester City
(as appointed by Leicester City Council in 2009). He works for Tudor Rose
Publishing and lectures on a visiting basis in poetry and creative writing
at the University of Leicester. Tim is also a regular panellist on
BBC Radio Leicester, Patron of the Royal Society of Literature, Chair of the
Leicestershire Order of Chivalry, co-founder of the Brothellian Movement,
British host of international literary show "The Poetry Brothel" (others in Chicago,
Barcelona, New York, Athens, New Orleans & Vietnam) and has been published
in literary journals on both sides of the Atlantic. In November 2012, the
University of Leicester named Tim one of "the most
significant and influential writers of [his] generation."
I sit through Tim's talk beside Becky Wilson, whom I've met at Creative Coffee three or four times now. Becky is a card-carrying geek - quite literally, as you can see from the photo below. Her card says, Becky Wilson, Social Media Geek.
I decide to find out just how much of a geek she is by saying that I find this the name of this morning's speaker especially interesting as it's a mashup of Tim Drake (the third Robin, sidekick to Batman - now Red Robin, leader of the Teen Titans in DC Comics' New 52 continuity) and Dick Grayson (the first Robin, now Nightwing). I've barely started saying this when Becky finishes it for me. By George, I think she's got it! I experience a lightbulb moment and ask Becky, "What do you think of the idea of holding an international ComicCon in Leicester in 2017?"
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Lord Mayor honours group
by Stephen Penn & Stuart Rust
A community group which helped brighten up its neighbourhood with floral displays and hanging baskets has been honoured by the Lord Mayor.
Aylestone Local Action Group was formed in 2010 after residents were inspired by the annual Britain in Bloom contest to improve the area.
They applied for funding from the city council to put up hanging baskets on shop fronts and commissioned steel planters to help liven up the main road through the area.
On Monday, the group was presented with the Lord Mayor's Honoured Citizen Award at the town hall.
Chairman Lin Moss said: "We had the idea to improve the look of the shopping precinct in Aylestone, and the Britain in Bloom scheme gave us the focus of flowers and plants to make it a more attractive place, both for residents and those who travel through.
"There has been a great reaction from the community.
"While we are out watering or changing the plants, we also get a positive reaction from people in the street.
"However, it takes a lot of work and, as we are all volunteers, we are always looking for people to lend a hand."
The group has received support from people and organisations, including shopkeepers and the Brownies.
It has received funding from the city council's Aylestone ward community fund.
As well as hanging baskets and flowers, the group has also put up a notice board in the centre of Aylestone, and holds regular litter picks.
Lord Mayor Councillor Abdul Osman said: "I went down to Aylestone to see for myself the work they have done and was very impressed with the steel planters and all of the design work they have managed to do with the ward funding."
They were nominated for the award by Aylestone councillor Nigel Porter. He said: "I'm happy to see the group get honoured here, especially after witnessing their hard work over the past three years.
"It's nice to see them getting their well-deserved pat on the back and a cup of tea."
Fellow ward councillor Adam Clarke said: "It's great to see the group getting so involved in the community and helping make changes beyond the capabilities of the council."
In the photo above, back row, third from right is Minou Cortazzi, who represents the city's Bahá'ís on Leicester Council of Faiths, of which she was Chair, 2007-09.
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Statue in honour od suffragette Alice Hawkins to be put in Leicester Market
by Peter Warzynski
A statue of city suffragette Alice Hawkins is set to be put up at Leicester Market, where she delivered many of her speeches aiming to win women the right to vote.
It comes after a campaign by people determined to honour Alice, who died 67 years ago, aged 83.
During her life, she fought for women's rights and equality and was imprisoned five times for standing up for her beliefs.
The campaigners, including councillor Adam Clarke, members of the Civic Society, the National Union of Teachers and Alice's relatives, have been told by city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby they can erect a memorial statue at Leicester Market.
The group will meet later this month to draw up an artist's brief for how they want the monument to look.
Coun Clarke said: "We're looking at somewhere in the market place, but we are nowhere near specifics yet.
"I think the market would be very fitting, it's where Alice spoke to crowds and we want to highlight it as a civic space, as well as a place of commerce.
"Sir Peter has been very good and said he would give us a spot and provide a plinth.
"It's just a start and there's a long way to go, but I think we've got a real argument for putting something together."
Sir Peter said he was happy for the market place to become home to the statue.
He said: "Alice Hawkins is one of the real heroines of modern democracy and she deserves to be properly commemorated.
"I can't think of anywhere better suited than the place where she gave her speeches.
"I'm very happy to consider any suggestions put forward."
A Facebook campaign calling for the statue has been supported by more than 140 people.
The group behind the campaign is looking at ways to raise money for the project, which will be funded by the public, except for the plinth, which will be donated by Leicester City Council.
Leicester Civic Society chairman Stuart Bailey said: "This brave woman spoke out and even went to Gaol in the suffragette cause.
The ideal place would be in Leicester Market, on the spot where she used to put down her soapbox."
Alice's great-grandson Peter Barratt, 57, is also backing the project.
He said: "This statue is aimed at marking all the work Alice did for women's rights, but it's also going to be dedicated to all the women who fought for the same beliefs."
This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:
Austerity drive could lead to welfare state collapse
Under the Government's austerity programme, welfare benefits have begun to be hit across the board, especially since the introduction of the recently-announced changes.
The cuts which are being arbitrarily applied will become progressively deeper as time goes by.
The heydays of Britain's economic prosperity are now receding into history and it is unlikely that we shall regain the bygone peaks of our strength in the foreseeable future. After periods of intense activity and prosperity, nations enter into a phase of fatigue, and we in Britain are now experiencing this phenomenon, leading to our decline. Britain's much-lauded welfare state, which came into place after the end of the Second World War, is now just over 67 years old and history tells us that having become weak already, it could enter a state of collapse in a few years and then unravel altogether.
What we have to remind ourselves is that our highly successful welfare state is not something that is unique in the history of the world, although the perception is that we were the pioneers in introducing such a programme.
In the 10th century in Baghdad under Muslim rule, there was a highly developed and very successful welfare state in place which provided free education at all levels, free medical treatment including hospitalisation, care for the elderly, and many other benefits that are the attributes of a modern welfare state.
This model after a very successful period came to an end because the state was no longer able to fund it.
Our situation in Britain is now somewhat similar with the added burden of the massive abuse of the system through the laxity of our rules and the unscrupulous behaviour of thousands of claimants.
In addition, the Government is now set on a path of increasing privatisation of all services which will inevitably result in a poorer and less efficient levels of service.
All the service sectors are now going through a metamorphosis which will invariably change the face of Britain.
Already there is significant food poverty in the country which is being catered for by more than 200 food banks run by charity organisations.
Coincidentally, in this era of food poverty, the contribution of the Sikh community is proving very helpful. Many Sikh temples run daily open kitchens and distribute free food to all, irrespective of their caste, creed or colour.
The public outcry against the dwindling benefits and services face the juggernaut of the coalition Government which is determined to push through the changes at any cost.
We are indeed in a sorry state of affairs and no alternative seems to be on the horizon.
Manzoor Moghal, Leicester
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Senior Leicester Muslim leader calls on his community to speak out against sex grooming gangs
by Ciaran Fagan
A senior Muslim community leader has said people need to speak out against child sex grooming gangs in his community and all others.
Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, a Leicester imam and a senior member of the Muslim Council of Britain, (MCB), said grooming gangs existed in all communities.
However, cases recently uncovered in Derby and Rochdale, have involved Asian Muslims, he said.
He said he was concerned that people were reluctant to speak out against the problem.
Mr Mogra, the MCB’s assistant secretary general, said: “This is an appalling and abhorrent kind of behaviour which is totally unacceptable regardless of race or religion.
“Some of those perpetrators who have recently been convicted happen to be from the Muslim community so we need to be at the very front of the voice that is condemning this.
“It is important that leaders of religious communities speak out against this deplorable and abhorrent behaviour by adults toward vulnerable children.
“We should always be prepared to speak out against this form of criminality and remind our community of its obligation to protect children and young people from this form of exploitation.
“We will keep speaking out until we have eradicated this menace from society.”
The MCB is working with organisations including the police, the NSPCC and Muslim groups to raise awareness of the problem and to highlight people’s need to speak out against it.
The Muslim Council of Britain is planning a national conference to educate people about grooming, he said.
Mr Mogra spoke out against the practice when he appeared on BBC Radio Four’s Sunday programme this weekend.
The programme also spoke to Leicester East MP Keith Vaz, who is chairman of the Home Affairs select committee, which is also investigating the scale of the crime.
Mr Vaz told the programme: “There is no excuse for this kind of criminality, whoever is involved in it, but I don’t think it is a particular group of people, I don’t think it’s a particular race or religion.”
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) said child sexual exploitation spanned “all cultures and ethnicities”, while the recent cases had “highlight that Asian males have been involved in an organised manner in exploiting young women”.
A CEOP spokeswoman said: “Some of these cases involved offenders from different backgrounds as well, although CEOP are investigating why there may be a majority of Asians in these particular kinds of offence.”
Mr Mogra's radio appearance can be heard here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rqgys/Sunday_07_04_2013/
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Food banks proving lifeline
by Tom Mack
Nearly 50 food banks will be up and running by the end of June – double the number that were open a year ago.
The Fareshare project now has 35 food banks around the county, compared with 22 this time last year.
By the end of June, that number will have risen to 48.
Fareshare, an international movement, receives food from shops and factories and gives it to churches, charities and community groups to distribute to the poor.
Organisers said the increase in banks was needed as the free food was becoming a lifeline for people affected by the slow job market and changes to benefits.
Simone Connolly, Fareshare's project manager for Leicestershire, said: "The increase is largely in relation to problems with the economy and what we're seeing is local authorities and community groups preparing for the welfare reforms.
"The bedroom tax means a lot of people will be £30 to £40 a week worse off and that's pretty drastic – that's their money for food."
She said food banks were popular with cash-strapped councils which wanted to find solutions to poverty that did not cost much.
Last month, a bank was set up on the Gilmorton estate with a £500 grant from Leicester City Council.
Simone said: "The increase in demand also means we're getting new applications all the time and more food is required.
"We have to work hard to sustain the service we provide and we're reliant on the food industry – the manufacturers and retailers which give us food."
Cassie Harris, 22, who uses the food bank on the Gilmorton estate, said rising prices and unemployment had had a double impact on her family.
She said: "My partner was made redundant and now he's on a low wage so we're getting housing and council tax benefits.
"I used to be able to afford to shop in Morrisons, but with prices going up I can't any more.
"It's Iceland or the market now.
"I think things are going to keep getting worse until there are more jobs."
At the Carpenters Arms rehabilitation centre, in Loughborough, director Judith Spence has been working with groups such as Fareshare to feed the poor for about five years.
She said: "Since Christmas, we've seen a 20 per cent increase in the number of people and we now give out more than 600 food packs a week – that's 150 individuals and 100 families.
"I think we're going to see more these next few months because people are worrying about their benefits."
Leicestershire AIDS Support Services also runs a Fareshare food bank and has seen a 33 per cent increase in the amount it gives out in the past year. Chief executive Jenny Hand said: "More people are needing Fareshare food and the numbers have risen from about 30 to 40 a week here.
"We help members of our client group because food and a good diet are very important for people whose lives are affected by HIV.
"We're bracing ourselves for more people after the welfare changes take effect, especially with some people having to go four or five weeks between their benefits payments.
"Fareshare is a lifesaver for many people."
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Temple intruder caught on camera carrying out raid
by Ciaran Fagan
An intruder has been caught on camera raiding a Hindu temple.
The unidentified man broke into the Shree Hindu temple and community centre in St Barnabas Road, Spinney Hills, Leicester, in the early hours of Sunday.
The footage, which was captured by a number of cameras both inside and outside the centre, shows the man entering through a kitchen window shortly after 2.15am.
He is then seen going from room to room, bizarrely at one point crawling on his hands and knees.
At one stage, he is filmed using a fire extinguisher to smash the building's fire alarm system. He is then seen kicking open the door to the centre's main office.
The building's owners said the cost of repairing the damage caused by the intruder was likely to run to several thousand pounds.
They also said about £1,700 in cash had gone missing.
The temple also faces a repair bill of approximately £2,500.
The footage suggests the intruder stayed inside the building for four hours.
An external CCTV camera filmed him scaling the centre's main gate shortly after 6.15am.
Members of the temple who live nearby arrived a short time later, alerted by the building's burglar alarm.
Centre manager Mayur Sisodia [in photo above] said: "This is a place of worship, so people are very upset someone has broken in.
"A large sum of money has been stolen and we are keen to get that back.
"We hope someone can identify this man and tell the police who he is."
Dilip Joshi, the temple's priest, said: "People are very shocked someone would break into a temple."
Sanjay Keshav, a volunteer at the centre, said: "This is a place of worship, a house of God, so you would think it would be safe.
"The money which has gone missing was collected for the benefit of the elderly and needy. The fact it has been taken has caused a lot of distress to people here."
Police have launched an investigation into the break-in.
Inspector Bill Knopp, commander of Spinney Hill Park police station, said: "The people at the temple are upset but they're being very stoical about it and getting on with things.
"We're investigating this as a burglary and we'd like people to look at the CCTV footage and contact us if they know who this man is."
Contact Sgt Jim Kroczak on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on the paper's website):
Remove Bishops from the Lords
Come on Cameron, let’s have those frocks (Bishops) out of
the House of Lords. They are not politicians, they have not been elected.
The £350 a day each out of the public purse is not fair on
us.
Blind faith psychosis,
psychosis and money
What is it then that makes them pray
that makes them creep crawl all day
that makes them read some silly script
their pride, confidence, slyly stripped
What is it then that transfers their minds
to heavens angels spiritual kinds
to attend cathedrals in little groups
then dress in robes as elitist troops
What is it then that makes them build
on fertile land where food was tilled
huge mosques cathedrals too
just to sing confess anew
Does it help in any way
to wile away the hours of day
dressed in best on their knees
praying to anything making pleas
Is it selfishness that makes them think
we all need them to cover shrink
on our behalf at their request
so that our souls be sublimely blessed
The whiff of selfishness stirs the air
I think it’s just themselves they care
the work is easy less to think
from competition they will shrink
This god they advocate with fuss
when ask for proof they won’t discuss
O proof o proof what for you need
the Devil’s home you’ll go with speed
My lucid mind begins to stir
I’m in the hands of a blackmailer
I only ask for what your sales
they came back as hard as nails
So business then shall prevail
in Woolworth’s by an honest sale
the church an inquisition I think
proof of god surely brings
Jobee, Leicester
This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Leicester Secular Society in plea to cleebrity atheists to help raise £40,000
by Peter Warzynski
Celebrity atheists are being asked to help pay for the renovation of a society's headquarters.
Members of Leicester Secular Society are writing to 40 well-known people, including Richard Dawkins and Ricky Gervais, in a bid to raise £40,000 for the project.
The society is also appealing to local secularists to support the scheme to improve the Victorian building in Humberstone Gate.
Work will involve installing an accessible toilet, new kitchen, hearing loop, second fire exit and internal renovation.
The total cost is about £65,000, but the organisation has £25,000 in its reserves which it will use.
Harry Perry, president of the branch, said: "There are certain pressing problems on the ground floor where we have our meetings.
"We've appealed to about 40 celebrity atheists but I don't want to rely solely on them – we'll need our members to help us, too.
"The last census also identified that 24 per cent of the city are non-religious, so we're reaching out to them for help as well."
He said a number of attempts to secure funding had been unsuccessful and the organisation needed the full amount by the end of July.
"We approached the Heritage Lottery Fund, but it said there wasn't enough of a heritage aspect," said Mr Perry.
"The Big Lottery Fund turned us down, too, because it's too much about the building and not enough about the community.
"In fact, 95 per cent of sources of funding require we are a charity or a religious organisation and we're neither."
Leicester Secular Society has about 150 members and has used the grade-II-listed building for 130 years.
It hosts a variety of events, including talks, lectures and meetings by a number of organisations.
Leicester City Council has offered to look at ways of supporting the society with some of the renovation work.
Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "We'll help where we can with the project. In particular, we'd like it to include some work to the front of the building.
"The Secular Hall is a very important building in Leicester and unique one in the country.
"It has a proud history and is a place where people such as William Morris came to talk about not just secularism but society more generally."
Donate via their website at: www.leicestersecular society.org.uk
