BIGGER ISSUES THAN CITY OF CULTURE BID

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Bigger issues than City of Culture bid

What's this City of Culture bid all about? Do we win a load of cash or will we be expected to spend loads of taxpayers' cash?

There are far more important things that need to be sorted out in Leicester before bothering about being a City of Culture, which seems to me to be a popularity contest between councils.

It would seem councillors and the mayor are putting this city forward for things they say make a great deal of difference to the city.

Yet I recall Liverpool being a city of culture some time ago. All it seems to have got for its trouble was a concert by Sir Paul McCartney and a load of metal figures on a beach, which contribute nothing to the wellbeing of society in general while quietly rusting away.

If we are, as those involved say, a City of Culture, why is the Haymarket theatre closed and been unused for years?

Why is De Montfort Hall, built as a temporary theatre years ago, still in existence?

Why do we not have a large arena capable of attracting the big and really popular acts, events and musicians to this city, instead of us having to traipse to Coventry, Birmingham and Nottingham?

This bid seems like a waste of money and time to me.

Of course, I shall expect Leicester City Council not to keep us properly informed of events.

They have been rubbish at advertising events in Leicester.

Bernard Fox, Leicester

PILGRIMS FEARED TO BE CAUGHT UP IN INDIAN FLOODS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Cllr Manjula Sood, Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths

Pilgrims feared to be caught up in Indian floods

by Peter Warzynski

Religious leaders fear families from Leicestershire could be trapped by floods in the Indian city of Haridwar.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the pilgrimage destination in northern India, following heavy monsoon rains.

Landslides and flash floods caused by the River Ganges bursting its banks have washed away at least 500 people, according to the latest reports.

The charity Action Aid said thousands of people were missing.

Many of those unaccounted for are pilgrims visiting Hindu shrines and temples.

Leicester organisation the Gujarati Hindu Association said it feared local pilgrims could be among the missing.

Spokesman Hemendra Mistry said: "This is an important pilgrimage site.

"We have heard of three tour groups from Leicester which had gone to the region on pilgrimage.

"We're trying to find out whether they were in the area at the time of the flooding.

"We are trying to gauge exactly who's been affected, but it's too early to say how many local families are involved."

The Indian government has launched a huge rescue operation.

However, the Indian Army has not yet been able to reach some of the more remote parts of the mountainous terrain.

Indian officials said that more than 33,000 pilgrims were still missing as of yesterday.

Maganbhai Patel, president of the Gujarati Hindu Association, said: "I've heard that a lot of people have been washed away and temples have been washed away, too.

"The area is devastated and it will take a long time before anything is back to normal.

"My heart goes out to the friends and families of those involved and of course they will be in our thoughts and prayers."

A Hindu temple in Leicester has organised an event to pray for the victims of the disaster.

Hundreds of people are expected to visit Shree Sanatan Mandir, in Weymouth Street, tomorrow to take part in the vigil.

Temple president Ramanbhai Barber said: "A lot of people from Leicester go to that area at this time of year because it's a very popular pilgrimage site.

"I was there last year and when I saw the recent pictures of the flood on television, I thought 'oh wow, there may be people I know there'.

"I've got a lot of friends who wanted to go and I'm not sure who is there and who isn't, but they're in my prayers that they're safe."

Manjula Sood, chairman of Leicester Council of Faiths, said: "I will be at the temple on Sunday to pray for those affected.

"It's very difficult to hear about everything that's going on, especially when we have such a strong connection to the area.

"It's a very holy place for Hindus. People even travel there to scatter the ashes of their family when they die.

"We're here for the people going though a difficult time and showing solidarity."

The flooding has been caused by some of the heaviest rains recorded in Uttarakhand in 60 years.

Scores of homes, hotels and bridges have been destroyed.

DOZENS EXPECTED AT CITY PEACE MARCH

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Dozens expected at city peace march

A peaceful procession to make a stand against extremism following the murder of Lee Rigby is to take place in Leicester tomorrow.

Dozens of people are expected to take part in a march from Town Hall Square to the war memorial at Victoria Park, where a two-minute silence and a wreath-laying ceremony will be held in memory of the soldier.

The event is being organised by Leicester Strong, a support group formed through Facebook, and will be followed by a family day to raise money for two forces charities – Help for Heroes and Scotty's Little Soldiers.

It is part of a nationwide campaign involving groups across the country and is being held to coincide with Drummer Rigby's funeral.

Co-organiser Julie Hogben, of Groby, said: "I come from a family of military people and when I saw what had happened to Lee Rigby it just devastated me. He had been to Afghanistan and survived then this happens on our own streets in broad daylight.

"We wish to invite people from all walks of life, regardless of colour or religion, everyone who wants to make this a safer place to live.

"We need to stand strong together against extremism and hate preachers.

"Our Government should be ensuring these people are off our streets."

Julie was hoping to see about 150 people taking part.

The family event will be held at The Donkey, in Welford Road, following the wreath-laying.

People who want to join the procession are asked to meet at Town Hall Square from 11.30am. The march will begin at noon, with the group set to arrive at Victoria Park for 12.55pm.

For more details, visit: www.facebook.com/ LeicesterStrong

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (2,240)

Here are the top ten countries from which the blog has received visits in the past week.

1. United States 693
2. United Kingdom 661
3. Russia 387
4. Germany 106
5. France 98
6. Ukraine 78
7. India 76
8. Poland 52
9. China 46
10. Sweden 43

This week's total: 2,240 (last week: 1,979). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's analytics doesn't show the numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country and they don’t show the cumulative total including those additional countries, which is undoubtedly larger than the number shown above.

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.

PIONEEERING YOUNGSTERS HELP TO FOSTER INTER-FAITH UNDERSTANDING IN COMMUNITY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Pioneering youngsters help to foster inter-faith understanding in community

A group of 15 young people have completed a three-day stage of an inter-faith leadership programme designed to help them achieve their potential.

St Philip's Centre, Evington, which works to build and enhance inter-faith relations, ran the Catalyst bronze programme for 16 to 24-year-olds from Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College.

The course is funded by Near Neighbours through the Department for Communities and Local Government. It follows on from programmes already delivered to young people from Leicester College, Gateway College and Shree Sanatan Mandir.

Each day of Catalyst is based on a theme, including leadership attributes and styles, presentation and communication skills, running community projects and inter-faith understanding.

Another important module, decision-making, is delivered by Leicestershire Police.

Riaz Ravat, deputy director of St Philip's Centre, said: "Since Catalyst was launched in 2012, nearly 70 young people from Leicester and East London have taken part.

"These are young people in whom we have invested to develop their knowledge, skills and potential to make a positive difference to those around them.

"Catalyst specifically builds trust and good inter-faith relationships."

TRIBUTES PAID TO TEMPLE PRESIDENT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Tributes paid to temple president

by Peter Warzynski

One of the country's longest-running Sikh temple presidents has died while on holiday in India.

Omparkash Chand, 63, was in the Punjab visiting family and buying religious ornaments for the Shri Guru Ravidass Gurdwara, in Harrison Road, Leicester – where he had been president since 1997.

Colleagues said they believed he may have been the longest-serving head of a Sikh temple in the world.

Mr Chand died in his sleep on June 7 and was brought back to Leicester last Saturday.

However, a post-mortem examination could not determine a cause of death.

Tributes have poured in for the community leader, who lived in Scraptoft with his wife and son. Mr Chand's brother, Kamaljit Mahi, 53, said the family was shocked at the sudden death of the temple president.

"The post-mortem couldn't find a cause of death, but they've taken some tissue samples to see if they can determine what happened.
"It's a big shock and across the family we're all trying to help each other," he said.

"He was a good-natured person and will be sadly missed, not just by the Sikh community – but by Christians and Hindus. He did a lot of work with other people."

Friend and fellow temple member Dev Diwana said: "We believe he is the longest consecutive running president of a Sikh temple in the UK, if not the world.

"That's one of the most impressive things about him. He served the Sikh community with an open heart and he was a great man – he was a picture of calm.

"He'd only been in India for a few days before he died, but he had no health issues which anyone knew of."

Surinderpal Singh Rai, of Leicestershire Council of Gurdwaras, said: "Omprakash Chand was a very dear friend of mine.

"He tirelessly served the Sikh community for well over 40 years and the newly-built Shri Guru Ravidass Gurdwara is a testimony to this.

"He will be dearly missed."

Mr Chand's funeral is tomorrow.

His body will arrive at the Shri Guru Ravidass Gurdwara, at 11.15am, before leaving for Gilroes Cemetery at 11.45am.

It will arrive at the cemetery, in Groby Road, at about 12.15pm.

GROUPS AWARDED LOTTERY FUNDING

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Fiona Kinsey, resource centre manager for Network for Change

Groups awarded lottery funding

by Cathy Buss

Two groups, one which helps families and the other which helps people with mental health problems, have won more than £500,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.

Home-Start Leicester has been awarded £334,370 from the lottery's reaching communities programme.

The group will use the money to train new volunteers to help support families under stress.

Helen Everett, chairman of the trustees of Home-Start Leicester, said: "It is fantastic news. It means we can continue our much-needed support to families in the city and recruit more volunteers and staff. This will secure the future of the service to children and families for the next four years."

Volunteers from the organisation, which has been running in the city for 40 years, visit a family's home once a week to offer support.

They can help with stimulating play activities for children, parenting strategies and accessing services.

Lottery cash will go towards new projects to increase parents' confidence, encourage children's emotional and social readiness for school and promote healthy lifestyles.

Home-Start Leicester has 28 home-visiting volunteers and in the past year supported 71 families.

It has just two members of staff but two more full-time posts will be created.

The city-based Network for Change organisation has been awarded £244,184 from the lottery's reaching communities programme.

It can now expand its work with adults with severe and complex mental health problems.

Gabby Briner, chief executive at Network for Change, said: "There are a high number of people in Leicester with severe and complex mental health issues who are often socially isolated and struggle to access support to keep well, prevent crisis and cope with life.

"Our Mind The Gap project will provide an exciting programme of individual and peer support, plus therapeutic, social and coping strategies, groups and activities."

Fiona Kinsey, resource centre manager for Network for Change, said: "This lottery funding will make a huge difference to us."

FAITH AWARENESS SUMMER VISITS: NEVE SHALOM LPJC SYNAGOGUE

The Faith Awareness series of summer visits to places of worship and other faith-related sites in Leicester continues this evening at Neve Shalom, the synagogue of Leicester Progressive Jewish Congregation. As well being contracted to work 20 hours a week for Leicester Council of Faiths, I now do a day and a half a week with Faith Awareness, the inter-faith programme of Christians Aware.

Neve Shalom means "Oasis of Peace" (Isaiah 32:18). The Synagogue is named after a village near Jerusalem known as Neve Shalom / Wahat al Salam, where Jews, Christians and Muslims live and work together for the common good. The village is an inspiration to Jewish people, in Leicester and farther afield. The distinctive building, designed by celebrated Leicester architect Ernest Gimson, has an interesting history of its own. This is hinted at in an article by Olwen Hughes, published in the Leicester Mercury in January 2013 and reproduced in my blog.

I've made half a dozen visits to the LPJC Synagogue since my first time in July 2011, and have always enjoyed the hospitality of the community there. 

We're keeping up good numbers on these Monday evening visits. We've brought along a dozen people this evening (half of them newbies) and we're matched one-to-one by members of the LPJC.

The original theme for this series of visits was "food and festivals". Our hosts this evening have stuck to that theme. Dov Stekel gives a short talk about the theory of kosher food and its place in the life of the community. That's followed up by a practical demonstration, with a delightful spread of food and drink linked to different occasions in the Jewish calendar.

This is the fifth of six Faith Awareness visits planned for Monday evenings in May and June, the others being

• Jain Centre, Oxford Street (13 May)
• All Saints Church, Kerrysdale Avenue (20 May)
• BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Gipsy Lane (3 June)
• Islam Information Centre, Highfield Street (10 June)
• Guru Amar Das Gurdwara, Clarendon Park Road (24 June)

I may not be able to attend every visit personally, but I hope to arrange for a blog post on each of them. Watch this space!

SERVICE MARKS 40 YEARS SINCE UGANDAN EXODUS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Service marks 40 years since Ugandan exodus

by David W Owen

Leicester Cathedral was the venue for a service commemorating the 40th anniversary of Asians ordered out of Idi Amin’s Ugandan dictatorship finding a new home in the city.

Saturday's thanksgiving service was led by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, with Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles special guest of honour.

More than 28,000 people arrived in Britain from Uganda in 1972, with7,000 choosing to settle in Leicester despite an advertising campaign warning them not to come to the city.

The service, however, celebrated their positive contribution to the city – in the fields of business, the professions, politics, arts and science.

Bishop Tim said: “It was a great pleasure that Leicester Cathedral was chosen as the venue to give thanks for the contribution of the Ugandan Asian community.

“The service recognised the importance of friendship and generosity, as shown both by those who came to our city 40 years ago under such desperate circumstances, and those who welcomed them to a strange land and opened their homes and hearts, in the best tradition of the faiths of this city.”

THREE TAKE OATHS AS DEPUTY LIEUTENANTS OF COUNTY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Three take oaths as Deputy Lieutenants of county

Three Deputy Lieutenants have been commissioned under oath in honour of their service to the community.

The Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Jennifer, Lady Gretton, made the appointments at a ceremony at Beaumanor Hall.

Deputy Ramanbhai Barber, of, Leicester, is president of Shree Sanatan Mandir, in the city, and an executive member of Leicester Council of Faiths.

Janie Martin, of Woodhouse Eaves, is county president of the Royal British Legion (Women's section) and president of the Friends of Charnwood Forest.

Dr Bridget Towle, of Loughborough, is president of Girlguiding Leicestershire and a member of the University of Leicester's Council.