Not the Big Snooze – Sponsored Sleepout Podcast

Action Homeless’s sponsored sleep out, Not the Big Snooze took place on Friday April 12th at the LCB Depot, 31 Rutland Street, Leicester. Over £3000 has been raised through sponsorship online for the sleep out so far with an estimated £2000 still to come.

The podcast below features a number of interviews staff and participants including Action Homeless

CEO Rob Parkinson,

DNO Editor Mags & DNO Sub-editor Richard

Action Homeless Service Users 

Fundraising and Community Relations Officer Eilidh Kennedy

For more information visit:  http://www.actionhomeless.org.uk/

Down Not Out Radio – RADNO

Below is a podcast of the first radio show by the Leicester based Down Not Out news agency.

Down Not Out covers issues relating homelessness and vulnerably housed people. The weekly RaDNO show will also feature a host of shows covering arts & culture, music, community issues and various guests.

RaDNO is broadcast live on Panj Pani radio every Thursday between 12pm -4pm.

DNO is jointly ran by Citizens’ Eye and Action Homeless and is supported by The Big Lottery Fund.

For more information visit:  http://www.mydownnotout.org.uk

Poetry is the Word!

As a new season of literary events is unleashed this autumn James Black speaks to the dedicated team of volunteers and artists that help to maintain this vibrant community.

Leicester’s poetry scene is alive and kicking. Each month the city plays host to a number of poetry and spoken word evenings that give participants the opportunity to read their own work and witness live performances from established professional acts.

Lydia Towsey performs at Word!

To the uninitiated the idea of performance poetry may seem a rather intimidating prospect, a wholly intellectual pursuit the strict reserve of academics. Take a trip to Word! Ping… K! Shindig or any of the other regular events that take place across the city and one soon discovers that this is not the case. Leicester’s poetry scene is a living breathing community where new work is shared and appreciated, where subject matter and performance style is as varied as those taking part. A new creative energy and enthusiasm abounds, a creativity that crosses gender, class, generational and ethnic boundaries. On any given night traditional poetic forms sit alongside newer modes of expression such as hip hop style emceeing. Politically engaged poets rant about the state of the nation whilst others ponder the state of their love lives.

 
Word! is the Midlands longest running poetry and spoken word evening. The event was started in 2001 by Apples and Snakes, a national organisation specialising in performance poetry. Initially ran by poets Steve Carroll and John Berkavitch, Word! has proven to be extremely popular since its inception garnering a loyal and devoted following. Over the years the evening has been based in various venues across the city including Costa Coffee, The Hard Rock Cafe, The Basement and Bambu before making its permanent home at the Y Theatre.

Five years ago Word! hit a significant bump in the road when Apples and Snakes withdrew its funding. The event was in serious jeopardy of coming to a close were it not for the group of regular contributors who came forward to run the evening on an entirely voluntary basis.

The group’s Chair Lydia Towsey explains:

“Word! Is very much a labour of love, although it’s very well established being the longest running poetry night in the region, in some respects it’s also quite a fragile thing as it totally relies on volunteers. Thankfully, due to the high level of commitment from those individuals the event continues to flourish and move forward”.

Oscar Frank performing at Word!

One of the strengths of Word! is its diversity, something the organisers deliberately set out to achieve. There is no set house style and booked acts drastically differ from month to month. A platform is given to both emerging and established artists, people who define themselves as page poets are followed by those whose work is specifically created with a visual dimension in mind. The event also strives to be as inclusive as possible. Ticket prices are kept to a minimum to ensure that as many people as possible can attend. The organising committee also use the networks and links from their day jobs to reach out to many different sections of the community. Lydia Towsey and the group’s Treasurer Tim Sayers work as Creative Arts Coordinators for the NHS helping people to deal with their emotional and mental health problems through writing. 

Word! Co-Secretary Pam Thompson, a Senior Lecturer at De Montfort University, promotes Word! to both her students and fellow lecturers, she said:

“It’s been really satisfying to introduce new people to Word! What’s special about Leicester’s poetry scene is that it comes from the community of writers themselves. There is also quite a strong local publishing scene in Leicester with Crystal Clear Creators and Nine Arches Press. There doesn’t seem to be any individual cliques, we all work together and help each other”.
Word! endeavours to support the people who take part in the event. Each performance is individually recorded by local filmmaker Keith Allott. The films are then made available to the artists if they wish to use them as part of a portfolio. Performers also have the option of developing bespoke visuals to complement their readings.

Word! has been such a popular event that new poetry events have branched out from it. Pinggg…K! the “evening of metrosexual verse,” exemplifies the tolerant and accepting attitude found throughout Leicester’s poetry scene. The evening was devised by Word! regular Bobba Cass, he said:

“I knew that there were a lot of people from the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender community that wrote poetry but for whatever reason were not sharing it publicly. I thought that it would be good if we had a slightly sheltered environment in which they might feel more comfortable. I think per-capita Leicester is the hub of open-mic poetry in the country. When you think of the size of the city there is an incredible range of poetry events we have going on all the time. I’m happy to say that Pinggg…K! is under that umbrella”.

October is a particularly significant month for Leicester’s poetry community not least because Word! has now reached its 11th anniversary but the Lyric Lounge and Everybody’s Reading festivals are also taking place.

As part of the one day Lyric Lounge event on October 4th Pauline Black, lead singer with legendary 2-Tone band The Selector, will talk about her life, music and powerful autobiography ‘Black by Design’. That same day a special birthday edition of Word! will feature Emmy Award winning poet Kwame Dawes. Born in Ghana and raised in Jamaica, Kwame will share work from his rich body of writing, including his latest poetry collection ‘Wheels’ and his edited anthology of 50 great Jamaican poets, ‘Jubilation’. Kwame Dawes will also be present for the launch of a new anthology of writing entitled ‘Poems to Read Before You Die’. The anthology has been put together by artists from Showcase Smoothie, a three year writing and performance programme for men aged under 45, mainly from Black Minority and Ethnic communities, that suffer from mental health problems.

One of the contributors is Word! Co-Secretary Jo Twist, he said:

“It’s been very exciting to be involved with the Showcase Smoothie project I have produced a lot of new work that wouldn’t have written happened without the encouragement and inspiration of the facilitators. Throughout my involvement I’ve made lots of old friends and made some new ones as well. It’s great to work with people who have been through similar experiences as I have, to go through the process of creating new work with other people and to be part of an artists’ collective”.

This article originally appeared in the 4th edition of Pukaar magazine

Photo of Oscar Frank courtesy of Nick Rawle www.nickrphotography.com/ 

Leicester Celebrates the Paralympics

Leicester’s official Flame Celebrations for the Paralympic Games, the international sporting competition featuring disabled athletes, took place at this afternoon at Humberstone Gate. The city is just one of 33 communities across the UK that will host celebrations as part of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay. 

Paige Proudly Carries the Torch

From 11 am onwards a packed programme of events took place to celebrate the occasion including displays by the Hinckley Gymnastics Club, Black Eagles Acrobats and Desi Masti Dance.

Many stalls lined the city streets including the Change 4 Life stand which was there to promote an active lifestyle and healthy eating.

Baljit Smith from Change 4 Life said:

“We are trying to get more people to become fitter and healthier through everyday activities. If people fill in our questionnaire they will receive a freebie gift bag which is full of healthy recipes, summer packs for children and games, all simple ideas to help people to lead a healthy life. We’ve also got people on exercise bikes to see how far they can peddle within 30 seconds, lots of fun stuff. We’ve had lots of people come along to our stall today. The atmosphere has been fantastic”.

At 1.30 pm huge crowds gathered to watch Leicester’s inspirational flame ambassador 18 year old Paige Murray lead a parade from Gallowtree Gate to the stage in front of the BBC Big Screen on Humberstone Gate.

Paige with the Paralympic latern

Paige, who has cerebral palsy, has devoted much of her free time to highlighting the experience of disabled youngsters through a range of activities and projects such as the Streetvibe Youth Inclusion Project and Braunstone’s Youth Panel. In 2010 Paige received the Honoured Citizen Award from the Lord Mayor in acknowledgement of her achievements, she said:

“Today has been really hard to describe but it was very exciting and quite an overwhelming experience. I was very surprised by the sheer volume of people that came along. I’m really looking forward to Paralympic Games. I’ll be attending the swimming and the wheelchair basketball, I can’t wait”.     

Once Paige reached Humberstone Gate she presented to the torch Deputy City Mayor Rory Palmer, he said:

“This is a unique and special occasion for Leicester. We are delighted to be the only city in the East Midlands, one of 33 nationally to host a Paralympic flame event. Today a celebration our city’s long commitment to disability sport. We hope that today’s event will illustrate the power of the games and inspire a new generation of people across the region”.

This year’s Paralympic Games take place between August 29 – September 9^th  

 

This article first appeared on the Pukaar News website.

Yearning to be Free

Members of the Freedom Youth Club. Photo courtesy of Pukaar News.

This past month Refugee Week took place across Britain. The annual programme of arts, cultural and educational events celebrates the contribution made by refugees and asylum seekers to the UK. Although the subject of asylum remains a constant news story very few of us have firsthand experience of meeting people who are forced to flee their country of origin. With this in mind community reporter James Black visits Leicester’s Freedom Youth Club.        

There are few subjects that are as polarising amongst the British public as the issue of refugee and asylum seekers. On any given day tabloid newspapers feature stories of asylum seekers receiving large benefit payments and the problem of overcrowding in inner city areas. Hotly debated on radio phone-ins and TV chat shows across the country opinion is split between those who believe asylum seekers are taking advantage of “soft touch Britain” and those who believe it is our moral responsibility to offer a safe haven to those who are fleeing persecution. Whichever side of the argument you agree with the fact remains that most of us glean are knowledge of the subject from the media having little or no contact with the real people behind the headlines.

The Freedom Youth Club based in Leicester city centre offers a vital sense of community and a safe haven for young people seeking asylum. In their chaotic and transient lives the Freedom Youth Club remains a constant, a place young people can rely on for help and support.

The Freedom Youth Club is part of The Centre Project, a registered charity which was set up in 1996 as a meeting place for vulnerable adults experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation. Ten years later the Freedom Youth Club was formally established.  In the last 12 months an umbrella group, the Leicester Unaccompanied  Child Initiative, was created in recognition of all of the work The Centre Project does with young asylum seekers that falls outside of the usual remit of an ordinary youth club. This includes interacting with schools, offering advice and advocacy services two days a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and providing a shelter to young people up to age 20. Club members have access to drop-in English lessons and a computer suite with IT support from volunteers.

Youth support worker at the Freedom Club Alison Birch explains: “We help the club members to understand  life in Britain and to make sense of all of the rules and regulations they must adhere to whilst they are in the UK. Advocacy services are particularly important to those over 18 and no longer living with a foster family.

“We also give practical lessons where needed, such as managing money, cooking and finding legal representation.  If we are unable to help them with a particular issue we signpost them to experts in the relevant field.”

The majority come from Afghanistan but there are also members that come from Iran, Eritrea and Sudan. Many have witnessed the loss of friends and family. Such trauma has been known to trigger flashbacks to these horrific incidents. Unsurprisingly a number of the youngsters have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

Many of the adolescents have been through an incredibly difficult experience when they arrived in the UK, a new wholly unrecognisable environment.

Fifteen-year-old Mohammed came to the UK two years ago from war torn Afghanistan. He relates his tragic journey to the UK and says: “I didn’t know anyone when I  was on my way here. Some other boys where travelling with me but they were all strangers.  When I  finally arrived in the UK I  could speak very little English so it was difficult to make friends at school. Since coming to the club my English has improved and life has got a lot better. I really want to thank the staff for all they have done for me.”
Officially, a child seeking asylum cannot be sent back if there is no one to receive them in their home country and will usually be granted discretionary leave to remain in the UK until they are 18. However, once they are legally an adult their case for asylum starts anew. Many have to wait up to two years for a decision leaving them unable to plan their future or move forward.

Anwar, 19, is also from Afghanistan. Like many others he faces an uncertain future as he awaits the outcome of his case. He explains: “The Freedom Youth Club has really helped me by putting me in touch with people going through the same situation as myself. At the moment my future is unclear but one day I hope to go to university to study medicine, that’s my dream.”

Facts about the Freedom Youth Club

The club supported 111 people in the last 12 months. The club has an average of 20 visitors per session and 55 individuals attending the Freedom Club each month.

For more information visit www.centreproject.org

For information on the issues affecting unaccompanied young asylum seekers see www.youngpeopleseekingsafety.co.uk

* Refugee Week is the annual programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrates the contribution made by refugees and asylum seekers  living in the United Kingdom. The last edition took place last month in different cities across Britain.

This article was printed in the Spring 2012 edition of Pukaar Magazine: http://www.pukaarmagazine.com/

Sweet Sound of Leicester’s Music Scene

Iconic: john Lydon fronts Public Image Limited.
Photo credit: Duncan Bryceland.

The three-day festival of music and entertainment Summer Sundae returns to Leicester this august. as well  as featuring top names from the world of music the festival also has a proud history of showcasing the brightest and best of Leicester’s music scene. James Black reports.

Over the past 12 years Leicester’s biggest music festival Summer Sundae has boasted an impressive list of stars from legendary performers such as The Fall and Patti Smith to the pure pop of McFly and Diana Vickers.

This year’s event sees the most eclectic line-up yet as John Lydon fronts a reformed and reinvigorated Public Image Limited, icon of the New Romantic era Adam Ant is joined by his new band The Good, The Mad & The Lovely Posse and Billy Bragg celebrates  the centenary of Woody Guthrie’s birth by playing a selection of the folk legend’s material.

Besides attracting well-known acts, one of Summer Sundae’s strengths has been the festival’s inclusion of local performers. This year will be no different as Leicester musicians Maybeshewill, By the Rivers, These Furrows and Uncle Frank take to the stage.

Festival organiser Rob Challice is pleased about Summer Sundae including artists from the local scene to this year line-up. He said: “Summer Sundae has always been very supportive of local acts. Around 20 percent of the artists come from around the region, that’s more than most other festivals.

“We consult with a number of partners such as BBC presenter Dean Jackson, The Leicester Fringe and Darren Knockles to recommend local musicians. Then between us we workout who should play. As Festival Organiser I want people to discover something new. If that means they go to Summer Sundae to see an established name and end up catching a great local act then that’s great.”

This year the brand new Into the Wild and Watering Hole Stages will showcase local artists from Leicester venue The Musician and BBC Introducing – a nationwide  initiative that supports “unsigned, undiscovered and under the radar musicians.”

Rob Challice adds: “Although these two stages will feature lots of local talent they will not be confined to them. Local musicians will play all areas including  the main stage.”

Elizabeth Cornish Summer Sundae 2011

Elizabeth Cornish, 23, is one local name you should definitely watch out for. The Leicester based singer songwriter possesses the kind of warm expressive voice that draws the listener into her world. Accompanied by delicate acoustic arrangements her song writing is rich in introspection and contemplation.

She said: “In the past I  have lived in lots of different places and it feels like I  have always been on the move. Many of my songs are about finding yourself in transition and searching to find your roots. It’s a theme that’s very important to me.”

Whilst travelling from place to place has been a valuable source of inspiration for Elizabeth she also admits that it has made it difficult for her to gain a foothold in the music scene.

This year will be her second appearance at Summer Sundae. She earned a spot at last year’s event by being one of the 12 winners of the Original Bands Showcase, the East Midlands wide contest for unsigned artists. Having impressed the festival organisers in 2011, Elizabeth has been given an individual slot on this year’s Last.FM bill.

The singer songwriter said: “I really enjoyed playing last year’s event but because it was my first time playing an event of that size   I was really nervous. Hopefully, this year I will  be able to relax and feel a lot calmer.”

Grace Petrie, 25, is one of the biggest names on the Leicester music scene. Well known for penning gutsy protest ballads, Grace released her second “proper” album Mark My Words in December of last year. Although she hasn’t played at the festival since 2009 Grace has appeared at Glastonbury in the last couple of years.

Grace Petrie

She said: “It may sound strange but I’m really proud of Summer Sundae. As someone who was born and bred in Leicester and grew up being really into music, it always felt that Nottingham and Birmingham were the big music cities in the Midlands. Leicester was kind of left out of the picture. Since Summer Sundae began, we have has some amazingly well-known acts come and play here. But the really important feature about Summer Sundae for me is that it promotes the local music scene, a scene that’s growing and improving all the time.”

For more information visit the official Summer Sundae at www.summersundae.com

For ticket information visit www.summersundae.com/tickets

Facts about Summer Sundae

• The festival takes places within De Montfort  Hall and in the surrounding  gardens.
• The festival has been running since 2001.
• The organisers have set this year’s ticket prices at the same level as they were 2010.

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This article was first published in the Summer 2012 edition of Pukaar Magazine: www.pukaarmagazine.com

Celebrating 30 Years of the Belgrave Mela

Mela Bazaar at Leicester Market

The annual celebration of live music, dance, food, fashion, art and culture that is the Leicester Belgrave Mela took place this Sunday July 16^th. The festival, which has now reached its 30^th year, attracted thousands of people from across the city and county.

Spread across Humberstone Gate, Gallowtree Gate and Leicester Market the Mela offered revellers the opportunity to enjoy an authentic slice of South Asian culture.

Throughout the day Leicester Market was taken over by the Mela Bazaar which offered a diverse range of South Asian cuisine, jewellery, arts and crafts.

Geeta Patel who was visiting the Mela Bazaar with her family said:

 “The Mela is a very special occasion for us. It’s a real family day out. We all come together to enjoy the great atmosphere, music and entertainment. I’ve brought some really nice gifts for my relatives and the kids have got involved in some of the craft workshops making greetings cards. I’m really glad the weather has held up.”

From midday audiences gathered at the Mela Entertainment Stage on Humberstone Gate to witness live performances from local community dance companies Kuntal’s School of Bollywood Dance and Nupur Arts.

Belgrave Mela 2012

Later in the afternoon onlookers enjoyed musical performances from an all star line-up including the Stranger Family featuring Mumzy Stranger, Junai Kaden, Tasha Tah, Char Avell & Ramee as well as Navin Kundra, Raghav & Avina Shah.

As well as offering a host entertainment and shopping delights The Mela also gave several charities and community groups the opportunity to reach out to the public.

Leicester East MP Keith Vaz was in attendance to lend his support for the Silver Star Appeal, a charity which raises awareness of diabetes, he said:

“The Leicester Mela is a great event for everyone. I think it’s wonderful that so many people are here to celebrate in this event. I’ve come along today to raise awareness of the problem of diabetes. As someone who suffers from diabetes I’m here to encourage others to visit our mobile diabetes unit and get themselves tested for the disease.”

Based on a traditional Indian Mela, meaning a ‘gathering’ or fair, the Belgrave Mela has continued to grow since its humble beginnings as the ‘Belgrave Carnival’ back in 1982. Outgrowing its former location of Cossington Park, the Mela moved onto the ‘Golden Mile’ area of the city before eventually relocating to Leicester City Centre in 2005. Rather than being a niche event the Leicester Belgrave Mela attracted visitors from all of the diverse communities and ethnic groups that make up multicultural Leicester.

 

This article first appeared on the Pukaar News website.

Mark Tully on India’s Economic Future

On Thursday June 21^st the writer and journalist Sir Mark Tully made a special appearance at Leicester’s Central Library as part of the Meet the Author series of events. A renowned commentator and expert on Indian affairs Sir Mark was the Bureau Chief of BBC, New Delhi for 22 years. He is currently the presenter of The BBC Radio 4 programme Something Understood which addresses the subject of religion and spirituality.

During his hour long lecture Sir Mark spoke about his latest book India – The Road Ahead. The book focuses on the growth of the Indian economy, the issues surrounding the sustainability of this rapid expansion and its effect on the stability of the country.  Although many commentators have predicted that the Indian economy may well be the world’s largest by 2050 Sir Mark pointed out that it is dangerous to assume that the country will achieve this due to the number of problems that may hinder further development.

In Sir Mark’s opinion the Indian system of government is outmoded and unsuitable for the modern era as it is primarily concerned with maintaining law and order rather than development. Its cumbersome and bureaucratic nature has also resulted in widespread corruption and bribery. Whilst India’s vast population, (which is largely made up of younger people,) is often seen as a positive step in increasing economic growth Sir Mark believes that without the correct policies this “Demographic dividend could be a demographic disaster”.  He believes that the government must improve the standard of education to avoid widespread unemployment. Likewise the healthcare system needs to be overhauled so that people are physically fit to work.

Sir Mark Tully at Central Library

For the second part of his lecture Sir Mark turned his attention to the progress that India has made since independence and the country’s many achievements such as the millions of people that have been taken out of poverty and made literate, the country’s courageous pursuit of democracy and the independent press that has begun to expose the problem of corruption.

In summing up Sir Mark said:

“Despite the problems that I have outlined India has enormous potential. The country has a great tradition of being at one with nature. We need to learn that lesson and respect the earth in order to build a better future.  However, if India becomes like the West, a consumerist, high energy society, then there will be huge problems for us all in terms of pollution and the depletion of natural resources”.

Book Doctor for Leicester Libraries Alison Dunne said:

“It was great that Sir Mark Tully came to speak to our library users. The large number of people that turned out today really engaged with Sir Mark’s presentation and asked a number of interesting questions”.

Sir Mark Tully’s latest book India – The Road Ahead is published by Rider.

 

This article first appeared on the Pukaar News website.

Review of the Last 9 Months of the Mile2 Project

Mile2 Office

This week on Square Mile Reports we sat down with the organisers of the Mile2 project including the new Mile2 Manager Mark Charlton, Research Director Jason Pandya-Wood, Project Officer Rachel Colley, Operations Manager David Hollis and Project Developer Jit Pandya.

We asked about the recent changes to Square Mile organising team with the news that the Research Director Jason Wood is moving on to pastures new and the appointment of the new Mile2 manager Mark Charlton.

We also spoke to Mile2 residents about their experience of the project so far, how things could be improved and what they would like the future of the project to be.

Curve Gold Standard for Accessibility

Curve’s VisitEngland Award

Leicester’s Curve theatre has won a prestigious tourism prize from the national awards body VisitEngland. The theatre collected the Gold Award in the 2012 Access for All Tourism category at a special ceremony held at the Athena on May 22nd. The award is in recognition of Curve’s convenient and user-friendly environment.

For the last 22 years the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence have showcased the very best venues and tourist locations the country has to offer. Curve beat an impressive list of venues including Abbey Guest House, Oxon; University of Leeds Storm Jameson Court, Leeds; and The Beacon, Cumbria to obtain the award. The Great North Museum Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne also received a Gold Award in the Access for All Tourism category.

Curve Chief Executive, Fiona Allan said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to have won VisitEngland’s Gold Award in the Access for All category. The award recognises that Curve is an accessible venue in the very broadest sense of the word. It means that Curve is physically accessible in terms of mobility and being able to get around the building. It recognises the programming efforts that we have made, that we are open to all sections of the community and to the artists that perform at the theatre. The award also acknowledges our financial accessibility when it comes to setting ticket prices”.

Fiona added, “Every member of staff has contributed in some way to us receiving this award. To be recognised on a national level is really exciting for us all and testament to all of the hard working individuals at Curve”.

Curve Deputy Chief Executive Stella McCabe attended the awards ceremony, she said:

“We were delighted to be nominated for this award but we didn’t expect to win. The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence at Athena were very exciting for us. As the nominations were called out and the field was narrowed down we realised we had won Gold. We were all really thrilled. It was lovely to win the award on home turf. Leicestershire Promotions had gathered a whole range of people to be at the award ceremony so there were lots of people from Leicester there and we got a great reception from them”.

For more information on the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence visit: http://www.visitenglandawards.org/index.html

 

This article first appeared on the Pukaar News website.