Cathedral Square Update – June 2009
- a monthly briefing and prayer guide for parish ‘champions’ and others, and for sharing
The latest from the Synod’s mouth
There was a joint presentation at Diocesan Synod on 21 May from both our project and Launde Abbey, following which this motion was passed unanimously:
This Synod
i. notes the present plans in respect of Launde Abbey and the Cathedral Square project
ii. endorses the proposals for development and fundraising
iii. encourages the Bishop and Diocesan Board of Finance to continue to progress the plans for both developments
The rest of this Update will tell you just how we’re doing that!
The Centre
Well the good news is that we have now got planning permission for our proposed alterations to the former St Nicholas building – and contrary to the views of a recent letter-writer to the Mercury it went through uncontroversially, and with full support from both council officers and local amenity societies.
Detailed design work continues, and we’re still hoping to be ready to go out to tender in mid-July. Only when tenders come back, of course, will we know just what it will cost to do the work, and at that point we’ll be taking a long, hard look at the decisions we need to make before we go ahead. In the meantime work continues on fundraising across the board – and we’ve just received the wonderful news of a grant of £100,000 from one particular charitable trust.
Prayer Pointer – pray for our architect Michael Goodhart and his design team at Pick Everard, and for the tendering and the fundraising to come together, in order that we can go ahead as we hope to in the autumn.
Almost 1 in 5 of Leicester’s young people are currently ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’. Our joint working with Regent College to help address this is really developing, and a member of their staff is about to join our team for one day a week over the next year to develop the best ways of doing this.
Prayer Pointer – pray for the successful outworking of our plans with Regent College, and for Tony Prince as he begins working with our team.
Another of our prospective partners, the Welcome Project (who work with people seeking sanctuary – otherwise known as asylum seekers) have put out an urgent appeal for goods to distribute – see end for more details. This is a central part of their work, and if you know of a way you can help, do please contact them directly.
Prayer Pointer – pray for the work of the Welcome Project (whose AGM is this month), for Christine Kilbourne, chair, and the volunteers and clients
We are now doing more work on how the place will operate once it opens. We need to balance the various work of our expected tenants with the opportunities to reach out, and the running of a high quality events venue in the Grand Hall and related rooms – and at a profit, not least to feed money back into the wider work of the Cathedral and diocese. All this is possible, but planning ahead in today’s economic climate is a big task!
Prayer Pointer – pray for us as we design an effective business-plan for a successful enterprise and for the right people to come alongside and help.
The Square
The city’s Heritage Quarter Masterplan is about to go out for formal consultation, with Cathedral Square secure as one of the key initiatives within it. We’re awaiting with some confidence the results of a funding bid that will enable us to begin detailed planning on The Square, but it will be good when we know we can definitely go ahead on that.
Prayer Pointer – pray for those involved in the funding decision, and for those who will then start planning the Square in more detail.
The Cathedral
I had a chance to preach at the Cathedral last month, which was good, and have also recently met with its finance committee, and this month will be talking to the College of Canons at their annual meeting. Sheffield Cathedral have an interesting Community Resources Centre not dissimilar in intent to our own plans, and their Manager, Carl Hutton, will be visiting us later in the month for some mutual sharing of plans and ideas.
Prayer Pointer – The Cathedral prayer diary invites prayer for our project. Do please pray for all the Cathedral staff, one clergy member short over the summer, and for the congregation, to hold the vision of what is possible
Parish support and publicity
Parish reps (and this is first and foremost your newsletter!) have recently been invited to a special event on Sunday July 19th which will give a chance to update on plans in person, and give a tour of the building and area. Then we’re planning an Urban Fete in August, for all comers – which Stephanie will be sending out more information about soon.
Information only just went out about our competition for church schools to provide some art-work to go on display in the Centre, and already we’ve had our first response. Over 100 children have signed up from one of the furthest-flung schools in the diocese – in Croxton Kerrial in the Vale of Belvoir, with an NG post-code and an address in Lincolnshire! Who says the further parts of the diocese aren’t interested in what happens in Leicester?
The visitation Questions tell us that 60 out of 216 parishes replying have already discussed Cathedral Square at a PCC meeting – that’s 28%. I’d love that number to go up. Can you do anything in that respect? We’re hoping to get a revised Brochure out in the next few weeks, that might help inform a discussion.
Incidentally, I’m preaching in Desford this coming Sunday, addressing Sparkenhoe East Deanery Synod later in the month, and was at Guthlaxton Synod last month, and am always happy to consider invitations to talk about the project or answer questions.
Prayer Pointer – pray for a good day on July 19th, for planning for the Fete in August – and for developing links in parishes across the diocese.
Last word?
I was at an event for the national City of Sanctuary movement recently, where I met a refugee from Cameroon, who had been through awful experiences before he was finally able to claim asylum and settle in the UK, but had had to leave a family behind him. He told me despite all that had happened he was now using his experiences to help others. He lived by the maxim: Reflect on the past: Dwell in the Present: Plan for the Future. It certainly told me something – I hope it may do for you too.
Pete Hobson – Project Director 5 June 2009