The Friend

A living reality

It is hard enough to be a teenager today. But some young people in the area where West and North Belfast meet, near the Peace Line, are facing the usual challenges of schoolwork, peer pressure and worry for the future against a backdrop of crushing poverty, violence and division. Quakers, though, have become known as a source of love and practical support to turn things around for young people in one of the poorest communities in Britain.

Reflections on Bonn

When COP23 (conference of the parties) ended I had my usual post-COP experience: deep grief that I alone did not – could not – solve the climate crisis. But unlike past COP endings, with exhausting carbon-intensive flights, or a winter coat stolen (on the train from Paris), this time I rolled into bed, my Bonn house still afresh with the energy and creativity of Quakers, and colleagues sleeping in the attic, the office, on the floor or with nearby friends, and in our kitchen each day to enlighten and encourage, while my husband Robin cared for us all.

Scottish Friends

My journey to Elgin, for General Meeting for Scotland held on 18 November, started early, leaving in the dark from Brechin and boarding the train in Montrose to the clamour of the geese rising from Montrose Basin. Travelling on the train, the early sun shone in a blue sky showing the countryside at its best with views to Bennachie, a familiar sign of ‘home’ for many locals.

Strictly

With my ‘serious’ Quaker ‘mind’ I snobbishly thought Strictly Come Dancing was an inconsequential frivolity – irrelevant in a deadly serious world.

Three years ago, however, I encountered an episode of the programme and was utterly seduced. Since that first encounter I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the weekly viewing experience, though I was still slightly embarrassed at doing so.