Bamford Quaker Community to close
'It is clear there are insufficient people willing to join the community and it cannot continue in its present form.'
The longstanding Bamford Quaker Community in the Peak District has announced it is to close, after thirty-five years.
The decision was made after trustees of Bamford Quaker Community, which runs programmed retreats, met on 13 June and recorded this minute: ‘It is clear there are insufficient people willing to join the community and it cannot continue in its present form. We will therefore explore selling the current building and land, and use the funds raised to pursue our charitable objectives in other ways.’
There will continue to be people in residence at the community for at least the remainder of 2023, but there will be no accommodation for guests after late August, said the trustees.
People with ‘viable, costed proposals for the future of the land and buildings’, and those seeking to support the future direction of the charity, are invited to a day of discernment on 19 August. Friends are asked to get in touch with the Bamford Quaker Community for more details.
There will also be an extended Meeting for Worship of Thanksgiving for thirty-five years of the community. The day will include a shared lunch and booking is essential.
The community began in 1988, initially as a Quaker housing co-operative. It was home to a diverse range of people of all ages, some of whom also ran small businesses from the site. The community became a CIO (charitable incorporated organisation) in 2018, seeking to promote Quaker testimonies and values, and support sustainable living. Since 2010 Friends have lived there and offered service for nominated periods of time to provide hospitality, retreat and access to the natural environment.
Comments
A
By doreen.osborne@outlook.com on 27th July 2023 - 20:48
Please login to add a comment
