‘Shimmy is not a word often associated with Quakers, but Friends recently found themselves shimmying to both the left and the right.' Photo: by Gayle Banks
Eye - 15 December 2023
From Sustainable shimmies to On this day
Sustainable shimmies
Dorking Friends have been exploring ecological concerns during a creative community project. Tara Craig told Eye: ‘Shimmy is not a word often associated with Quakers, but Friends recently found themselves shimmying to both the left and the right in the unlikely setting of Dorking Meeting House.
‘The occasion? Passion for the Planet, an immersive promenade performance for adults and children about ecological sustainability and care. The work of Damned Cheek Productions, it filled the Meeting house with music, song, dance, storytelling and puppetry.’
Friends took to the dance floor but could also be found elsewhere: ‘Some shimmied, some drew self-portraits, while others helped with the planning, and others still housed actors during the performance’s eight-day run.’
More than 400 people visited the Meeting house during Passion for the Planet, and ‘some 1,000 Dorkingians gave their time, energy and skills to the project, with local schools and community groups involved from the outset’.
It isn’t over yet though Friends! ‘It is hoped that the message – that we need to do more to protect our planet – will prevail, and that the performance is the start of something not only for Dorking Quaker Meeting, but for the wider local community. Whether that will involve shimmying remains to be seen!’
Meeting for… ?
Gordon Smith, of Gloucester Area Meeting, shared a story with Eye.
He writes: ‘Many, many years ago when I was first becoming interested in Quakerism I went to the Meeting at Northampton… It was a good Meeting (aren’t they all?!) and I found the silence powerful. I recommended it to a yoga friend of mine called Ruby… she went the following week.
‘Later I asked her how she got on. She said that after the Meeting she had explained to the Friend at the door that I had recommended the Meeting to her and that she’d found the meditation powerful. This Friend had made her feel very welcome but explained: “Actually, we don’t do meditation, we do worship”.
‘A week later I was walking past the Meeting house in Sutton Coldfield. There was a noticeboard outside with all the Quaker activities listed on it. At the bottom was Sunday 10:30am – Meditation!’
On this day
The ‘gentle cackle’ of geese was among the observations from a Friend during their visit to the Norfolk Coast that appeared in the Friend of 15 December 1922.
Albert J Crosfield shared his experience of Wells-next-the-Sea, with a particular focus on the feathered encounters. He recommends: ‘Lovers of nature who can enjoy a tonic in the form of strong, cold, bracing air, should choose mid-winter for a visit.’
Clearly familiar with the area, he describes how the saltings in July ‘are brilliant with sea lavender’ and how his winter adventure saw pink-footed geese ‘feeding by the hundreds’ in ‘meadows reclaimed from the sea’. He reflects on sightings of terns, widgeon, wild ducks, and a hoopoe. However, you get a sense that some activities enjoyed in the town don’t quite tickle his fancy though: ‘A man who can enjoy a toss on the North Sea might find a “Friendly” boatman at Wells to take him out on a winter’s night, if his zeal for sea-fishing overcame his love of creaturely comfort.’
