Eye - 15 July 2011

Seaford peace garden

Cultivating peace

In an old walled garden near the centre of Seaford a twelve-foot-tall figure stands amid the shrubs. At one side of the path letters carved in stone prompt us to ‘walk cheerfully over the world’ while on the other side of the garden a tablet urges us to ‘make time to listen’. A white peace pole expresses the hope: ‘may peace prevail on Earth’ in English, Spanish, Japanese and Arabic. Four benches give the space a sense of the locality. Representing the white cliffs of the south coast, their bases are filled with chalk and their surfaces rise in waves like the land.

This is the newly completed Seaford peace garden. Infused with creativity, from the metal figure created by artist Christian Funnell, to the letter carving done by Jo Sweeting, to the overall design of the garden by Lindsay Thomas, local landscape designer. Coming from a leading among local Quakers this old rose garden has been transformed to provide ‘a place of beauty, a celebration of peace [and] a space for quiet contemplation’.

Four years ago Seaford Quakers discerned a need to create a space in the town for holding peace vigils and outdoor Meetings for Worship as some local people were uncomfortable with the vigils being held at the local war memorial that lies to the side of a busy main road. In their proposal for the garden, the Quakers explained that ‘whilst not seeking to avoid the challenges which follow from this, we wish to create a setting more conducive to a peaceful present and future rather than recalling past conflicts.’

As a group they have been happily holding Meeting for Worship at the amateur theatre for many years. On the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month, the theatre, so used to frivolity and pretence, becomes a centre for truth and silence as the Friends meet for worship. When the idea of the peace garden arose, Friends felt that it would be a worthy use of money that they might otherwise have spent on Meeting premises. With that in mind they approached the town council and came to the agreement that if the Quakers raised the money for the redevelopment, the council would take on the maintenance. After four years of work, drawing on funding from Quaker trusts, individuals and local organisations, including the council, it is finally complete.

Seaford Friends see the garden as being ‘a wonderful opportunity to witness to peace whilst providing a valuable resource for the town’ and, as Ralph Taylor put it in conversation with Eye, ‘people walking through the garden on the way into the park will be aware of Quakers making it a practice in outreach. An information board gives the history of the development as well as including the phone number for the local mediation service for those who may be in need of a listening ear.

The peace garden was formally opened by Sheila Hancock and Linda Wallraven, the mayor of Seaford on Sunday 10 July.

---

Comments

Please login to add a comment