Eye - 17 November 2017

From joyful puppetry to praise of The Pales

Joyful puppetry

Skipton Friends made a joyful outing during the town’s Puppet Festival Parade this year.

A giant Quaker octopus was crafted by the Meeting, inspired by the parade’s theme ‘Dreams of the Sea’, and took to the streets on Sunday 1 October.

Local Friend Kevin Hogan told Eye that their creation was part of the Skipton Quakers’ outreach activities for Quaker Week.

‘Our aim was to have fun and give a lively, affirmative view of Quakers. We wanted to subvert the image of them as sober and joyless and so wore Quaker Oats style hats decorated with sea related items.’

In praise of The Pales

The oldest Meeting house in Wales in continuous use turned 300 this year and, after months of planning, Friends gathered for a week of activities to celebrate this momentous anniversary.

During a week in September a varied programme of events saw people travel from near and far to find out more about The Pales.

One of the events saw paint brushes being brandished as The Pales hosted an Art Day. Bridget Cherry, of Ludlow Meeting, described how ‘around a dozen artists quickly scattered over the grounds, keen to make the best of the uncertain weather, but there was also the chance to gather indoors in the warmer setting of the schoolroom’.

She added: ‘There was a fascinating variety of approaches, in materials used, in style of painting and in the range of colours explored to depict the surrounding landscape.

‘Trying to capture the essence of a place requires a special kind of looking which can be quite strenuous, but is intensely rewarding… the setting of The Pales is a deeply inspiring subject with endless possibilities.’

Other events included a talk by a local geologist about the land surrounding the Meeting house, which inspired his forty-one listeners to go fossil hunting.

The ways in which the testimonies are reflected at The Pales itself were explored by a group of eight Friends: simplicity and sustainability were considered in the Williams Wood, truth in the view from the campsite, equality in the burial ground, and peace around the meditation pond.

Twenty-three braved a cold and wet morning to walk to Penybont Common, which may have been a site where George Fox preached.

A programme of speakers delved into the past with their audience of forty at the History Day. The Pales Peace Choir rounded off the week by performing a concert.

The Pales Management Group told Eye: ‘We were delighted to see so many people and thank all who offered suggestions about what they would like to see happening in 2018.’

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