Eye - 18 September 2015

From Friends at Farfield to Busy Bees

Friends at Farfield

After two centuries, the presence of Friends is being felt at Farfield Meeting House in Yorkshire. Chris Skidmore, of Craven & Keighley Area Meeting, told Eye:

‘After a long period of absence by Friends, this summer has seen a renaissance of Quaker use of the Meeting house. A group of Friends from Skipton have… held three Meetings for Worship at Farfield at monthly intervals.’

Saturday 5 September ‘saw the most significant event when nearly thirty Friends from Leeds Area Meeting visited Farfield for a packed lunch followed by a talk about the history of the building and then Meeting for Worship.’

He adds: ‘Farfield Meeting House is a late-seventeenth century Meeting house in Wharfedale, which remains very much as it would have been when it was built. Regular Meetings ceased to be held there about two hundred years ago. It was sold by Friends in the 1950s and is now in the hands of the Historic Chapels Trust.’

Homes in villages

Recent events roused a riled rhyme from Jane Burn, of Banbury and Evesham Area Meeting:

What are ‘THEY’ doing about ‘IT’?
‘IT’… is increasing day by day
‘IT’… is the tragedy of those forced to flee
people just like you and me.
Am I speaking truth to power
what am I doing… what do I say?

Over five thousand villages in the UK
could you or I take such a person
in our home to stay
or am I ringing my hands in dismay?

It is not enough to be appalled
by what we read… what we see
…in the papers or on TV…
a spare room could be given
community supporting humanity.

So where do we start, where does this begin
this question I ask… too great a task?
villagers gave homes in the past
conviction and courage comes from within.
From you and me…
…when and where do we begin…

Busy Bees

Two beehives were installed on the roof of Friends House in May this year and are being cared for by Camilla Goddard, from Capital Bee, for the first year. Jane Dawson, advocacy and public relations team leader for Britain Yearly Meeting, tells Eye that the bees are thriving: ‘Their waggle dance tells us they love Regent’s Park. And they mostly collect rock rose and lime tree pollen. Thanks to the gardeners of Regent’s Park we have 200 jars of honey this year!’

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