Eye - 19 August 2011

From Hiroshima Day to Brighton Pride

Scottish peace tree

Quakers all over Britain were involved in commemorating Hiroshima Day on 6 August. Among the events that Friends in Scotland got involved in, Sue Bennett tells Eye, was the ‘Peace Tree’ displayed at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh. It was made by the Gareloch Horticulturalists, a group of women who, for twenty-seven years, have been campaigning for nuclear disarmament through nonviolent direct action.

The tree is a reference to the peace monument and garden in Hiroshima, and the story of Sadako, the little girl who survived the bombing but subsequently fell ill with radiation sickness. She tried to fold one thousand origami cranes as a prayer for her recovery, but died before the task was completed. The Peace Tree is adorned with a thousand cranes that were created by hundreds of Scottish children in ‘Beauty of Peace’ workshops. Ultimately, the paper birds will be sent to join the many others that hang in the Hiroshima Peace Garden.

Brighton Pride

The Quaker Meeting House in Brighton is a ‘green oasis’ of calm in the centre of the town and made a creative contribution to one of the liveliest events of the year – the annual Pride march. ‘We have always had a group from the Meeting who took part in the march,’ said Harvey Gillman. ‘It has always been a mix of straight and gay members and attenders of the Meeting, but this year we decided not to march and to open up our Meeting house.’

‘So we had a café in the grounds. I baked scones – no pink butter I am afraid. And it was a great opportunity for outreach. We have a very open and inclusive Meeting. We are very active and have close links with the community and we just thought we would do something different this year.’ In the past Brighton Quakers carried banners in the parade. This year, in an effort to be visible as a Meeting house, there were quotations on display in the grounds of Quaker statements on same-sex relationships. They were a visual symbol of affirmation.

Brighton is a colourful place with colourful people and Quakers have certainly added to it. ‘It’s a place where there are a lot of seekers,’ said Harvey. ‘It is full of spiritual anarchists and a lot of us like that. We have four Meetings a week, which says something about our health and our commitment to build a community.’

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