Students preparing back stage Photo: Photo courtesy of Leighton Park School
Eye - 19 July 2013
From transforming rags to counting Quakers
Transforming rags for the runway
A dress made entirely from ties and another from rejected shirts were among the seventy outfits shown at one of the first ‘Rags to Runway’ fashion shows on 20 June.
Students from Leighton Park School, founded on Quaker values in 1890, and ‘Oxfam Reworked’ volunteers transformed items that had been donated to Oxfam but had not sold.
The stunning outfits were modelled by students in front of an audience of 160 friends, parents, students and members of the local community.
The runway show also showcased the coursework of Catherine Unsworth, who donated the proceeds from the sale of her work to Oxfam.
Over £1,000 was raised from the evening, from entrance fees and sales of the reworked items far exceeding expectations.
Trudy Crouch-Hyde, who coordinated the event, said: ‘The students, through their enthusiasm and professionalism, helped to create an evening that surpassed all our expectations. The audience had a wonderful time that perfectly showcased the fashion of the future. They are already asking when the next show will be. The Oxfam project volunteers are creatively gifted and dedicated.’
Marge-inspired musings
Jan Lethbridge of Dumfries Meeting, writing in a recent edition of West Scotland Quaker News, muses: ‘…just what is it that holds Quakers worldwide together? So many differences, in theology, in worship forms, in the use of “religious” language, in organisational structures, not to mention culture and tradition…’
Jan’s thoughts were prompted by listening to Catherine Putz who had attended the World Conference of Friends in Kenya last year.
Catherine had quoted Marge from The Simpsons: ‘Our differences are only skin-deep, but our sames go down to the bone.’ Clearly a case of being open to the light wherever it may come.
Counting Quakers
One Meeting
Two Quakers
Three theologies
Four opinions
Five committees
Six jobs
Seven interests
Eight chairs (in case of visitors)
Nine cups of tea (in case of visitors)
Ten after Meeting notices
Bill Chadkirk
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