Eye - 22 July 2016

From making connections to appearing in Pokémon Go

Making connections

The ad pages of the Friend have long shone a light on the bustling Quaker community in Britain.

One advert spied by Jill Allum, of Beccles Meeting, recently set off a mind-bending avalanche of connections.

It began with a profusion of Ransomes: ‘Discovering Swallows & Ransomes is a book by John Berry. Your advert on page seventeen (‘Friends Historical Society Gathering’, 1 July) shows a talk on John Ransome, an eighteenth-century Quaker. The speaker [Sylvia Stevens] is my friend and joining her will be David Ransome.

‘In hospital for major surgery (see letter, 1 July), I made friends with Holly Hinton, actor and author, whose partner Joel, is now playing the character “John” in We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea…’

The play, an Eastern Angles production in Suffolk, is a dramatisation of the book by the same name in the Swallows and Amazons series, written by Arthur Ransome (1844-1967).

Among the leaves of Arthur’s family tree, Jill writes, there are Quaker forbears: ‘Robert Ransome (1753-1830) and his son, James (1782-1849)… Robert moved from Norwich to Ipswich and patented an improved ploughshare. James took the firm into railway work.’

Jill tells Eye that: ‘The current play is about the four “Swallows” [the Walker family] sailing in the Goblin across the North Sea in fog! The Goblin is [based on Ransome’s own boat] the Nancy Blackett, named after one of the “Amazons”.

‘Chair of The Nancy Blackett Trust is Roger Sturge, once clerk of Meeting for Sufferings. Roger tells me that a new Swallows and Amazons film is being released on 19 August. “Worth seeing!” says Roger. So many connections!’

A Scandinavian experience

Five Friends from North Somerset Area Meeting had a memorable opportunity to meet Swedish Quakers in June.

Denise Powell, of Sidcot Meeting, told Eye that Friends visited the home of John and Ingegerd Wyatt in Borstig, Sweden.

She writes: ‘It gave the opportunity to join with Swedish Friends for a day of Quaker worship held in the garden of the traditional converted vicarage.’

Denise explained that the day included a number of Friends who had travelled up to a hundred miles to attend: ‘There were regional Friends from the widely distributed “Smaland Group” and the newer, smaller and thriving “Vastra Gotaland Group” which is coordinated by Ingmar and Annika Hollsing. Also in the area and able to attend were Deborah Williams and David Minifie, visiting Friends from Christchurch, New Zealand, and Klaus Huber, of Bradford on Avon Meeting… The day took the form of led Worship in the morning. After a shared lunch, there was a “silent” Meeting for Worship. The experience for these British Friends provided a memorable opportunity to meet Swedish Friends and experience a little of the Swedish rural way of life – [it] is much recommended.’

PokéPlayers

Harrogate Meeting House has attracted some ‘unusual activity’.

Local Friend Fleur Parker told Eye that: ‘During Friday afternoon [15 July] at least a dozen young adults were spotted walking up to the front doors, standing still for a few minutes and then wandering off again. Spiritual enquiries? Apparently not!’

She explained: ‘The Meeting house is part of the Pokémon Go game as a designated PokéStop! Players can collect items such as eggs, Pokémon and PokéBalls to help them on the game. Perhaps some PokéOutreach would be appropriate – “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”.’

Pokémon Go was released this month, twenty years after the original Pokémon video games. It is a location-based augmented reality game for mobile phones that enables players to explore real-world locations to find and catch Pokémon creatures.

Answers

‘Which Meeting house?’

1. Dundee, 2. Aylesbury, 3. Ludlow, 4. Welwyn Garden City, 5. Liverpool.

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