Eye - 6 October 2022
From Opening the doors to Friends and festivals
Opening the doors
Friends in London took part in a city-wide community initiative in September.
Bessie White, of Brentford and Isleworth Meeting, got in touch to shed light on local Friends’ activities (see photos).
‘Brentford and Isleworth was one of a number of London Meeting houses, old and new, welcoming visitors this year as part of the London Open House Festival between 6 and 17 September.
‘In addition to showing off their historic building, displays on Quaker history and artefacts from the Meeting, an extra draw were some additional activities. These comprised crochet and sewing workshops, a concert by Syon Early Music Group (which rehearses at the Meeting house), and an art show by members of the Meeting and local group Art for All.
‘The mayor of Hounslow, councillor Afzaal Kiani, accompanied by councillor Adesh Farmahan attended, as did local MP Ruth Cadbury.
‘The organisers, wardens Miranda Barrett and Justin Treadwell, said, “Open House was a wonderful chance to bring people in, locals and visitors from further afield alike, celebrating the creativity and community of the neighbourhood and local Friends – whilst also displaying some Quaker history. We had some attendees who had attended Quaker schools or had family links, but also several who had never encountered Quakers in Britain before. It was a fantastic festival. Our thanks to everyone involved!”.’
Friends and festivals
Abandoned sleeping bags are being given a new lease of life by Quaker Social Action (QSA).
After a pilot scheme in 2022, the team collected sleeping bags discarded by festival-goers at Leeds and Reading festivals this summer… saving 200 from landfill!
They told Eye: ‘The project manager has always looked at ways to redistribute items that would normally end in landfill that could be redistributed to those in need. It’s a passion of hers to help those that need it and reduce waste.
‘There is always a demand for sleeping bags and donations of these are minimal partially to do with how expensive they can be. A sleeping bag in the winter could be the difference between life and death on the streets of London.
‘Yet hundreds of festival goers abandon barely used and great condition sleeping bags every year at festivals. These then end in landfill. It made sense to collect unwanted preloved items, clean them and provide them to those that they could be life changing for.
‘The items are cleaned and then handed out to people experiencing homelessness in London. We collect sleeping bags and sleeping mats. This helps with a warm and more comfortable night’s sleep as they are then not directly on the cold floor…
‘We hand these out on our mobile library with other essential items collected, including clothes and wash items.’
