‘I was quite nervous, checking we had the obligatory flowers, and coffee for afterwards.’

What do you do when you need to go to Meeting, but there isn’t one? After four years there, Kirsten Hills went from occasional Quaker to the face of Friends In Florence

by Kirsten Hills 23rd August 2019

I wouldn’t say I am a dedicated Quaker, so the idea that I’d play a part in setting up a new Meeting might seem absurd. My attendance has always been sporadic, but everywhere I have lived in the UK I have always sought out the Local Meeting – and there always was one. I would go when I felt the need for quiet thinking, for a time to recharge, and for a chance to feel a part of something bigger. So Quakerism for me has always been something I’ve engaged with on a ‘drop-in’ basis – until that is, I moved to Florence, Italy.