Letters - 20 & 27 December 2013
From 'The Light' to Barclays Bank
The Light
As a Quaker I want to send a measured letter showing due reflection and putting my points clearly. Having read page six of the Friend (13 December), I find that a challenge. My comments are based on not only years of service to the Religious Society of Friends but also eight years experience directing a training and development suite in central London. There are many large spaces for hire near Friends House, in the TUC/SOAS/Wellcome Institute/Regents College. I mentioned these publicly in the early stages of discussion about the Large Meeting House (LMH) refurbishment in an effort to help the discernment about the unique selling point of commercial spaces in Friends House.
In the last two decades there have been exciting changes and successful trading additions to our central building. We have a central London presence, known and recognisable, working and witnessing in our name. This is the primary purpose of the building. However, are we in danger of allowing the commercial tail to wag the dog, i.e. distort our functions?
Is it not enough to identify the ‘Quaker assembly hall’ for hire, allowing clear reference to its main function – a place to assemble? Although I have to believe that many have deliberated about the name, I fear that a marketing ploy has misled or skewed thinking away from plain speech. I cannot protest strongly enough about the nonsense of calling our LMH ‘The Light’. In the interests of brevity and my inflated blood pressure I beg the Hospitality Company to reconsider.
Margaret Amor
I am concerned about the process by which it has been proposed to call the Large Meeting House at Friends’ House ‘The Light’. The Friend reports that this was announced at Meeting for Sufferings as ‘an aside’ to the report of Britain Yearly Meeting trustees.
Friends, please can we revisit this proposal? If members of the Hospitality Company could be present as Friends speak of what the term ‘the Light’ means to us maybe another way will open?
Sue Newsom
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