Quakers head to Glastonbury
As part of a news round-up, Rebecca Hardy looks at the first official Quaker presence at Glastonbury Festival
Quakers undertook some musical outreach in 2019 when, for what is thought to be the first time ever, it had an official presence at Glastonbury Festival. Writing in the Friend, Joseph Fuller, from Cheltenham Meeting, who was part of the team of four who ran a stand in the Green Futures Field, described how the experience left his faith stronger. ‘Amid the chance to see some of the best musicians and artists in the world, the festival arguably has almost perfect conditions for a spiritual experience…’ he said. ‘We focussed on providing a calm, peaceful space, in the middle of all the noise and clamour, and to offer an experience of stillness before anything else, with conversation only coming later if it felt necessary… a large number of people did simply rest in the tent with us, in stillness, a welcoming invitation that they will associate with Quakerism.’
Joseph Fuller added that he was ‘convinced that the particular quality of the festival allowed people to reach that [state of vulnerability and trust] with far greater ease than in everyday life’.
The stand held daily Meetings for Worship.
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