Blue ribbons on Coventry Meeting House Photo: courtesy Jo Hallet
True blue: Jo Hallett from the City of Culture
‘Blue ribbons (made from recycled plastic bottles) were festooned over twenty places of worship.’
Earlier this month Friends in Coventry – this year’s City of Culture – were able to take part in Faith, a co- production organised with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). It consisted of a series of multi-cultural, multi-faith events across the centre of the city. Friends were involved with the organisation and took part in all the events. It was a fantastic and inspiring weekend!
Blue ribbons (made from recycled plastic bottles), part of Coventry’s industrial heritage, were festooned over twenty places of worship – including our Meeting house – and the routes between them. Our building was open all day, with an exhibition about Quakers in the garden, and, of course, tea and cakes! There were over thirty visitors, from all walks of life.
During the day, a series of plays were performed by the RSC, moving through the streets to different locations, including our Meeting house. The Arrival featured a young Sikh couple, newly arrived to the UK in the 1970s and looking for a distant relative resident here. They came across the Quaker Meeting house as it was organising a jumble sale in aid of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (old posters from the period were on display). During the dialogue, some of our main Quaker viewpoints were voiced. Looking rather lost, the young lady entered the rear of the Meeting house only to reappear with food, feeling much more welcome.
The audience of 200 had headphones to follow the dialogue, and the plays were live streamed (you can still find these on YouTube: just search for ‘Faith – The Arrival’).
On Saturday evening the ‘Celebration of Light’ was like a mini-Olympic opening ceremony, based in Millennium Place in the city centre. Over 500 torches were lit, many carried by the 150 volunteers, including five of us from Coventry Meeting. A moving ceremony took place on the central stage, including actors and faith leaders and a specially-written collaborative poem, ‘The City Speaks’: ‘I am Coventry / You are authentic, compassionate, contradictory / You doubt yourself / So often at odds with yourself / You are full of creativity / You seize possibilities / You are never dull / No matter what other people say.’ The torches were carried out of the square in two processions, which wound their way to the Swanswell Park and the old cathedral.
I haven’t even mentioned the two wonderful multi-cultural events held in Swanswell Park on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, with crowds of people, many colourful costumes, music, dancing and talks – and food provided! The whole weekend was brilliantly organised by the professionals, with much involvement of local people.
