Latest News
Young Quakers make lockdown connections
Young Quakers have been finding ways to connect virtually during the lockdown period, amid complicated feelings that can range from loss to isolation to relief. As schools have closed and Meetings stopped gathering due to the Covid-19 pandemic, young Friends have come together online to nourish and support each other.
Tax Justice letter
Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM), has signed a letter published in The Times and The Guardian calling on the government to pursue a fairer tax regime in light of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Air strikes on Iraq during Covid ceasefire
The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) has said that the UK Ministry of Defence faces urgent questions after it was revealed that the Royal Air Force staged air strikes in Iraq when Boris Johnson was still in hospital. The incident was posted on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) website on 25 April...
DR Congo town hit by devastating floods
The Quaker Congo Partnership UK charity has highlighted devastating floods in the city where its partner church’s office is based. The city of Uvira in the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding areas were hit by ‘horrendous’ floods in April, affecting some 80,000 people and destroying thousands of properties.
BYM protest military taxes to HMRC
Forty-nine staff members of Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) have written to HMRC to protest against the uses of taxes for military purposes. The action, which is taken every year, is part of a campaign organised by ‘Conscience – Taxes for peace not war’. The letter says: ‘The government’s response to...
Central England Quakers on Earth Day
Climate campaigns need to engage with the heart as well as the mind, experts at a Quaker-facilitated Earth Day Gathering said. The recommendation was one of many that emerged from the online event on 22 April organised by Central England Quakers, Footsteps (Faiths for a Low Carbon Future), Climate Action Network...
Quaker Africa Interest Group highlights food insecurity
Food insecurity is a key issue in several African countries, according to the Quaker Africa Interest Group. Lee Taylor, co-clerk of the group and member of Milton Keynes Meeting, told the Friend that a Zoom meeting on 23 April organised by the Quaker Africa Interest Group, involving Quaker and other charities...
Quakers call for ‘liveable income for all’
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has written to the prime minister asking him to ensure no one is left without a liveable income during the COVID-19 crisis. The open letter backs the New Economics Foundation’s (NEF) proposal for a temporary minimum income guarantee which would be unconditional and not means...
Friends celebrate Earth Day 2020
Quakers across the world celebrated Earth Day 2020 last week, which this year marked its fiftieth anniversary. Central England Quakers (CEQ) joined three other groups to hold an online gathering for the day, focusing on how cities are responding to the climate emergency. The interfaith event ‘Our Cities and Climate’ on 22...
BYM moves forward with Vibrancy plans
The joint Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM)/Woodbrooke project to radically reshape support for Quaker communities took what it described as ‘a significant step forward’ this week with news of more local development workers and a key hub office in Leeds.