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Breakthrough on anti-nuclear ban
There were reasons to celebrate, however, as news broke in October that the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) had been ratified by the fiftieth state. With Honduras signing, the treaty will enter into international legal force on 22 January. The Northern Friends Peace Board called the news...
Yearly Meeting online
Around 760 Friends gathered for the first online Yearly Meeting in November, glad to come together after months of Covid-19-induced separation. ‘This is exciting, isn’t it?’, said Clare Scott Booth, as she opened YM 2020 with an image of The Light at Friends House as a backdrop. Matters considered included...
Friends welcome Biden
US Friends welcomed Joe Biden’s US presidential win in November, saying that there was much work to be done. The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) tweeted its congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, adding: ‘Democracy has prevailed. We can’t wait to work with you and the...
Quaker centenarian raises £40,000
Newbury Quaker centenarian Ruth Saunders, inspired by Tom Moore who famously raised £32 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his patio in the days leading up to his 100th birthday, has gone one further by completing the final lap of her marathon. She walked the final two laps at...
‘Chilling’ effect on campaign groups
The UK government is making it harder for campaigning voices to be heard, staff from Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) have said. Writing on the Quakers in Britain website, Grace Da Costa, public affairs and advocacy manager for BYM, sets out the impact of what the blog describes as the ‘chilling...
Friends call for more black history lessons
A Scottish Friend involved in one of the four South-East Scotland Area Meeting study groups set up to explore racism has said that there should be more taught about British black history on the UK school curriculum.
‘Tough time’ for prisons
The challenges facing prison staff and chaplains throughout the pandemic was explored in an online Quaker workshop this autumn.
Friends explore slavery and the City
Friends in London took part in a walk around the capital last month aimed at deepening their understanding of the capital’s links to slavery. A small group of Quakers joined the Slavery and the City walk; they were brought together by London Quakers and led by the group Six...
Campaign against military spending heats up
Friends are speaking out strongly against the government’s recent decision to hike military spending by £16.5 billion. In a statement to the House of Commons on 19 November, Boris Johnson committed to the significant new funds for the UK’s armed forces as part of the government’s 2020 Spending Review.
QSA and QHA merge
The Quaker Open Christmas run by Quaker Homeless Action (QHA) will not be taking place in 2020, due to the practicalities of its merger this month with Quaker Social Action (QSA).