2024 marks 50 years of Quakers at 16 Colebrook Street, better known as the Winchester Quaker Meeting House.

Celebrations included bite-sized music festival Quaker Jam, a tea-party for friends old and new, and craft workshops inspired by the textile panels of the Loving Earth Project.

There were a lot of parties because there was a lot to celebrate!

Over the past half-century, the Meeting House has provided hundreds of people, at risk of homelessness, with a place to call home.

The large Meeting Room and garden has provided Friends (another word for Quakers) with a place to meet in stillness, listening together and sensing a connection with the divine.

Therapeutic self-help group work and one-to-one counselling has happened at the Meeting House for decades too.

People supporting each other through grief, loss, separation, mental health problems and addiction recovery.

For 50 years, Quakers in Winchester have created a safe space for the local community, or, in the words of one group member, "a home from home".

Looking ahead, Winchester Quakers plan to continue this work, sometimes in partnership with other faith and non-faith groups, and with the support of the local community, living out testimonies of Simplicity, Truth, Equality and Peace.

For more on how Winchester Quakers celebrated 50 years at 16 Colebrook Street, search "Quakers" on the Hampshire Chronicle website.

To learn about job opportunities at the Meeting House, visit winchesterquakers.org.uk/jobs

Peace Poppies 

Quakers in Winchester held a vigil at the Buttercross last Saturday, to remember all victims of war. Many wore the white poppy, as a symbol of remembrance. 

Local Quaker Irene said: “In the run up to Remembrance Day - and while military conflict rages in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, some Quakers and many others, will be wearing white poppies. 

Those who choose to wear the poppy range from people in their nineties who were conscientious objectors, to young people at school. ‘White Poppies are needed now more than ever, as a non-militaristic way to remember,’ said one young Quaker.

Irene added: “We want to help prompt conversations around war, peace, remembrance and hope. The white poppy says “No more wars. No more killing. Let’s work for peace."

White poppies are not a Quaker initiative, and have been produced by the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) since 1935, but most Quakers agree with the pledge:

"War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determined not to support any kind of war. I am also determined to work for the removal of all causes of war."

Where can I find a white poppy?

The Peace Pledge Union makes and distributes white poppies in the UK.

Peace in this House 

Are you a PARENT needing some PEACE & QUIET on a Sunday morning?

“It’s blissful! An hour of sitting in meditative peace with others, while our son/daughter enjoys activities with other children.”

Friends Meeting House in central Winchester has a Children’s Room in the delightful garden, where indoor and outdoor activities for all ages take place. Some of the flowering plants and shrubs were planted by the children.

“We get to choose an activity we like, or a topic to discuss. I love the craft activities, and chatting with my friends.”

For more information, use this link winchesterquakers.org.uk
or email welcome@winchesterquakers.org.uk or call 01962 864184