Friends celebrate one of the greatest ambassadors for life on Earth.

Organised by East Midlands Local Development Worker Sarah Shaw, Friends took a stall at the Attenborough Arboretum in Leicester, promoting Quaker concern for the climate crisis, our eco values, and our spiritual practices.

“It was a privilege for Quakers to be part of the David Attenborough 100th birthday celebrations," said Sarah. “We attracted a lot of interest from visitors who took part in three 'Mindful Moment' opportunities for Quaker worship. We were joined by more than 60 all-age participants. Our stall also had a really popular 'Commitment Beans' game asking passers-by to vote on the best way to fight the climate crisis. More than 200 people took part!" (The choices were 'eat less meat', 'consume less', 'stand up and be counted' and the winner was 'champion diversity').

The Attenborough Arboretum is part of the University of Leicester and was opened by Sir David in 1997. It occupies about five acres and features a planting scheme designed to display trees native to the British Isles in the sequence in which they arrived in this country following the ending of the last ice-age.

“In a time of wide-spread division and uncertainty, it was a joy to come together with the local community to celebrate David who has been such a pioneering champion of the natural world," said Sarah. “It truly was a lovely day and it was amazing to have the opportunity to reach out to so many people and share who we are and the values that matter to us."

They've been busy bees in Leicester, having also got together to celebrate Earth Day.

“We organised an all-age, early-evening event including a 'get to know one another' game led by one of the children," explained Sarah, who suggested and supported Friends in holding the event. “There was a badge-making activity where people could decorate badges associated with Quaker qualities needed to tackle the earth crisis, a shared vegan meal and a 30-minute period of worship."

Friends from the wider Midlands region were invited and the event was also open to members of the public. There was a lovely balance of children, young adult Friends as well as more seasoned Quakers!

“We wanted to provide a space that brought to the fore our individual and collective spiritual connections to the natural world," said Sarah. “We were keen to offer Quaker worship and fellowship at a time that might appeal to people from the local community (particularly families and young people) and we wanted to hold an event that recognised and celebrated our commitment as a Quaker community to sustainability, climate justice and earth care in its broadest sense."

Joyfully, last year, Leicester local meeting was awarded Silver EcoChurch status, and this event was part of their ongoing commitment to meeting the aspirations of the EcoChurch movement.

“It was a beautiful evening," explained Fran, one of the co-organisers. “We shared a lovely meal as well as fun activities and thought-provoking questions around sustainability. The 30-minute meeting for worship enabled us to focus on this wonderful world and provided a meaningful and reflective way to end the evening together."

For support in running your own events contact your Local Development Worker