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23 March 2016
Walk through the arch into the main courtyard at Swarthmoor Hall and pause for a moment to enjoy its peace and tranquillity. In the spring and early summer historic Swarthmoor Hall is a space to take time out, to reflect and enjoy the hall at its best, set in a purple crocus meadow, with drifts of golden daffodils, spring bulbs and heathers.
Three hundred years ago Swarthmoor Hall was known as the cradle of Quakerism. Today it runs a year-long programme of workshops, retreats, pilgrimages and courses.
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2 March 2016
One hundred years ago today conscription and conscientious objection became law. In the midst of World War I, Quaker MPs worked in parliament to ensure the recognition of the right to refuse to kill.
This was the first time in history that legal objection to military service for an individual had been granted.
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24 February 2016
Quaker activist Sam Sender of Ealing Quaker Meeting said he had been following his conscience when he protested against the expansion of Heathrow Airport.
He was given a six weeks sentence, suspended for 12 months, plus 120 hours' community service, at Willesden Magistrates Court on Wednesday 24 February. He is one of thirteen activists found guilty of aggravated trespass and entering a security restricted area at Heathrow airport during an action carried out by members of the independent grassroots pressure group, Plane Stupid.
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16 February 2016
Government plans to ban local councils from making ethical choices in their pension investments and procurements are undemocratic, say Quakers in Britain.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Matthew Hancock, is currently visiting Israel. During his visit, he is expected to announce full details of changes to the procurement guidance for all publicly funded institutions, including local councils and universities.
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10 February 2016
The Peer Mediation Network today called on Nicky Morgan, Secretary of State for Education, to take steps to promote the comprehensive provision of conflict resolution education in schools.
The Network, which includes Quakers in Britain, wrote an open letter. It said, “Funding and government support for mediation and restorative approaches in schools has been variable, making provision haphazard. It is time for this to change."
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5 February 2016
Soaring house prices, welfare cuts and loss of social housing have sparked a housing crisis. For Quakers at Yearly Meeting it was a hot topic and now they are questioning peers who are beginning a line by line examination of The Housing and Planning Bill in the House of Lords.
Quakers in Britain say this Bill is a missed opportunity for the government to reduce inequality in the housing system. Instead it will increase inequality between those who are home-owners and those who are not.
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23 January 2016
In the midst of World War I, as conscription came into force, Quakers worked with parliament to ensure men had the right to refuse to kill.
In 1916, with the Military Service Act, Britain became the first country to give legal recognition to individual conscience, now enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
