The August break

The Memorial Hall is becoming a familiar place for Beeston Quakers.  We have seen new visitors in the past few months and were particularly pleased to welcome a baby last Sunday.   We have grown accustomed to the hall and the kitchen and adjacent rooms. 

However we remain a small Meeting and depend of a core of a few members and attenders.  We have therefore decided that we shall not hold Meeting for Worship in Beeston during August 2012.

There are Quaker Meetings in Nottingham, Derby and Loughborough which should welcome visitors (though it may be necessary to find out about facilities and Meeting for children in advance).  

Meeting in Beeston in the Chilwell Memorial Hall resumes at 10.30 on Sunday, 2nd September and will welcome visitors.

Meeting in August - and afterwards

posted by kathy

For many years, Beeston Quakers haven't met together in August. This started because it was hard to organise when many members had young families and it gave the small core of Beeston Quakers, who took responsibility for the Meeting week after week, a chance to enjoy other weekend activities and to attend other Meetings.

The people involved with any Meeting change over the years and so do their needs and commitments. This August we're experimenting. There will be a Sunday Meeting for Worship on the first three Sundays in August (the 1st, 8th and 15th) at 10.30 a.m. (but not on the last two Sundays). Visitors are, as always, welcome.



Meanwhile there's a danger that the Day Centre (properly the Middle Street Resource Centre) where we meet will be closed in the current round of County Council cuts. This won't be a disaster for Beeston Quakers who can move to another building or attend other Meetings. However it presents a serious problem for the people who use the Centre in the week - and they're busy campaigning against it.

The Middle Street Resource Centre is used by people with mental health difficulties - and, judging from what we see at Meeting on Sundays, it's well used. In the time we've been meeting there - 18 years, I think - we've seen the centre grow from a functional institution to a place that is loved and cared for by its users. We've seen and enjoyed the wonderful gardens that have been planted. We've read the notices on the walls and seen the signs of a supportive social life in which the people who come to the centre help and teach one another. We've seen that people do art and creative writing, go on outings together, learn a huge range of subjects. It's a place which people value - and where they feel valued. The centre is a living witness to what we as Quakers recognise as "that of God in every one" - though the users of the centre would probably have different language to describe it. The centre as it is now doesn't feel like a place of difficulty and illness but a place of healing and health.

Visiting the centre on Sundays, we've read the notices and information about mental health on the walls and tables and have become much better informed. Some of us have talked about our own experiences. 1 in 4 of the population have mental health difficulties at some point in their lives - the centre helps people with the kind of problems that everyone encounters in themselves, their families or friends. I've never seen a centre set up to help people that so evidently does a good job.

The county council is proposing to give centre users an individual account so that they can still get help. But this would deprive the users of the support they have now and the network of friendships they have built up. The centre is a sociable place. It feels loved.

The users are campaigning to keep the centre which means so much to them - and to which they have given such care. Readers of this blog may wish to sign their petition. There's a copy in the Oxfam shop on Beeston High Road and you can also sign it on-line, HERE.

August break - next Meeting Sunday 7th September

posted by kathy


As a small Meeting, Beeston sees Meeting for Worship as its central activity. A few of us commit ourselves to attend on as many Sundays as possible to ensure that Meeting continues. However, this becomes difficult in August when a number of people plan family holidays and days out. This makes it hard to hold Meeting so, as usual, we have decided that there will be no Meetings for Worship in August.

It's a good opportunity to experience other Meetings for Worship. There's a link in the right-hand side-bar to Notts and Derbys Monthly Meeting and a list of other Meetings in the area. Loughborough Meeting is also fairly close - if you would like details, click HERE (you may want to email for further information).

By clicking HERE you can find details of Meetings in the U.K.

We'll be back at the Day Centre at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday, 7th September.

In the meantime, there may be further posts on the Beeston Quakers blog. And here is a (non-Quaker) video to cheer you on your holidays.



Note: The performer is Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes.

August holiday

posted by Kathy

As usual, there won't be any Meeting for Worship at the Day Centre in August. This gives regular attenders the chance to spend weeks or weekends away or even, of they wish, to explore other Meetings. While Meeting has become a bit bigger lately, it still depends on a few people (especially Martin) who open up, set the rooms up, prepare drinks, etc.

If you want to find another Meeting for Worship, you can follow this link on the Britain Yearly Meeting website. The nearest Meetings to Beeston are in Nottingham, Derby and Loughborough. It's sensible to ring any Meeting before turning up at this time of year as arrangements do change.

It would be good if people from Beeston Meeting used the blog to keep in touch. It's easy to post a comment. If you prefer you may e-mail me or Rhiannon so that we can post longer entries - and even jpgs and youtube videos - on the blog.

Henry has his birthday celebrations this weekend - so Happy Birthday, Henry, and have a good (non-violent) water-fight.

Meanwhile, here's a seasonal singalong opportunity, chosen in honour of the public transport devotees among you. (Drivers - please note that this video is not provided for instruction or emulation.)




And if you survived that, here are some good wishes for anyone travelling overseas.