Here you will find the work the Social Action Committee are involved with.
If you would like to be involved please contact Nicola at friargate@yorkquakers.org.uk
Warm Welcome, Fridays 2-4pm
On Friday afternoons we have a drop in warm welcome session in the centre of York. Here you can get a hot drink and make some new friends. Run by Quakers, these afternoons are open to all and are especially aware of Neurodivergent needs.
Games Evening
It's an inclusive Quaker & Neurodivergent board games night. Its on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 5-9pm.
There's tea, coffee and light snacks, with a mix of modern and traditional board games played. We are usually in Woolman so plenty of space for all.
Climate action within Friargate
If you are interested in sustainability, here's how to get involved:
York Friends of the Earth, FoE.
York FoE campaigns for effective action to prevent climate breakdown and promote sustainability. We have working groups on warmer homes, elections, food, glyphosate and clean rivers. We work with other groups in York and across Yorkshire.
We meet on the second Wednesday in the month at 7pm at Friargate Meeting House.
for more information please check out; https://groups.friendsoftheearth.uk/groups/york-friends-earth
Past Events
Coat of Hopes, displayed at Friargate
We very much enjoyed being the guardians of the Coat of Hopes at Friargate over the past few months.
The Coat of Hopes is a patchwork coat, made up of over 600 blanket patches, each of which has been made to carry the griefs, remembrances, prayers and/or hopes of a person or group for the place where they live in the face of climate and ecological breakdown. Starting out blank, patches were sewn into the Coat on its way - worn and walked from the south coast of England to COP 26 in Glasgow. A 9 week "pilgrimage" - with the sacred destination being the coming together of world leaders to make commitments towards a livable future on Earth. The Coat is always accompanied by its song, which declares its work and is sung each time a new person wears the Coat. Over 900 people wore the Coat on that original journey, and at least as many again have worn it since then.
Following that original journey I spent a year and a half responding to invitations to visit and walk with communities around the country (travelling by train), before realising that the Coat's way is to travel on foot, sharing its invitation to stop and put it on, unexpectedly. So, since the end of July 2023 the Coat has been on a (very slow) permanent pilgrimage, with the sacred destination now being each person we encounter on our way - because each of us have (in our small way) commitments to consider regarding the future of life on this planet. We have walked across Scotland, and now having walked up the west, are walking down the east of the country. Our current leg (now complete), being Edinburgh to York. Our commitment ( that of the Coat core team) is to keep the Coat walking and working whilst the situation remains an emergency, and with no end in sight we have to pace ourselves, as the number of people involved at the moment is small. So the Coat walks for several days and then rests, usually on display for several days, before pilgrims gather again to walk it on. It is a powerful work both inwardly for each "Coat pilgrim" and outwardly for many of those who encounter the Coat as it walks through their area.
From June the coat will travel to Bradford. To follow the coats journey or participate in the pilgrimage, please visit the website for details www.coatofhopes.uk
