On Saturday 7 March a group of 8 young people aged 11-18 and 5 adult volunteers made their way to Forest Hill for the weekend. On Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a walking tour around Bermondsey, hosted by local Quaker Sheila Taylor, who showed us key spots from the history of the remarkable Ada and Alfred Salter. Ada had been mayor of Bermondsey from 1922, the first female mayor in London, and Alfred was a GP who became the Member of Parliament. They campaigned for better housing, clearing dreadful slums, planted trees and cared tirelessly for the young, the sick and the poor. Ada ran girls’ clubs in the area. Tragically, their only daughter Joyce died aged 8 of scarlet fever. BYM has an annual Salter lecture, named in their memory.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the Ada Salter garden at Southwark Park, and from there we visited the Brunel Tunnel museum in Rotherhithe, where the first tunnel under the Thames was dug (now housing the Windrush Line). Feeling educationally nourished and physically tired, we headed back to the meeting house for biscuits, luxury hot chocolate and squirty cream, and a game of Mafia. 

In the evening we ate double portions of pasta bake, Madeira cake and custard, and got dressed up in the style of 1930s train passengers for a very dramatic and highly entertaining murder mystery game. Most players were able to correctly deduce the identity of the murderer who done it, the guilty character being a detective by the name of Hugh Dunnit. We ended a happy day with a short epilogue in the meeting room. 

On Sunday morning, International Women’s Day, we awoke to news of the Grand Prix result from one or two who had arisen extremely early (or stayed up extremely late!) to follow events in Melbourne, sang a few songs, and enjoyed delicious pancakes and hot cross buns as part of Forest Hill Quaker Meeting’s monthly shared breakfast. A bumper 24 children and young people joined the Children’s and Junior Meeting, on the topic of the Salters, before heading into the meeting room to join the adults for all age worship.

We were all given a card shaped like a candle to write the names of “shining lights” – Quakers who have inspired us. After meeting for worship some helped in the garden, including clearing a memorial stone removed from the old meeting house/burial ground in Peckham, which included commemoration of Ada and Alfred Salter. Around this we placed all the “shining lights” that Friends had written in meeting for worship. We shared lunch with Forest Hill Friends, and went on our way feeling very grateful for a super weekend together and looking forward to seeing each other again soon. 

Sheila Taylor shared a lovely short film (6 mins) which was made for the Salter centenary by the local secondary school. (The one which is now on the site of the school that the Salters’ daughter Joyce attended.)  It depicts Joyce as she was back in 1910 and then imagines her as a contemporary schoolgirl playing football with her friends on the river path and in the Ada Salter Garden. Video here

From Friday 26 to Sunday 28 September, 23 young people and 6 adult volunteers headed to buzzing Brighton for another marvellous London Link group residential.

We met for dinner at Wagamama whilst the stragglers battled with disruption on the underground, all being present and correct by our appointed departure time. The rear half of the post rush-hour Friday evening train was out of action, so with the other passengers, we squeezed on to the half of the train that was operational, and enjoyed catching up with Friends old and new as we trundled through the dark past Selhurst Park, Gatwick Airport and up over the South Downs.

We pulled into Brighton station and stepped down to the sanctuary of the Quaker Meeting house, where some participants had already arrived from Brighton, Lewes and environs, as had our Sainsbury’s delivery.

After a few “getting to know each other” games, we closed the day with epilogue and settled down to our improvised beds, snuggled in sleeping bags and roll mats.

On Saturday morning we feasted on Cheerios and toast with freshly brewed tea and coffee, made picnic sandwiches and headed off to Brighton Museum.

The museum was pleasingly interactive, and had an exhibition on Mod Fashion and style (1958-66). A rolling video reminded us that Abba’s Eurovision success with “Waterloo” had taken place at the Brighton Dome over 50 years earlier. 

We had our picnic lunch in Pavilion Gardens and headed off in small groups to enjoy free time in Brighton, some taking in a graffiti art trail. Back at the Meeting House garden, we got to work trimming green beens from bushes which had bean gleaned the day before from a nearby farm, being uneconomic for the farmer to harvest. They were delectably cooked up in a Thai green curry and coconut sauce for dinner, and given out to Friends at meeting on Sunday.

After a dinner of mostly Mexican fajitas and nachos (with aforementioned green beans on the side) with cake and custard for afters, we played games and walked down through the busy Saturday night life to the beach for a memorable epilogue, under the stars and seagulls, the lights of the pier visible to the east.

On Sunday morning we joined a bumper meeting for worship of almost 90 Friends, with a brilliant Children’s Meeting to accompany it. We enjoyed participating in a marvellous shared lunch of soups, quiche, salads, breads and cheeses. After clearing the meeting house we headed back to the train, sorry to say goodbye but happy to have spent a delightful weekend among the company of Friends