by Sean Morris, Commission member Earlier this week I helped a colleague in organising the Executive Conference of Mayors for Peace held in Manchester. The conference is held every two years with Manchester hosting as a Vice President. On Sunday there was a walk of the Manchester Peace Trail. Manchester is a famous city with […]
Peace
30 Sep – SPARK goes to Mexico!
Matty Maslen, a longstanding member of the SPARK community, has spent the last week in Mexico. This was only possible with considerable financial support from a number of organisations – including SPARK Social Justice. However, he wasn’t sunning himself or visiting the remains of ancient civilisations!Matty was part of a group attending the 19th World […]
05 Sep – The Peace Museum – It’s time to go there!
The Peace Museum re-opened its doors during August in its new location at Salt’s Mill in Saltaire. The museum closed its former location in central Bradford some time ago. The photograph shows the bare space before they started working on it. It illustrates why it has taken them quite a while to sort everything out […]
29 Jun -Gingko Trees from Hiroshima-new saplings
We reported recently on the arrival of gingko tree seeds at the Laudato SI centre in Salford so they could develop them into saplings to act as signs of hope in relation to our Climate Emergency and to enable more discussions about the Church’s teaching about nuclear weapons.The centre has now had a further delivery […]
09 Jun – ‘Seeds of Hope’ for Leeds Diocese delivered to the Laudato Si centre
Dr Emma Gardner holding the packet of Gingko Tree seeds from Hiroshima.On Thursday 6th of June 15 Gingko tree seeds were delivered to Dr Emma Gardner, Head of Environment for Salford Diocese. However, these are not just any old seeds. They originate from a tree that was in the blast zone […]
25 May – Youth and Student CND
By Matthew MaslenEarlier this month, I travelled down to London to take part in ‘A nuclear-free future: A day in Parliament with Youth and Student CND’.With other young people from across England and Wales, I took part in workshops with MPs and Peers of the House of Lords. We were joined for short question and answer […]
15 May – Leeds to Brighton for MAP
You may remember, from previous years, the incredible fundraising of Tim Devereux.For the last three years, he has cycled for four or five days in the summer, covering about 250 miles.Tim says: “This year, I’m planning to ride the 301 miles from Leeds to Brighton in June. I hadn’t intended to do any fundraising, but […]
25 Apr – Stop Arming Israel
By David Somerville, Our Lady & St Cuthbert parishOn the 2nd April, around 200 people joined a march organised by the Bradford Friends of Palestine in Baildon, Shipley to the gate of Teledyne who make high-tech weapons for use by the Israeli military.They are on the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) list of suppliers […]
14 Mar – Peace Education and Conflict Resolution
PEACE EDUCATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTIONBy Matthew Maslen, Newsletter EditorIn February, I attended a training day at the University of Bradford. It was collaboratively run by PeaceJam and the University of Bradford’s Peace Studies department.PeaceJam has deep roots in the University of Bradford’s Peace Studies Department, which is where our UK body was originally set up […]
18 Feb – Fragility of Freedom, Holocaust Memorial Day
By Matty Maslen, Newsletter EditorEarlier this month, I was invited to attend the Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony at the University of Bradford, organised by the Peace Studies department. This was the sixth consecutive year that the department had gathered to remember the victims of the Holocaust, and of all genocides since then.The theme for Holocaust […]
10 Jan – Nuclear Ban Week – New York
By Matty Maslen, Newsletter Editor; photo credit to Darren Ornitz, ICANFrom the 27th of November to the 1st of December last year, I had the privilege to attend the Second Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2MSP TPNW).For this article I’ve written a Q&A with myself, using questions […]
11 Dec – What can we do about the conflict in Gaza?
By Carol Burns, Leeds Diocese Pax Christi grp ‘If we don’t learn to live together, we are doomed, this land will be our graveyard’ -these are the words of a representative of the Parents Circle Family Forum. (https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/pcff-home-page-en/) As helpless bystanders, sometimes we can feel the same. There is no solution unless there is negotiation, […]
31 Oct – The Nonviolence of Jesus in a Violent World
By Carol Burns, Leeds Diocese Pax Christi groupWe made a decision for our Autumn Day of Shared Reflection (held on 28 October 2023) that we would focus on personal reflection. The decision to focus on nonviolence was all the more significant because of the unfolding conflict in Israel Palestine.As Thomas Merton, the American Trappist monk […]
19 Sep – new premises for the Bradford Peace Museum
By Liz Firth, Commission member & Peace Museum TrusteeThe Peace Museum, currently based in Bradford City Centre, has announced it is to relocate to new premises at Salts Mill in Saltaire. The move is made possible due to a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £245,651 for an exciting heritage project, ‘IMAGINE: Creating The Peace Museum […]
05 Sep – Peacejam Slam in Leeds in November
By Matty Maslen, Newsletter editorPeaceJam is an international organisation led by 14 Nobel Peace Laureates working to support a generation of future Nobel Peace Laureates. Their vision is “To Make Peace a Verb”.So far, over 1.3 million young people in more than 40 countries have taken part in the PeaceJam programme.On the 11th of November […]
28 May – Conscientious Objectors’ Day event
By Liz Firth, Commission member 15th May is International Conscientious Objectors Day. This year the J&P Commission, Pax Christi and the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival Committee jointly hosted an event to mark the day. Over 60 people joined us at Wheeler Hall in Leeds to listen to speakers, including Rev Clive Barratt, and to watch […]