Members of Okehampton’s Quaker meeting gathered at Fairplace last weekend (September 23) for a protest vigil against the approval of more oil drilling licences.

As Quaker Week began, six Friends (the name Quakers give to their members) sat in silence for an hour’s long vigil in opposition to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent approval of 130 new licences which will allow oil companies to drill in the North Sea.

Sitting quietly in the Fairplace sensory garden, Friends gathered with signs reading “Say no to more oil” and “Quiet vigil in stillness, all welcome” and inviting passers-by to join them.

The vigil was just one of many held by Quakers across the country as they campaigned for action to tackle climate change.

Friend Amanda Jones explained: “One of the Quaker values is looking after sustainability. We are passionate about climate change and how that relates to justice, about how it interlinks with us as human beings and how we have been affected. It links with our main beliefs - simplicity, peace and integrity.”

Quakers, the common name for the Religious Society of Friends, hold their meetings in silence as a time to contemplate, find inspiration and find stillness.

Just as Quaker meetings are held in silence, so too was the vigil which Amanda said, sent out a more powerful message than a noisy protest.

This is the first time since lockdown in 2020 that Okehampton’s Quakers have been able to organise activities in honour of Quaker Week an annual event which aims to attract new members and allows Friends to share their faith. This year the theme is “Simple, Radical, Spiritual.”

Quakers have also been involved in Make Polluters Pay Day, held on September 23 as well, which is an international movement which calls for government action to ensure that the Loss and Damage Fund, agreed at COP27, works for all communities affected by climate change.

Quakerism began in England nearly 400 years ago in the 17th century following the end of the English Civil War.

Early Quakers preached what were considered radical ideas at the time including that a priest was not needed to experience God, that “there is that of God in everyone” and that churches, rituals, holy days and sacraments were unnecessary.

These beliefs have led Quakers to lead a pacifist lifestyle, treating everyone equally, and have been involved in many humanitarian campaigns throughout their history, such as the abolition of slavery.

Today, there are around 500 Quaker meetings in Britain and nearly 500,000 people worship in Quaker meetings worldwide.

Quaker meetings are normally held once a week on a Sunday to worship in silence, but once a year Quakers from across Britain gather at the Yearly Meeting to decide important matters. In 2011, Quakers at the Yearly Meeting agreed to commit to tackling the climate crisis.Okehampton Quakers meet every second and fourth Sunday of the month in the Ockment Centre and everyone is welcome whether Quaker or not.

This year Quaker Week runs from September 23 to October 1.