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\n\u200bFor Quakers, children’s voices carry weight alongside those of adults and this weekend that commitment was on display at Britain Yearly Meeting May 2026, photo credit: Mike Pinches for Quakers in Britain<\/p>\n
For Quakers, children’s voices carry weight alongside those of adults and this weekend that commitment was on display at Britain Yearly Meeting May 2026.<\/p>\n
\n\u200bFor Quakers, children’s voices carry weight alongside those of adults and this weekend that commitment was on display at Britain Yearly Meeting May 2026, photo credit: Mike Pinches for Quakers in Britain<\/p>\n
The faith’s national gathering, held in London, Northampton and online, heard minutes from several groups of children and young people, including two-year-olds.<\/p>\n
Junior Yearly Meeting, a gathering for 15\u201318-year-old Quakers held in Shropshire earlier this month, also fed into the weekend.<\/p>\n
Numbers suggest the faith is growing younger: almost 400 of those registered were attending for the first time, with young adult Quakers among a new wave joining communities across Britain.<\/p>\n
Forum for worship, discernment and decision-making<\/p>\n
Yearly Meeting serves as a forum for worship, discernment and decision-making on matters affecting the Quaker community. It is open to everyone in the Quaker community, whether a formal member or not. <\/p>\n
This May nearly 1,000 Quakers gathered in person across the two venues, with more than 600 registered to join online.<\/p>\n
Young Quakers urged the wider community to distinguish between acceptance, which comes from being authentically yourself, and belonging, which flows from shared values.<\/p>\n
The gathering came as Quakers acknowledged the world felt “even more frightening and unstable than it did last year.” Nevertheless, participants reported deep joy at coming together.<\/p>\n
The weekend also marked a significant moment in Quaker history. Meeting for Sufferings, one of the faith’s governing bodies, was formally laid down after 350 years of service.<\/p>\n
Paul Parker, Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain, spoke of the work<\/a> Quakers are doing to challenge the growing suppression of dissent in British public life. <\/p>\n The Quaker tradition of dissent matters now more than ever, he said.<\/p>\n Central to the weekend was a discussion about how passionate, disruptive voices within a community can be held so they can be heard without causing harm.<\/p>\n