Walk for Peace

Margaret Johnston (above), of Bolton Meeting, developed the challenge of a lifetime – a 500 mile sponsored walk across Britain raising funds for Quaker work in South Asia and for one of the Quaker partners, Ekta Parishad. Visit www.justgiving.com/walkforpeace [opens link in a new window] to sponsor Margaret, Ian and Paul.

Latest news

7 November 2011 - Amount raised from walk for peace tops £5,400

The final figure raised from the walk for peace for Quaker Peace & Social Witness’s South Asia work and Ekta Parishad is £5,407.23, including money raised through the justgiving page online.

This is a wonderful achievement for all who have walked, planned, offered hospitality, organised meetings, helped and supported in so many ways. ‘Offered hospitality’ hardly expresses the wealth of kindness, consideration and tolerance that enfolded me when I turned up hours late and often too tired to be appreciative or even polite. My personal gratitude to you all is immense.

I become more and more convinced that by supporting the Gandhian marches in India organised by EKta Parishad, and the work they have inspired in other parts of South Asia, we are focusing on one of the most hopeful signs of movement towards a just and sustainable world, and an answer to the politics of greed and oppression. I also become more convinced of the rightness of linking this with our Quaker tradition, and with John Woolman’s example of concern for economic and social justice arising from deep spirituality and long searching.
Margaret Johnston

29 July 2011 - A reflection on the Walk for Peace

The Walk for Peace has raised over £4,500 for the Quaker Peace & Social Witness South Asia project and Ekta Parishad, one of the QPSW partners in the region

Across South Asia, people and organisations are working to strengthen the capacity of common people at community level to handle conflict in nonviolent ways, in order to bring about sustainable change in their lives through the tools of mobilisation and advocacy.

Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) is a partner to six organisations from five countries in South Asia who are working to realise this aim. These are some of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. They are also subject to a global economy which ignores the way which that economy impacts on the world’s poorest. This is called structural violence. People are not physically killed but the way in which the world is structured makes their lives impossible.

In 2003 QPSW central committee set up a new programme to link peace activists across five countries in South Asia. They work with six non government organisations in five countries: Gono Unnayan Prochesta in Bangladesh; Gandhi Peace Foundation and Ekta Parishad in India; the Institute of Human Rights Communications in Nepal; South Asia Partnership in Pakistan; and Peace & Community Action in Sri Lanka. With QPSW’s help these organisations formed themselves into the South Asia Peace Alliance. This sort of alliance had been tried before and had not worked. QPSW provided energy and effort so that it could become a success.

Many Friends have been inspired by QPSW’s work in this region. One in particular, Margaret Johnston, decided to do something to support this work.

In 1772, John Woolman travelled on foot from one Quaker meeting in England to another, walking about 500 miles in total, sharing his vision of a world governed by compassion and justice. Then Gandhi’s faithfulness to a similar vision in the twentieth century led to enormous political consequences. In 2012, about 100,000 of the marginalised people of India will converge on Delhi to express their faith that justice can be achieved by peaceful means.

Margaret Johnston was determined to live up to John Woolman’s example: “By following John Woolman’s route as closely as possible, without using any wheeled transport, I’m attempting to focus attention on how we can become part of this movement,” said Margaret before the walk began. “Sharing some of our relative wealth to enable the voices of the poor to be heard is one obvious way. At a deeper level, I hope that, in a world that in many ways seems to be ruled by greed and cruelty, together we can learn more of the principle that John Woolman knew so well, which ‘incites to exercise goodness toward every living creature’.”

And so to the beginning: in early May 2011, Margaret Johnston set off from Bunhill Fields Meeting in central London upon her walk, raising funds for the Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) South Asia work and one of QPSW’s partners in the region, Ekta Parishad.

Margaret Johnston was supported along the way by Friends who stopped whatever they were doing to walk with her. Some planned her route using their local knowledge to ensure that she took in areas of interest including places that John Woolman visited. And others provided meals and accommodation, or a space to rest when necessary. Katie Frost, community fundraising officer for Britain Yearly Meeting also gave support.

As Margaret continued, she was linking communities of Friends across the yearly meeting, bringing neighbours together. In a way, the walk had a momentum of its own. There were events along the way, with speakers such as Stuart Morton from Quaker Peace & Social Witness, with Quakers inviting in the public and members of other churches to hear about this important work.

And when Margaret succumbed to injury, there were Friends on hand to take care of her, to counsel her and to ensure that she received good medical advice and attention.

But the walk did not stop there, as determined Friends Ian and Helen McHugh from Bolton, Margaret’s home meeting, and Paul Mobbs from Banbury Meeting, who had walked already with Margaret, took on the Walk for Peace and completed the walk.

All the walkers were reunited in York for the final event. Friends from across York got together for a really great celebratory party and a shared meal, just 53 days after the walk had begun. Over 500 miles were walked, and over £4,500 was raised. But it wasn’t really just about the distance and the funds raised. This was about Friends showing how they could connect their Local Meetings through a joint activity, helping each other, taking part in outreach and deepening their connections.

Stuart Morton can trace the roots of the walk back over three years: “In December 2007 I had been invited by Bolton Friends to speak about the work of Quaker Peace & Social Witness in South Asia. It was here that I first remember meeting Margaret and her enthusiasm for QPSW partner Ekta Parishad’s (Unity Forum) work, firmly in the nonviolence tradition of Gandhi, led to discussion about the possibility of linking John Woolman to these Indian examples of inspired action.”

The Walk for Peace came to life in the Midlands for Stuart as Jo Hallett, John Cockroft and Stuart liaised to chart the route.

For Stuart there have been many delights about the Walk for Peace, not least Margaret’s ability to inspire those who she met along the way. As they trod the streets from Olton (near Solihull) to Selly Oak and then the canal paths to Spaghetti Junction the following day Stuart felt that he got to know Margaret better. He also appreciated the strong support of Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre where Margaret has been a student and a Friend in Residence.

And there was the visit to York on 22 June to be a part of the end of the 500-mile journey. Friends visited Almery Garth where John Woolman died, and the burial ground where his body was laid.

Amazingly, a robin made a short visit to the Meeting for Worship next to the gravestone and seemed to me to affirm John Woolman’s deep respect for all creatures.

25 July - Walk for Peace donations update

So far £3,115.26 (Gift Aid to be added) has been raised by the Walk for Peace. This is an excellent total and has come from a wide range of Friends and others. Thank you everyone!

5 July 2011 - Walk end celebrated at York but fundraising goes on

Many Friends came to the event in York on 22/06/2011 - thanks to all who attended for making the event so special.

It is not too late to send in your sponsorship of Margaret and her fellow walkers - all funds raised will be split between Quaker Peace & Social Witness South Asia Project and Ekta Parishad.

You can still support the walkers raising funds for the Quaker Peace & Social Witness South Asia Project and QPSW partner Ekta Parishad by donating at http://www.justgiving.com/walkforpeace or by sending a cheque made payable to "Britain Yearly Meeting", and marked "Walk for Peace" on the back, to Katie Frost, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ.

21 June 2011 - The final steps

After a lovely evening with Thrisk Friends, Paul travelled onto Crayke where he stayed on Monday evening at Hazelwood Farm. This morning he met with the Fossway walkers and local Friends to walk into York. At approximately 5pm he will arrive in York and meet with Margaret Johnston who started the walk in London on 1 May. Around 500 miles have been walked for peace, many friendships made and awareness raised of Quaker work done today in South Asia and financial support pledged and given.

All the fundraising team would like to thank every Friend, attender and Meeting who supported this initiative to work together in putting our faith into action. Tomorrow, the sponsored walkers Margaret Johnston, Ian and Helen McHugh and Paul Mobbs will meet to celebrate with York Friends their adventure. Come and join them for a shared supper at Friargate on Wednesday evening (22/06/2011) at 6pm.

17-19 June – updates from Sue Holden

Friday 17 June 2011 - Eight Friends and friends from Leyburn take up the baton from the Askrigg walkers in Castle Bolton, at the beautiful and welcoming home of Anglicans, Margi and Robert Hall. Robert joins us as we accompany long-distance baton holder, Paul Mobbs through Redmire onto the Bolton Estate. Here we meet Harry Algar Nigel Orde-Powlett (Lord Bolton) himself, walking his dogs. He invites us to make a small detour down a marshy bank to see a patch of orchids he has just spotted this morning. He later catches up with us, in his little electric car, to show us the way to his hidden treasure. We are touched by this friendly gesture.

In the evening we have gathered forty Friends and friends, encompassing three different denominations, to share a rich couple of hours in the Methodist Church Hall, (given us for the evening for free – thank you Methodists). We start with a scrumptious ‘bring & share’ supper. I, Sue, introduce pointers to some of our own British land issues, that Rajagopal has asked me to research for him, (or for us, I suspect), before highlighting John Woolman’s concern for some of the British social issues of the time. “He is upset because British food is very expensive and wages are very low, so that many families are living mainly on bread and water... He is upset because many stagecoaches travel up to 100 miles in 24 hours and he finds out that horses are frequently killed by hard driving, while others go blind because of neglect by their owners. Some of the post boys who ride on top of stagecoaches to help with luggage and post actually die of cold on long stages in the winter. He decides that he cannot, on principle, rent a horse or take a stagecoach on the journey to York so... He walks from London to York.”

Anne Currie shares with us some of her personal experiences of the 2007 Janadesh March, ably conveying the heartfelt nature of what she describes as one of the most formative experiences of her life – “uplifting and humbling at the same time”. This is a moving first-hand introduction to the skillfully made DVD of Janadesh 2007, which brings the feeling atmosphere of the march very much alive.

Saturday 18 June - The walk continues through Wensleydale today, with Simon Tate leading six of us to Crakehall, via a lunch-stop with Ann Brown in Newton-le-Willows. Paul overnights in Crakehall with Andy Clark and family.

Sunday 19 June - 4 other Friends and friends accompany Paul on his 17-mile route to Thirsk. Andy writes tonight: "By the time we had a drink in Thirsk about six, we were all good friends. Not a scenic walk, but a rewarding one. We got a bit wet but nothing like what was forecast... Do you remember the song " walk awhile, walk awhile, walk awhile with me. The more we walk together, the better we'll agree"? From Thirsk Paul now has a further two long walks, on the downhill stretch to York.

Thanks so much Margaret for launching us into this adventurous initiative, which has given us a special opportunity to network with Paul and Wensleydale Friends and friends, as well as those from neighbouring Quaker Meetings and other Friends and friends old and new. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable few days, during which we have raised over £400 for Ekta Parishad and the QPSW South Asia Project. We have missed you Margaret. What a wonderful gift of an experience you have given us.

Jai Jagat! Victory to the world!

16 June 2011 - Paul's progress

Paul Mobbs left Cowgill on Tuesday to travel to the Moorcock Inn with his rucksack that contains equipment for every eventuality. If you see him on his journey he will be happy to rustle you up a quick brew and if it is raining he will supply suitable accommodation with a roof. Paul is continuing to stick to the ‘no lifts’ condition, which has been a hallmark of the walk. Paul’s knee has given him a few twinges on some downhill elements of the walk, however, he reports it is ‘fine’. He very much enjoyed staying with Richard Fawcett who is an expert in sheep dog trials on his farm at Hardraw before leaving (in the rain) for Askrigg. Paul is enjoying using the walk to reflect on his new book ‘Less is a four letter word’, which he says is nearly finished.

14 June 2011 - A shared adventure: Ian hands over responsibilities to Paul

Over a thousand feet up on a rainy windswept Pennine hillside at Dent station yesterday, Ian McHugh (left, below) handed over responsibility for the Walk for Peace to Paul Mobbs (right, below). The 500-mile John Woolman Walk for Peace is on schedule, despite its originator and inspiration Margaret Johnston sadly having to pull out with a calf strain at Settle, after completing 350 miles.

Bolton Friends gave Margaret a travelling minute to take with her as she set off from Bunhill Fields in early May. The letter has now been endorsed by many pages of messages of heartfelt encouragement and support from Friends at Meetings en route and Ian handed it over to Paul at Dent.

It had been taken on by Settle Friends to Bentham, from where Bolton Friend Ian McHugh walked with it for a further 75 miles over five days through Lancaster, Yealand, Preston Patrick, Grayrigg, Brigflatts and Cowgill. For four of those days he was accompanied by his wife Helen and other friends.
Ian takes up the story of his part of the walk:

We received warm welcome and hospitality from many Friends on the way, with cups of tea and homemade rock buns, an evening meal and a bed for the night, and fascinating insights into Quaker history and current activity in each place.

On our walk we came across a constantly changing profusion of wild flowers and bird life. Many families of swans and their cygnets were enjoying the tranquillity of the now disused northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal, along with herons and a kingfisher, sedge warblers, chiffchaffs and goldfinches in the bushes, curlews, lapwings and oystercatchers as the Dales Way reached the high moors, and cuckoos and owls hidden from view.

Along one particularly remote section of the Dales Way we were cheered to discover a help yourself tuck shop with honesty box, set up by a local school pupil fund raising for a trip to do voluntary work in Kenya.

At another point when trudging through heavy rain an older local man emerged from a woodland track, waved his stick and announced ‘Yon end of woods sun’s shining!’ – and sure enough it was (eventually...).

A Methodist we spoke to at Dent proudly took us to look inside his 1834 chapel, which turned out to have been built as the Friends Meeting House in 1701, while an Anglican churchwarden and bell-ringer with whom we stayed in Sedbergh told us how St Andrew’s Church has carefully saved a branch of the old churchyard yew tree, now dead, which George Fox had preached under at the hiring fair in June 1652. Our Catholic friend, Michael, walking with us was intrigued to find how many of those early Friends in the area had been persecuted as ‘Popish recusants’, no distinction sometimes being made between dissenters.

John Woolman was never far from our thoughts as we rejected some well intentioned offers of lifts in bad weather, and a particular high point was locating Low Park Farm near Preston Patrick, where he stayed for several days in 1772 with Sarah Crosfield and her husband George. He had met when Sarah some years before when (remarkably to us) she had been travelling in the ministry in New England.

At Lancaster Meeting we know John Woolman challenged some Friends who owned slaving ships in the then thriving port, and at Dent Museum we came across evidence of black slaves being kept in that remote valley around the time of his visit – a reward notice for the capture of Thomas Anson, escaped slave from Dent in 1758. The minister of St Andrew’s Dent in 1772 was Richard Sedgwick, himself an anti-slavery campaigner who later supported William Wilberforce in the 1784 election. And our train back to Settle from Dent Station was called... William Wilberforce.

And now Banbury Friend Paul Mobbs, who like us had walked some earlier days of Woolman’s route with Margaret and been inspired by her commitment, has taken over the baton for the final week, joined each day by local Friends, walking across Garsdale Head, the length of Wensleydale and then down to Woolman’s final destination in York.

13 June 2011 - Ian and Helen continue the walk for peace

Old Park Woods, south Yorkshire. Photo: Ian McHugh.

While Margaret Johnston nurses her leg at home in Bolton, she is cheered to know that the Woolman walk for peace from London to York remains on time and on track.

As was mentioned in the last update, Ian McHugh stepped in to walk from Bentham to Lancaster. He arrived safely in Lancaster in glorious sunshine and was warmly greeted by local Friends who are gathering a rapid reputation for their wonderful hospitality across the yearly meeting.

Clutching his camera, map and the travelling letter from Bolton Meeting he very much enjoyed his evening meal. This was followed by a trip down memory lane with Friends to attend a Pink Floyd tribute gig, while sat on bales of straw.

On Friday Ian was joined by his wife Helen and together they walked the 14 miles to Yealand, enjoying good weather. They stayed at the Yealand old School and following an early morning coffee sat in the sunshine by a canal.

Ian and Helen left Yealand for Kendal on Saturday, walking 16 miles in glorious weather. The hotel in Kendal offered them a good hot shower, which was just as well because on Sunday the weather turned horrid – in the cold and wet they reached Firbank Fell before safely arriving at Sedbergh.

Today they are walking to Cowgill to meet Paul Mobbs, author, intrepid explorer and environmentalist. Paul has kindly rearranged his diary to ensure the walk is completed in its final week. Ian and Helen will hand over the travelling letter to Paul as they return home.

You can still support the walkers raising funds for the Quaker Peace & Social Witness South Asia Project and QPSW partner Ekta Parishad by donating at http://www.justgiving.com/walkforpeace or by sending a cheque made payable to "Britain Yearly Meeting", and marked "Walk for Peace" on the back, to Katie Frost, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ.

09 June 2011 - Margaret retires but the walk goes on!

Margaret Johnston has returned home to Bolton following a strain injury to a muscle in her left calf. But the walk goes on! Margaret left London on 1 May and walked over 300 miles without using any wheeled transport at any stage. However, Margaret was advised by a doctor in Settle to stop walking. There is no suspicion of permanent damage and Margaret must now rest her leg for at least a fortnight. Settle Friends, including her host Pat Saunders, took great care to ensure that Margaret was looked after, supported and the right advice found.

Our thanks go to the Settle Friends John Geale and John Rose, who kept the walk on track by doing the Settle to Bentham leg on Margaret’s behalf.

Now the baton has been taken up by Margaret’s friends Ian and Helen McHugh who are also from Bolton Meeting. Ian walks on Thursday from Bentham to Lancaster and then continue onto Sedbergh via Yealand and Kendal. Ian and Helen will be met in Cowgill by the intrepid Paul Mobbs from Banbury Meeting who had walked in the earlier Evesham section of the walk with Margaret. Paul and Margaret found they had much in common with their keenness for literature. Now Paul (who is himself a writer with a love of walking and a passion for environmental and economic issues) will be continuing the walk from Cowgill all the way to York. Margaret hopes to be there to cheer him into the city. She is delighted, heartened and deeply grateful to all the people including Friends who will join Ian and Paul on the remainder of the walk.

You can find out more about Paul's book, "Energy Beyond Oil", which is out now! Visit http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ebo/ for more information.

01 June 2011 - Nottingham to Scholes

After a rest day in Nottingham, Margaret walked to Mansfield where she and Rod stayed over at the meeting house. Margaret is not accepting modern lifts for reasons of sustainability, so she’s refusing kindness in this respect. She is following John Woolman’s example as he wouldn’t travel on stage coaches because of cruelty to horses and post boys. However, Margaret learned that John Woolman met two American Quaker women on his travels and accepted a lift from them from Oxton to Mansfield in a carriage! Margaret also visited the site of the former meeting house at Oxton (east of Mansfield), which John Woolman visited in 1772.

From Mansfield, Margaret walked to Chesterfield and stayed with John Newton. Margaret says that it has rained more on the past few days of the walk than anywhere else and that she came into Chesterfield looking like a drowned rat! She’s certainly learned how to pack her bag so that her possessions don’t get wet during the day. John lived in Bolton before Margaret did. He remembers people from Bolton Meeting, including Mary Winder, who wrote Margaret’s travelling minute. (Margaret has been collecting comments from Friends on the letter. They’re writing on the back and all around it.) During their hearty discussions John decided that they must have met 45 years ago when they were both students!

Leaving Chesterfield, Margaret went to Sheffield and was met on her way into the city by Gordon Ferguson. In Sheffield Margaret stayed with Tim Herrick and had a rest day. Sheffield Friends held a gathering on Saturday evening and Margaret says that yet again she found herself learning from Friends. It was an important day for Margaret because her family were able to join her. While Margaret was visiting Sheffield she saw the former meeting house at Woodhouse (see a photo at John Hall's site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/qmh/474508066/in/photostream/), which is close to the one that John Woolman visited in 1772.

From Sheffield Margaret set off for Barnsley. Margaret stayed in Barnsley with Ian McHugh and his wife (below, welcoming Margaret to Barnsley). They walked together with Margaret to Highflatts where she stayed with John Springer.

Finally for this update, Margaret walked with Arthur Pritchard from Highflatts to stay with Jill Mollitt in Scholes where she had another rest day. Arthur wrote the John Woolman play, Of human folly.

Margaret is undertaking her Walk for Peace to raise funds for the Quaker Peace & Social Witness South Asia Project and one of QPSW's partners in the region, Ekta Parishad. You can sponsor Margaret on her walk by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/walkforpeace.

23 May 2011 - Warwick to Derby

Margaret has now walked over 260 miles and is over half way through her journey. She is enjoying the experience of meeting so many marvellous Friends across the yearly meeting and hearing their news. It has been humbling for Margaret to be receiving such help, support and hospitality from local Friends and Meetings. Last week Margaret walked from Evesham to Stratford upon Avon, crossing a beautiful deer park toward Warwick where she stayed with local Friend Jessie Spreadbury.　

From Warwick Margaret walked via the castle, where she stood at the entrance to the cell where William Drewsbury was held for over two decades, to Coventry and rested overnight with Jo Hallett.　Jo and other local Friends organised a little gathering. Margaret enjoyed the discussion on John Woolman and related issues that followed. The evening was rounded off by watching a DVD about the Janadesh march organised by Ekta Parishad, who are organising another walk for 2012.　

Jo Hallett walked with Margaret toward Birmingham where Stuart Morton, programme manager for the Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) South Asia project and Friend from Selly Oak Meeting, met Margaret for the next leg of her journey. Stuart spoke in the evening about the work of QPSW in South Asia at an event held at Woodbrooke, the Quaker study centre, in Birmingham.　Robin Bowman, Woodbrooke’s Friends in Residence coordinator, had done a splendid job in organising this opportunity.　

So how is Margaret doing in herself? She says she is not feeling too home sick, though admits to missing her computer a little. She is very excited about seeing her family who are arranging to meet her when she gets to Sheffield at the weekend and has enjoyed little conversations she has had on the journey with her grandson. Some Friends will be pleased to hear she has lightened the load in her rucksack by removing a book about John Woolman – needs must.

"I love seeing the Meeting Houses and Friends are so welcoming – I am sustained by these welcomes and the support of local Friends," says Margaret. "I have become more aware of the variety of ways Friends are addressing contemporary issues in this country for example economic justice."　

The downside of undertaking this walk is that Margaret can’t always spend as long as she would really like with everyone who she meets. She says that she finds herself thinking "If I just had another day with this person I would learn so much more and have an ending to some of the discussions."

Following a rest day in Burton upon Trent Margaret walked on Sunday to stay with Gwen Schaffer in Derby. She is heading now to Nottingham.

16 May 2011 - Letchworth to Warwick

From Letchworth Margaret walked with Friend Marc Hewitson to Ampthill, where the very first Yearly Meeting in history took place. After a lovely evening meal with local Friends, Margaret walked alone to Milton Keynes – she took a few ‘wrong turns’ and ended up walking around 26 miles! However, she was very warmly welcomed by Carmel Schmidt with whom she had a well deserved two days of rest.

Margaret then walked to Northampton following the Grand union Canal, to spend an interesting evening in the company of local Friend and former Kinder Axel Landmann. Next, she set off to Towcester, staying with local Friend Elizabeth Redfern. Elizabeth accompanied Margaret from Towcester toward Banbury, where local Friend Paul Mobbs met them and walked Margaret to her B&B for the night.

Paul and Margaret walked from Banbury to Shipston to stay with local Friends Paul and Verity Richardson, where they were both warmly welcomed for the evening and a well deserved overnight stop before heading to Evesham. Paul and Margaret had plenty to talk about – Paul is an author who has written ‘Energy without Oil’ and with Margaret’s breadth of literary knowledge the two made very happy walking companions. Paul got home to look up (he admits in a bit of a geeky way) what walking they had achieved together and found that “over the three days she climbed over 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) in three days – that's higher than the summit of Snowdon from Llanberis, or about three quarters the height of Ben Nevis from Fort William (although she walked a little further to do so). Or to put it another way, if she eats well and looks after herself for the next few weeks she should get across the Pennines between Sheffield and Manchester.”

This Friend is not for turning! Margaret stayed with local Evesham Friend Nancie Buckland this weekend and very much enjoyed an event organised by local Friends on Friday evening, where Stuart Morton from Quaker Peace & Social Witness spoke about the South Asia Project and his work with the South Asia Peace Alliance, of whom Ekta Parishad are a member. Yesterday evening she arrived in Stratford and was met by local Friends. Today (Monday 16/05/2011) she is off to Warwick.

5 May 2011 - Hertford to Letchworth

Leaving Hertford on Tuesday 3 May 2011, Margaret was accompanied by local Friend Gerald Drewett, on her walk to Stevenage. Margaret was thrilled to learn that John Woolman had sat at Hertford Meeting as a visiting minister. Hertford is the oldest built meeting house in the world.

Margaret and Gerald walked to Datchworth, the home of local Friend Denise Georgiou, where they were welcomed with lunch. Margaret is enjoying making many new friends on her journey and learning about the life and witness of their meetings.

Murial Chesterton, with whom Margaret stayed the night, was able to give a concise history of the activities of Stevenage Meeting where she has been a member for many decades. Walking on to Letchworth, on Wednesday 4 May, the weather was still ideal for walking with sunshine and breeze. A mix of concrete jungle and beautiful Hertfordshire countryside, including bluebells woods, greeted Margaret as she made her way to Letchworth through "EM Forster country".

3 May 2011 - Walk for Peace begins

Margaret Johnston (pictured above, centre, with Friends from Bunhill Fields) began her walk from London to York on Sunday 1 May in wonderful walking conditions – sunny and breezy. Friends at Bunhill Meeting in central London gave her a great send off, with peace flags flying and a cake with the message 'Happy walking for peace' on little flags.　

Friends chatted with Margaret, showing her the site of the meeting house, gardens and cemetery, including George Fox's (a founder of the Quakers) burial plaque.　

Setting off with the delightful walk from the City via the New River Walk, Margaret went on to Alexandra Palace, reaching her bed for the night in Southgate. Hosts and Local Friends Lois and Neil made her most welcome with a celebratory barbecue. 　

The next day Margaret pounded the pavements of North London as she and walker companion and Friend Bob Newsom headed towards leafy Hertfordshire. Margaret continued the last half of the journey to Hertford alone and arrived in good spirits at the home of Hertford Friend Alison Warn for her overnight rest.

Margaret is raising funds for Quaker Peace & Social Witness’s South Asia work [link opens in a new window] and for the Indian grassroots organisation Ekta Parishad. To sponsor Margaret, visit www.justgiving.com/walkforpeace. Alternatively, send a cheque payable to “Britain Yearly Meeting” (and marked on the back “Walk for Peace”) c/o Katie Frost, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ.

14 April 2011 - Friend to set off on Walk for Peace

Margaret Johnston, of Bolton Meeting, is gearing up for the challenge of a lifetime – a 500 mile sponsored walk across Britain raising funds for Quaker work in South Asia and for one of the Quaker partners. Visit www.justgiving.com/walkforpeace to sponsor Margaret.

A map of John Woolman's walk, courtesy of David Sox, author of John Woolman, Quintessential Friend

“By following John Woolman’s route as closely as possible, without using any wheeled transport, I’m attempting to focus attention on how we can become part of this movement,” said Margaret. “Sharing some of our relative wealth to enable the voices of the poor to be heard is one obvious way. At a deeper level, I hope that, in a world that in many ways seems to be ruled by greed and cruelty, together we can learn more of the principle that John Woolman knew so well, which ‘incites to exercise goodness toward every living creature’.”

The map, above, is published in David Sox's book, John Woolman - Quintessential Friend, and it it reproduced here courtesy of the author.

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