Programme

Yearly Meeting 2025 takes place at Friends House and online over last May Bank Holiday, from Friday 23–Monday 26 May. Friends House will be open to welcome Friends from 3pm, with left luggage and the café being available from 12pm. During the afternoon there will be blended Woodbrooke sessions to help Friends prepare for being part of Yearly Meeting. We will conclude on Monday 26 May by 3.30pm.

Yearly Meeting 2025 timetable (PDF)

Children and Young People are an integral part of our Yearly Meeting, and include Children's Programme for 0–11s, Young People at Yearly Meeting for 11–15's and Junior Yearly Meeting for 15–18's will meet during Yearly Meeting at a residential venue outside London.

If you would d like to familiarise yourself with Friends House before the event have a look at the virtual tour (offsite link).

Yearly Meeting Preparation and online Yearly Meeting fringe activities

  • There will be a variety of online events from Sunday 27 April to Saturday 3 May to help Friends of all ages prepare for Yearly Meeting. There will also be events organised by many different Quaker groups. If you register for Yearly Meeting, you will be given access to the online Yearly Meeting programme. Known as the Yearly Meeting Planner (and often referred to as “Sched") this includes details about these sessions. You can book them in advance through the Yearly Meeting Planner.

Orientation

  • Woodbrooke will host oreintation sessions leading up to Yearly Meeting. Everyone is encouraged to attend these sessions whether they have been a Quaker for many years or have recently found a home with Quakers. Details on these sessions will be available on the Yearly Meeting Planner (see how do I find out what's happening?)

How does Yearly Meeting work?

  • In this video, Woodbrooke staff guide you through the way Quaker business method will work for this year's Yearly Meeting sessions and the other events happening during this gathering. They offer practical tips on getting the best from our blended Yearly Meeting and provide a chance to ask any questions that are on your mind. There is no such thing as a silly question! This is a recording of orientation material from one of these sessions.

First time at Yearly Meeting

  • If you are new to Yearly Meeting, welcome! In this section we hope to answer any questions you have about how Yearly Meeting works and why our gathering of Friends functions in this way. Yearly Meeting (YM) is our annual opportunity for Quakers to come together in worship, learning and inspiration. Quaker faith & practice chapter six contains the history and purpose of Yearly Meeting.
  • Preparation documents are available to help Friends in this process please go to our dedicated Yearly Meeting documents page.
  • There are many ways to connect with and feel part of Yearly Meeting. This website will be regularly updated to you to prepare for Yearly Meeting.
  • Documents in advance, published in April, will introduce this years discernment and contain reports from across Britain Yearly Meeting (including BYM Trustees and Meeting for Sufferings).
  • Yearly Meeting wouldn't be possible without the help of those attending, it's also a great opportunity to get to know people. For more information see our Get involved page.

How do I find out what is happening?

  • When you have booked your place at Yearly Meeting, you will be sent information by email about how to access the Sched website. This will have full information about the preparation events as well as providing you access to Yearly Meeting online.
  • Sched is our online planner where Friends can view and sign up to attend events that are taking place online. To find out more about the planner, please read our Introduction to Yearly Meeting Planner guide or visit our dedicated help section.
  • Watch this video from YMG 2021 to find out how to use the online planner.
  • For further help using the online planner (Sched) please see our dedicated help section.

Young Adults at Yearly Meeting

  • Registration for Young Adults is part of the Yearly Meeting Booking form.
  • At Yearly Meeting in London there will be a dedicated room with free food and a space to be together throughout the weekend.

All-together worship (Sunday 25 May, 10.30am to 11.30am)

  • This will be a huge meeting for worship, taking place across Britain in homes, Quaker meeting houses and other meeting places and at Friends House. We will come together as a single loving, inclusive and all-age community across Britain Yearly Meeting.
  • The session will begin at 10:30am with an introduction from the Yearly Meeting Elders explaining how the worship will be run and how ministry will be taken.
  • Prepared ministry will be delivered in person by Dawn Fowler, one of the team working with children at Yearly Meeting. It will be around the theme of 'peaceful inside and out' using the words of Quaker teenagers as well as her own experience. She may use some quotations taken from Living Our Beliefs.
  • There are some suggested activities for people of any age to help them reach and maintain stillness.
  • One activity is for Friends to draw or write what helps them feel peaceful inside. Another is for them to trace their finger through a labyrinth.
  • There is a printable resource available to support these activities (see below)
  • After the prepared ministry, Elders will call on Friends present in the room, or joining via Zoom, to give ministry.
  • Meetings around the country may have made their own plans as to how they join with this worship and may involve children in further activities around the theme.
  • For meetings, joining instructions have been sent to meetings that have registered
  • Individuals wishing to join from home need to register for Yearly Meeting (no bookings can be taken after 10am on Wednesday 21 May).
  • All-together worship Yearly Meeting 2025 resource sheet (PDF)
  • List of participating meetings (PDF)
  • Outline (PDF)
  • Joining instructions (PDF)