Destinations

At 6am assorted alarm clocks went off in the house for J needed to catch a train at 7am for a trip that's going to last a month.

The Quaker Youth Pilgrimage is an event that takes place every two years. It is an opportunity for young Quakers from around the world to get, and work, together - sharing their cultures and beliefs. It can be life-changing.

The venue alternates between America and Europe. This year it's Europe and the group of 16-18-year-olds will start in Birmingham (the home of many Quaker-led industries*; mostly involving chocolate), then '1652 country' - i.e. north-west England where Quakerism first founded 300 years ago; then off to Europe including the Quaker Council for European Affairs in Brussels.

Packing clothes, and bedding, for 4 weeks into one large rucksack was a bit of a challenge. I wonder what he forgot to take?

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* Excluded from universities because of their (our) non-conformist beliefs many 19th-century Quakers went into business: Barclay's, Lloyd's, Cadbury's, Rowntree's, Fry's, Terry's, Clark's, Jacob's, Carr's, Huntley & Palmers, Bryant & May, Friends Provident, Waterford Crystal and the Stockton & Darlington Railway.