Unitarian and Free Christian
Peace Fellowship (UPF)

UPF Guest Speaker from WOMANKIND Worldwide

The following report by Joyce Ashworth appeared in the GA Zette at the 2011 Annual Meetings in Swansea:

"How appropriate, in this year on Unitarians supporting volunteers, that the Peace Fellowship invited a volunteer speaker, working for their Annual Appeal organisation, to address them.

Janet Swinney, educationalist, journalist and author, has been voluntarily supporting WOMANKIND Worldwide for the past seven years, ever since her research work uncovered disturbing facts about the inequalities and violence a large proportion of women suffer worldwide - a situation she found wholly unacceptable.

The organisation was founded in 1989 and operates through partner organisations in Europe, Africa and Asia. One of its principal aims is to unleash women's potential - to recognise it and develop it in their homes and in their communities. This work is, to some extent, supported financially by Trusts and Foundations, but individual donations are an extremely important way of furthering and extending the range of projects WOMANKIND Worldwide can support."

Please go to the Annual Appeal page of our website for details of how to send your donation.

Thank you.

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Bruce Kent speaks on World Peace

On Saturday 30th April 2005, Bruce Kent, peace campaigner and vice-President of CND, came to Friar Gate Unitarian Chapel, at the invitation of the minister, Rev. Chris Goacher, and as part of his three-month tour to raise awareness of the Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty, which was due to begin in New York on 2nd May. Although this was the first theme of his address he included a second "Make Poverty History," demonstrating the relationship between the two issues. Representatives from Fellowship of Reconciliation, World Development Movement and CND were available beforehand to publicise local and national issues to which we might give support.

A CND Petition specifically demanded that: "All Nuclear weapons world-wide be taken, at once, off 'Alert' status and; All Nuclear states start now (as they are legally bound to do) to negotiate, sign and ratify an effective treaty abolishing all nuclear weapons. Bruce Kent pointed out that the first part of the original non-proliferation treaty of 1970, which is renewed every five years, had been more successful in preventing non-nuclear powers developing nuclear weapons than the second part of the treaty, which called for the abolition of nuclear weapons. There are still 25,000 weapons in the world and although non-nuclear powers push to clarify the treaty the eight nuclear nations still argue that they are necessary as a deterrent. He made three pertinent points;

1. A nuclear deterrent is of no use when fighting a war against those with no territory, i.e. terrorists.

2. There can be no deterrent against accidents.

3. Nuclear weapons do not make for a peaceful world.

A direct link to poverty was shown. Vast amounts of money spent on armaments could be spent on health and education. Whist we in the UK licence the sale of armaments within our own country and build political and economic structure which support peace, we are still the second biggest arms supplier in the world to countries where often people have no rights and no vote. Bruce finally stressed that we must not think war is inevitable, reminding us how war had seemed probable following the break down of apartheid in South Africa but due to the courage and influence of men like Archbishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela war had been averted.

Joan Wilkinson