South Coast Quakers, Pennant 682

Bournemouth is a central point on the south coast for Quakers from three Area Meetings. It is a town with an active Quaker meeting in which Friends live and work. Quakers from other Meetings visit Bournemouth to have fun with friends and family at the seaside. This human relationship with the coast in Bournemouth is strongly linked to the sand and shingle beaches that draw us towards the sea.

The sand and shingle that makes up our beaches is continually being moved along the coast by waves and tidal currents. A constant supply of this material is needed if this natural system of maintaining the beaches is to be sustained. There is, however a limited supply of this material which will decline with ongoing sea level rise, drowning potential sources offshore. On the heavily defended frontage this factor, combined with accelerating wave action, will cause the beaches to continue to narrow and eventually disappear.

This change and threat to the beaches reminds us of the part we play in the system of life on earth and the responsibility we have to live in balance. The beach can be seen as a metaphor for the entrance point to the spiritual realm, a liminal space that offers possibility. We hope to create a labyrinth on the beach together and invite those entering to explore their relationship with a deeper part of themselves, unity consciousness, god, spirit, or just take some time to be in the place in a different way.