| Description | In the 1920s, Warwickshire Monthly Meeting Education Committee organised a series of Summer Gatherings for young people which were held at Sibford School, a Quaker boarding school in Oxfordshire. The initial aim was to provide an opportunity to experience boarding school life to those Quaker children who would not normally do so. Paul and Rachel Cadbury supported those organising the Gatherings by making Moor Hall Farm in Clent available to the Sibford Summer Gathering Standing Committee [SSG] for three weekends each year so that they could review and prepare each Gathering. The Gatherings were generally held every two years until 1996, mainly for a week in the summer, and came to hold an important role in many Friends' lives. The last Gathering was held in 1996, by which time it was becoming harder to find sufficient number of helpers who could give their time and energy to planning and running the Gatherings. The planning group was formally laid down in 2001.
During the week of Summer Gathering, each day started with Meeting for Worship, after which there was an introductory 'starter' activity e.g. a short film, which introduced the topic for the discussion session which followed. Each year, the week had a different theme. Apart from discussions, there were talks from visitors, and role-play and simulation games. The simulations games, a popular feature at several of the gatherings were introduced from the 1970s and lasted a whole day. A situation was imagined where some development had widespread ramifications. Everyone was assigned to an interest group to develop a case that could be presented to an 'official inquiry' at the end of the day. Situations included: location of a new airport; creation of a reservoir (see SF/2/1/1/22/13 for papers relating to this); an epidemic; giving over an area to open-cast coal mining.
There were also 'meetings for workshop'. These encouraged the idea that while it was good to discuss issues, it was also good to take action and offered the opportunity to do so e.g. by helping at a nature reserve, making equipment for play centres run by Friends etc. The children also had plenty of opportunity for relaxation, with games, films, swimming, bonfires, walks, picnics, drama, music, exhibitions, discos and on offer. A daily 'Family Meeting' at the end of the day mixed worship with the chance for everyone to share accounts of the day's events, and on Sunday, the participants went to the local meeting house for Meeting for Worship. Catering was provided by the adults, supervised by a professional caterer, while the children were divided into squads with a leader and assistant leader and were allocated cleaning duties which they completed after mealtimes. Each year, older 'Siblings' from the previous year were invited to return as helpers.
These papers were collected by Bob and June Ward (nee Blue), who, with their children, were involved in the Summer Gatherings for many years as Helpers/Leaders/Co-Leaders until 1989. The papers consist of minutes, planning and materials for activities from the Moor Hall Gathering as well as the Sibford Summer Gathering. They were arranged by year prior to deposit, and this order has been retained. Bob Ward has provided much of the background information given above (see SF/2/1/1/22/18).
Additional material has been deposited as a result of a letter from Bob Ward in 'The Friend' asking for any memories of Sibford Summer Gatherings to be sent to Archives and Collections (see SF/2/1/1/22/19). |