PN-related

Brilliant. I hope your new donation-based subscription system [to be announced fully in the June issue] works as well for you as it did on our market garden, Growing Green. Dave introduced a subscription system, to separate “money” and being part of the project. At least one third of the subscribers paid far more than the minimum, some double! Occasionally people paid less, and increased it again as soon as they were able. A beautiful, trusting system.

About 50 people braved the melting snows in mid-January to come to the first-ever Peace News Winter Gathering, at the Sumac Centre in Nottingham. The gathering was followed by street theatre focussed on Nottingham arms traders Heckler & Koch.

Gathering participants heard the legendary Keith McHenry, co-founder of Food Not Bombs; the equally legendary George Farebrother of NETLAP and World Court Project UK; as well as workshops on “Killer Drones” (by Chris Cole of FoR and Jim…

Readers who have attended recent national events such as Stop the War’s march against the war in Afghanistan, the Great Climate Swoop in Nottingham, or the Raise Your Banners music festival in Bradford, may have spotted something slightly unusual: namely, large numbers of Peace News being given away – to thousands of activists.

Have we lost the plot, you may be asking yourself? Why should anyone pay for PN when it’s been given away it for free? Don’t give-aways like this de-…

50 years after the reverend Tom Willis proudly opened the doors of Peace House at 5 Caledonian Road, creating a home for the peace movement in London, activists, supporters, residents old and new – and Tom Willis himself – came together to celebrate their collective achievements.

An afternoon of reminiscence and reflection was accompanied by the inspirational voices of London-based political choir Raised Voices, and the poetry of long-time friends of the building, Pat Arrowsmith, Jeff…

Tom Willis was a curate in Hull in 1958 when he inherited £10,000, the money that would buy 5 Caledonian Road for Peace News and Housmans Bookshop. Co-editor Emily Johns interviewed him at the 50th birthday event for Number 5.

I was 28 when I inherited the money and I thought: “What am I going to do with this money because Jesus said you can’t serve God and wealth?” I thought: “I’ve got to get rid of it because wealth always destroys you. If you have a lot of money it cuts you off…

Dear friends, Peace News is growing and expanding! We’re making ambitious plans for the future development of PN; we’re starting new regular activities to support the peace movement, such as the Peace News Summer Camp and the Peace News Winter Gathering (15-17 January in Nottingham); and we hope to do more to help support uplifting nonviolent initiatives with events such as the Peace News training for participants in the March on Gaza.

We hope to carry out more activities outside…