George Fox told the Commonwealth Commissioners that he lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars ...

Quakers' testimony to peace is perhaps their best-known attribute. An entire section (24) in Quaker Faith & Practice is devoted to it. Individual Friends live out this corporate testimony in many different ways. Several people from Gloucester & Nailsworth Area Meeting hold a Meeting for Worship (MfW) outside the main gate of RAF Fairford (which functions as a United States Air Force bomber base), on the 4th Saturday of each month, for an hour from 14:00 (2pm). The OS grid reference is SU160998. All Friends are welcome to take part in this MfW. Please bring your own portable seat and wear suitably warm clothing. It is important to remember that this is a Meeting for Worship, not a protest meeting or demonstration.

Statement representing our MM stance:

"A group of Quakers from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire meets for silent worship on the fourth Saturday of each month at 2.00 pm outside Fairford air base where the vast hangar, able to house and service the new ultra high tech B2 stealth bomber has recently been completed.

This group believes that peace and security can be better achieved by removing the causes of conflict rather than relying on ever more costly and sophisticated weapons systems like the B2 bomber. Conflicts can arise from many causes: poverty, environmental degradation with struggles over diminishing resources (which can lead to loss of fresh water and production), lack of respect for different religions and races and support given to repressive regimes in many parts of the world.

We hope that people in Britain will think carefully: do we want to be tied permanently into a strategy which - even by US military planners - is forecast to lead to further wars? Or do we want to seek peace and security by putting our efforts into conflict resolution, and by tackling the question of limited resources (for instance, developing alternatives to oil), and by promoting sustainable development - particularly in poorer countries?

The Meeting for Worship at the base is a small symbol of hope for a peaceful future. We welcome others with similar convictions to join us."