Here is the link to Meet the Eva Koch Scholars on the Woodbrooke website:
https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/meet-the-2025-eva-koch-scholars/
What are you exploring in your Eva Koch scholarship?
Golders Green Meeting, in North West London has a vision of how our meeting house, set in ancient woodland, might be used as a hub of spiritual strength and witness to nurture each other and our environment. We know that this sustaining space is valued by those who use it for worship, retreats, well-being classes, and those who simply sit a while in the front garden.
We seek ways to support Quakers acting under concern on climate justice and peace building. We will explore our leadings and their potential relevance to the wider Quaker community. We are committed to spiritual learning and growing together. We will reach out to others of faith and none, to build a witness that holds to hope and resilience.
Events and activities our meeting has done as part of
The Eva Kock Scholarship.
During the year we have planted hedge saplings to link Bigwood to our front woodland to create a tree corridor for wildlife.
Bob Gilbert led a guided walk Tales of Trees. He has identified 56 species of plant in our woodland, the full list is available.
We held an exhibition entitled Scorched Earth with our Meeting house as the venue.
We have engaged with the Eco Church surveys to reduce our impact on the environment and will follow-up remaining issues next year.
We continue to hold regular Saturday retreats, 4th Sunday discussions and there is a thriving Quaker book group that meets on Wednesday evenings each month.
Bob Gilbert, the published naturalist and broadcaster led a guided walk on Sunday 8th June 2025 entitled Tales from Trees. This was an exploration of the trees and other plants of Bigwood.
The talk included stories we have woven around the trees, how they got their names, their folklore, their uses - edible, medicinal or magical.
Bob identifying 49 species in our Woodland so far. A survey of seasonal plants and trees is soon to be completed and the results will be displayed, watch the woodland space.
Members of the meeting planting 60 native hedge saplings to create a green corridor linking Bigwood and our front woodland garden.
The Eva Kock Scholarship Research Presentation
This was made on 12th June. You can view the full video below.
Golders Green Friends share their vision of how their meeting house, set in ancient woodland, might be used as a hub of spiritual strength and witness to nurture each other and our environment.
The exhibition Scorched Earth was held at Golder's Green meeting house during October and November 2025, with Kate Bailey and Terry McGinity's work on display.
This is the painting poem used during the final 4th Sunday discussion during the Eva Koch Scholarship period, held on May 25th 2025. The theme was the sense of wonder that nature can evoke.