Dear Reader,

Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee are looking forward to the Coventry Young People’s Peace and Reconciliation Conference on 8 November funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. This conference, which is fully subscribed, will focus on listening to the voices and feelings of young people concerned about the epidemic of violence and knife-crime. They will then work together with peace activists to generate ideas for new projects that can be run in schools and communities.

We will also soon be holding one of our major events of the year, the Lord Mayor's Peace lecture. We are looking forward to welcoming Baroness Shami Chakrabarti in the new Cathedral on 14 November. Seats are still available and can be reserved here.

That night is also the anniversary of the bombing which destroyed the old Cathedral, and we will launch the new edition of the classic book "Ruined and Rebuilt" in which Provost Richard Howard describes how he tried to save the cathedral, decided it would have to be rebuilt and led the team which achieved this mighty effort.

More information about all this below, plus other peace and reconciliation related events in Coventry and the wider world.

Please do let us know of any peace-related news or activities happening in or near Coventry and we will be happy to add them to our website http://coventrycityofpeace.uk and include them in a future edition of this newsletter.

Philip Brown
Chair, Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation
covlmpc@gmail.com

Peace News

Leamington Spa International Twinning Society 50th Anniversary

On 19 October the Leamington Spa International Twinning Society celebrated the 50th anniversary of their twinning with Sceaux, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, by organising a ceremony in the Town Hall. Pru Porretta was invited to talk about what Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee and the Godiva Sisters do to promote peace and reconciliation. https://youtu.be/dNft8TY3SnA

Lord Mayor's Committee to Curate Coventry Peace Festival

For many years, Coventry has been running a two week annual Peace Festival culminating on the anniversary of the bombing on 14 November 1940. This year, due to staff changes and a new City Events Manager Jon Hogan only recently starting at Coventry City Council, the planning for Festival has had to be compressed. Mr Hogan said "The Council retains …

Hiroshima Peace Declaration 2019

Every year on August 6, the City of Hiroshima holds a Peace Memorial Ceremony to pray for the peaceful repose of the victims, for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and for lasting world peace. During that ceremony, the Mayor issues a Peace Declaration directed toward the world at large. As long as the need persists, Hiroshima's mayor will continue to …

Archive of Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee

A collection of historic documents from Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation from 1980 is kept in Coventry Archives in The Herbert under catalogue number PA2994. If anyone wishes to see the collection, they should send us an e mail to: archives@culturecoventry.com who can arrange an appointment. The collection consists of the following materials at present: PA2994 LORD …

Forthcoming Peace-Related Events in Coventry

Coventry & Warwickshire Children's Peace Poem 2020

The Children's Peace Poem 2020 will be open to children in Coventry & Warwickshire until the closing date of 30 November 2019. Schools, home educators, parents and children aged 16 or less on 30 November 2019 are invited to register on the website covpeacepoem.uk. The authors of the best three poems will: Meet the Lord Mayor of Coventry or the …

Faith and Peace Exhibition

The exhibition 'Faith and Peace' will be in the Chapel of Unity at the Cathedral from the 28 October until the 12 November. This exhibition looks at the way in which the three Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) promote peace – in their teaching, and in the lives of their people. It tells stories of their peace-makers. It shows …

Coventry Peace Festival 2019

Coventry Peace Festival 2019

This year Coventry Peace Festival will run from 1 to 16 November. The programme of events will be available on the City Council website. If you visit any of the events please post to social media using #covpeace19 Download the brochure here (3Mb PDF).

Palestine Update 2019

An eye-witness account by Ann Farr: this year’s visits to Palestine Ann is a member of Pax Christi and served in the West Bank for three months as a human rights observer on the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) Earlsdon Methodist Church, Corner of Albany Road and Earlsdon Avenue South, CV5 6NF Wednesday …

Coventry Young People’s Peace and Reconciliation Conference 2019

Coventry Young People’s Peace and Reconciliation Conference 2019

Coventry Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation invite schools and home educators to send up to 3 students from years 6 to 9 (age approx 11-14), to Coventry Young People’s Peace and Reconciliation Conference on the afternoon of Friday 8 November 2019 in Coventry Council House. Students will be able to say how they feel about violence, peace, justice …

Launch of The Unknown Civilian by Antony Owen

This remembrance day 2019 sees the book launch event of The Unknown Civilian by Antony Owen featuring Coventry Cathedral Choir and Emily Bogiatjis on Viola. The event is free and has adult themes. Books are available to purchase on the day. It is hosted by Dean of Coventry Cathedral, John Witcombe with special guests including poets Roy McFarlane and Andrea …

Paris Peace Forum 2019

On 11-13 November 2019, the Paris Peace Forum will place global governance at the top of the international agenda for the second time with its annual Forum. It is a unique event where stakeholders discuss global governance issues and cooperate on innovative solutions. In 2018, 65 Heads of State and Government as well as 10 leaders from international organizations attended …

Coventry Restorative Justice Conference 2019

Coventry Restorative Justice Conference 2019

This event will be held on 12 November and will address important issues such as: What is Restorative Justice? How does it help victims of crime and anti-social behaviour? Is it really more effective than prison? Why Restorative Justice? Our current criminal justice system focuses on punishing the offender. Reoffending rates are high. Many victims feel ignored. Restorative justice puts …

Forgiveness Project Annual Lecture 2019

The Forgiveness Project will be running their 2019 Annual Lecture on 12 November in London to be delivered by their Founder, Marina Cantacuzino. In Power and Persuasion: the urgent need for restorative narratives in unforgiving times, Marina will explore the intersection between turbulence and forgiveness. Amid a seemingly global rush towards hate, division and insularity, she will consider how forgiveness …

RISING Global Peace Forum 2019

RISING Global Peace Forum will be 13th and 14th November 2019. The theme for both the Symposia and the main Forum is ‘The Ecology of Peace’ and we’ll be exploring and celebrating the many different routes by which peace can be made and sustained: top-down, bottom-up, with/without a formal peace deal, peace between nations, individuals and with our environment and peace through …

Where Light Falls

Historic England, working with the Poetry Society and leading creatives Double Take Projections, invite you to Where Light Falls – a series of spectacular, free illuminations at St Paul’s Cathedral and Coventry Cathedral this autumn. Where Light Falls tells the story of those who risked their lives to protect the places they loved during the Second World War, at two …

Re-publication of Ruined and Rebuild

On November 14, the anniversary of the bombing of Coventry Cathedral, Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation working with Coventry Cathedral will re-publish the book "Ruined and Rebuilt" written by Reverend Richard Howard, Provost of Coventry Cathedral. In this classic book, long out of print, Howard describes how climbed onto the roof to smother with sand the incendiary …

Lord Mayor's Peace Lecture 2019

Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation are delighted to announce that Baroness Shami Chakrabarti has agreed to deliver the Lord Mayor's Peace Lecture on 14 November in Coventry Cathedral. She is a barrister who was previously the director of civil liberties and human rights grups Liberty and is currently Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales. The details …

Youth violence: What can schools do?

This free INSET training course will be delivered by PeacmakersPeacmakers. Knife crime is just one issue among many faced by children that leaders in schools have to understand and manage on a daily basis. This half-day INSET will give school staff the opportunity to think more critically about peace and conflict in their schools. By the end of the session, …

Jai Jagat Global Peace March 2020

Jai Jagat is a campaign to promote Gandhi's message of non-violence. Its name means "the victory of the World" in Hindi. Their main aims are Eradicating Poverty Eliminating Social Exclusion Ameliorating the Climate Crisis Halting Conflict and Violence In 2020 they will be organising a "Global Peace March 2020" whose aim includes raising awareness of climate justice. Some people will …

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Website and newsletter created by Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation

For their generous support, the Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation expresses our thanks to the Lord Mayor's Office and Coventry City Council. We also thank Coventry Cathedral, Coventry University and Warwick University for their support and assistance.