QUAKER UNIVERSALIST GROUP NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2026
Dear QUG supporter
QUG Annual Conference
Friday 16th April to Sunday 18th April 2027
High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire,
EN11 8SG and online
MEDITATION – Deepening Connection with the Spirit
Our topic is meditation. We will be exploring it across a range of world views. We will be comparing it with Quaker worship. We will see how it leads to action in the world.
This year we have decided to return to High Leigh, where we have already had two successful conferences. It is north of London, 25 minutes on the train from Liverpool Street Station. It is set in beautiful grounds. See https://www.cct.org.uk/high-leigh/high-leigh-conference-centre
Anyone can come to our conference. You do not have to be a Quaker or a member of QUG to attend.
Our programme will include learning about and participating in various meditative practices, hearing about people’s personal experience of meditation, and looking at how meditation can lead to inward transformation and outward action. Our programme will be suitable for both beginners and those who are more experienced in meditation.
As usual, there will be breakout groups, time for worship together, and time to socialise and explore the grounds of High Leigh.
We are delighted to announce that you can now apply to attend this conference. An application form is at the end of this newsletter or you can go online at https://qug.org.uk/conference-2027/ and open one of the attachments (in Word or PDF). Please fill in the form completely (though some questions are not relevant to those participating by Zoom).
Please either send the form by email (e.g. as an attachment) to contact@qug.org.uk or by post to QUG Conference, 2 Willow Rise, Haddenham, Aylesbury, HP17 8JR.
We are pleased to say that we are keeping all the fees the same as last year. We will accept bookings with a deposit of £60 per person: but please note this is non-returnable and the full amount must be paid 8 weeks before the conference starts, i.e. by Friday 19th February 2027.
Some people have come to our conferences with their fees paid, in part or in full, by their area or local meetings. Do ask your Quaker meetings for help if necessary. It is useful to us too if you report back to your meetings: this makes QUG better known to Quakers in general.
We understand the challenges some young people have in finding the money to attend our conferences, so we are pleased this year to have a bursary scheme for a limited number of young people. We would really welcome more young people at our conference so that we can listen to them and learn from them.
If you are interested in applying for a bursary please fill in the separate form provided. This can be obtained by emailing contact@qug.org.uk or downloading from our website at https://qug.org.uk/conference-2027/ Please approach your local or area meeting first, to see if they will finance you, either in part or in full. All bursary application forms must be with us by the end of January 31st 2027, after which a decision will be made on who we can support.
It could be that there are participants who may wish to contribute extra money to help pay for bursaries. There is a space on the application form for you to indicate this.
We hope many people will want to come in person to this conference, but we only have a limited number of rooms, some single and some twin/double: so to guarantee your place please apply early.
We also hope to have a good attendance by Zoom: here we ask for £40.00 payment (non-returnable) to secure your place.
Quakers and Muslims
QUG is delighted that there is a new Quaker booklet entitled Quakers and Muslims. The editor, Priscilla Alderson, is grateful to those Quaker Universalists who kindly contributed ideas. Full details are on the Quaker Socialist Society website and the booklet can be downloaded from there: please see https://quakersocialists.org.uk/
We will hear a talk from Chris Newsam of the Quaker Socialist Society on January 20th 2027 (see next item).
Our Wednesday evening meetings for worship and sharing
Our Wednesday evening online meetings for worship and sharing continue at 7.00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month.
The speakers booked for the next three months are:
- November 18th – Stuart Masters, who was the Swarthmore Lecturer at Britain Yearly Meeting in May this year. His talk is entitled The Quaker Way: Christian and Universalist.
- December 16th – Neil Morgan, who will talk on Transcendence
- January 20th – Chris Newsam – Quaker Socialist Society
We send out reminders two or three days beforehand to everyone who has registered. If you do not have the joining instructions and would like them please send an email to contact@qug.org.uk
Universalist
We are looking for articles for the Spring 2026 edition. Main articles should usually be between 1000-3500 words. We also welcome reviews, normally about 300-500 words, of books, films, plays, etc. Please try to get articles to us by the end of November.
The main criterion for articles and reviews is that they should be of a universalist nature. There are guidelines on writing articles for us on our website at https://qug.org.uk/publications/qug-journal/
If you have any questions or wish to send articles to us please email contact@qug.org.uk.
Contacting us, questions and unsubscribing
If you have any questions or wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter please reply directly or send an email to contact@qug.org.uk
BOOKING FORM FOLLOWS BELOW
QUG Annual Conference Booking Form – 2027 – MEDITATION
Friday 16th April at 6.00 pm to Sunday 18th April 2027 at 2.00 pm
High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Herts, EN11 8SG and online
Please indicate one participation option below by specifying your payment. If residential, you can pay a deposit now to secure your place, or pay in full.
Option 1- Residential: per person: £310. Deposit £60 (non-returnable)
Option 2- Residential couple* sharing a twin room: £500. Deposit £120 (non-returnable)
*please provide the second person’s name and special requirements on a second form and submit both forms together.
Option 3- Zoom Participation only: £40 (Please make full payment – non-returnable)
I am paying …………………. For Option ……….
Special Note: If you are unable to attend the conference, having paid, and we have to pay High Leigh for your room, we regret that we will not refund your money. If you have any concerns, e.g. due to health issues, please make your own insurance arrangements.
Attendee Name: ___
Address: ___
Post code: ___
Tel no: ___
E-mail: ___
For those at High Leigh only: name and contact details of someone to contact in an emergency: ___
Do you need an accessible room? (Write yes or no) ___
Do you require a lift or wheelchair access? (Write yes or no) ___
Please state any specific dietary requirements (e.g. food allergies, vegetarian, gluten free, pescatarian, lactose intolerant, vegan or any other dietary requirements):
There are three ways to pay:
A) Bank transfer to: TSB. The Quaker Universalist Group. Sort Code: 30-97-35. Account No: 00016421. Please use Reference ‘QUG27-Your Surname‘ (e.g. QUG27-SMITH) to ease payment tracking.
B) Cheque (payable to The Quaker Universalist Group) and post to 2 Willow Rise, Haddenham, Aylesbury, HP17 8JR.
C) PayPal – Please ensure you provide full contact details so collection by PayPal can be arranged with you.
Please complete: I am paying using Option ……….
(Please carry out Options A and B with your form. For option C submit your form and we will contact you)
NB. The balance of conference payments must be received by Friday 19th February 2027
If you would like to contribute extra money to help pay for the bursaries please do so as a separate payment and add a note here: ………..
Please send this booking form by email to contact@qug.org.uk
or by post to: QUG Conference, 2 Willow Rise, Haddenham, Aylesbury, HP17 8JR
Please Book Early – to secure your place
If you do not receive an acknowledgement within three weeks please email contact@qug.org.uk.