Archived press release
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Whose land is it anyway?
7 March 1996
Senior representatives from major faiths in the UK will come together on Sunday 17 March for a joint service on the site of the Newbury bypass. Celebrants from Buddhism,Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, the Jains and Judaism will be present [1].
They will be expressing their love and gratitude for creation, mourning the destruction caused by this road scheme, and focussing on our responsibility for wise stewardship of the Earth. There will be readings from sacred texts, prayers and songs from each religion
Bishop John Bickersteth said:"We must stop destroying the natural heritage of our tiny island for the sake of short term expediency. God has made us stewards for a time of this beautiful fragile planet. It has taken so long to evolve and we have a responsibility to care for it well and to hand it on to future generations."
During the service, symbolic gifts of daffodils will be made to all the women and girls present to mark Mothers' Day, and to represent the beauty and regenerative powers of nature.
The act of witness will take place in Middle Oak Field, just north of the A4 west of Speen (adjacent to the B4000 Stockcross Road).
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] Representatives will include Paul Seto, Buddhist; Bishop John Bickersteth;Ranchor Prime, Hare Krishna devotee; Atui Shah, founder of the International Young Jains; Vicky Joseph and Vivienne Cato, Reform Synagogues of GB. The Muslim celebrant is yet to be confirmed.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Sep 2008
