Category Archives: Olympic Truce

All The Bells on the Millennium Bridge | Friday 8.12am

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Surrounded by the tolling of Big Ben and of the big city bells all around, we will be ringing bells for three minutes for the Olympic Truce and the Millennium Development Goals, starting promptly at 8.12am. Arrive by 8am at the latest!

There’s been a huge response to this unusual and fun event!

If you are not ringing bells locally, please come to central London and join in.

Don’t forget to bring a bell – any bell – bicycle bell, cow bell, toy bell, ankle bells, ringtone, anything.

The Olympic Truce flag will be flying from the middle of the Millennium Bridge from 7.30am – try to arrive by 8am at the latest so that we are in position by 8.12am to ring for three minutes.

The Director of the International Olympic Truce Centre in Athens, Dr Constantinos Filis, has sent us an inspiring salutation which will be read out before we ring bells on the Millennium Bridge at 8.12am tomorrow morning (Friday).  He also writes

We would like to congratulate you on your initiative and your support on Olympic Truce goals!

It will be a very nice opportunity to remind the world that Olympic Truce ideals can inspire the generations.

The event is part of a nation-wide All The Bells work by artist Martin Creed and bells will be rung across the whole country for three minutes from 8.12am.  We are ringing to support the Olympic Truce and the Millennium Development Goals.

We will be welcoming visitors from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Department of Communities and Local Government and the United Nations Association.  The UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sport is also hoping to be with us.

Kostas Hazkis (right) will be joining us tomorrow morning. We are all invited to celebrate our countries of origin and London as a multifaith and multicultural city.

News has travelled abroad – Kostas Hatzis, who lives in the Netherlands, will be arriving in full Greek national costume.  He has promoted the Truce with a 4-day walk.  We are all invited to follow his lead in celebrating our countries of origin on the day that the world comes to London for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

We know it is a big ask for those who are observing Ramadan to join in at this early hour, so we are especially pleased that many are coming along.

Everyone ringing a bell will be filmed and the video will be downloadable after the event as a souvenir of a very special and historic occasion.  For those who prefer not to ring bells or be filmed, provision has been made so that you can join in to the full.

More information on the Olympic Truce, the Millennium Development Goals and the event itself can be found on the links on the flyer, which you can download here.  There is also a Facebook page for the event – please share through Facebook and the flyer.

If you have not yet let me know you’re planning to come, please email me asap!

Latest from the London Peace Network blog

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You may find a few items of interest on the London Peace Network blog:

On 21st and 22nd September, the Imperial War Museum is marking International Peace Day as part of the Olympic Truce – LBFN is invited to take part.  More on this soon.

On Friday 21st September, many mosques in London will also be marking the day by opening their doors to visitors and exchanging messages of peace.  More details from LBFN.

Build The Truce – Imperial War Museum’s blog on LBFN visit in June

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Follow the link to read the IWM’s post on LBFN’s visit – JUNE NEWS | Build The Truce.

More pictures from our visit to the Imperial War Museum are on the Gallery page of the London Peace Network blog.

The IWM’s 10 minute film on war, truce and peace is well worth seeing.

Faith and the Environment – this Saturday

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An unusual Faith and the Environment event this Saturday afternoon.

With Ven Lama Yeshe, the Dean of Southwark, the Very Revd Andrew Nunn, Rabbi Janet Darley of South London Liberal Synagogue, Rockingham Young People and others.

Tree planting, wild flower seeds, pledges and more . .

Saturday 30th June  2-4pm.

At the Kagyu Samye Dzong Tibetan Buddhist Centre, 15 Spa Road, Bermondsey, SE16 3SA.

A local event which is open to everyone!

Truce Inspire Mark for London Peace Network

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The London Peace Network (led by LBFN) was awarded London 2012’s Truce Inspire Mark a while ago, but today we had confirmation that the mark can be used on the website.

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said:

‘The London Peace Network is encouraging religious, multifaith and peace-making groups across the capital to fulfil their potential.

I am proud that with the help of partners such as the London Boroughs Faiths Network, we are delivering our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in peace-building activities and to leave a rich legacy into 2013 and beyond.’

 

As part of the 2012 Hours Against Hate Coalition, we are also pleased to sport the 2012 Hours logo and the international Olympic Truce Symbol – which is widely recognised around the world. 

 

Faiths Forum for London is a key partner in 2012 Hours Against Hate and is looking for twelve volunteers from at least four different religious groups to volunteer twenty hours in charities of faith communities different from their own – a great idea and a unique opportunity during this Olympic year.  Find out more here.

A new Facebook page for the Olympic Truce was launched last week and already has thousands of members from around the world contributing on the subject of peace – well worth a visit.

Check your faith forum’s details under Borough Links and send in your peace-building plans for the summer so that they can all be included in the picture carousel at the top of the website and in Coming Up.

Make a difference this summer – be inspired by the Olympic Truce

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The new London Peace Network brings together a huge range of peace-building activities in London this summer under the Olympic Truce. It has been awarded London 2012’s Truce Inspire Mark.

Find peace-building activities and events across London this summer on the new London Peace Network site – co-ordinated by LBFN and bringing together a wide range of groups and public sector organisations which are promoting the Olympic Truce.

Send me details of your local events and activities and they will be added.

Check the details for your borough and/or faith forum and send your updates, photos, video clips and links.

Subscribe to the new site, as many of you do to this site, if you’d like news to come to you by email.

Add your own thoughts to the suggestions already posted at

There are four ‘twinned’ projects between LBFN members and local multifaith groups overseas (we are working with the Foreign Office on these) and lots of other events being held by local faith forums over the summer – check the site for details and add your own.

Feedback is always welcome – how can we improve the site?

There’s also a new Facebook group for the Olympic Truce – it has hundreds of members already (launched today) so don’t forget to check it out if you’re a Facebook user!

Olympic Truce: invitation to the Imperial War Museum on 6th June at 10am

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The Imperial War Museum launched its Build The Truce audio-visual display in London yesterday.  The Museum is interested in the many different ways we look at the items on display, depending on who we are.

LBFN is making a special visit to the Museum on Wednesday 6th June at 10am.  We are delighted that

  • Lord Michael Bates, who walked from Greece to London promoting the Olympic Truce as he passed through historic sites of conflict in Europe and

have accepted our invitation to speak about the Olympic Truce.

We are invited to watch the 10 minute show and to hear from the curators, IWM’s Catherine Roberts and Dr Tim Jacoby of the Humanitarian & Conflict Response Institute at Manchester University.  The new interactive display looks at the concepts of truce, conflict and resolution and how they are relevant to us in the twenty-first century.

The leaders of the “twinned” projects between LBFN members in London and local communities in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ghana and Jamaica will share some news and we will hear from others who are involved in peace-building activities as part of the Olympic Truce.

We will be able to talk to Catherine and Tim and share our thoughts on conflict – on Bosnia, Afghanistan, WWI, Northern Ireland, WWII or any other serious conflict.  The role of local communities in reconciliation is of interest to all of us.

Both the Imperial War Museum and LBFN have been awarded the Truce Inspire mark by London 2012.

Please contact LBFN if you would like an invitation to this special event.

Building communities of trust

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Our meeting this Thursday afternoon is packed with excellent peace-making opportunities for local religious groups and faith forums over the summer.

We’ll be putting all the information on the blog later so that we can all find the links and contacts we need.

In the meantime, here are a few clips and links to Olympic Truce-related programmes and events over the summer.

BBC Radio 4’s Beyond Belief had an excellent discussion on the ancient Olympic Games, including the Truce, and the contested values evident in the modern movement.  You can listen again on iPlayer.

On the opening night of the Games, Prom no 18 is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, with the West-East Divan Orchestra projecting an “inclusive vision of hope, reconciliation and hard-won triumph”.  The programme says, “What better to mark today’s opening of the London 2012 Olympics than Beethoven’s ultimate hymn to universal brotherhood?”  I would add sisterhood, of course.

The South Bank Centre is holding  a Festival of the World from 1st June.  Here is a clip of Jude Kelly, the Director, and others talking about the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, and how the Festival will be about participation and about how the arts are used for social change around the world.

This Saturday, 19th May, the Riding Lights theatre company comes to Lambeth for one night only with its show Monsieur de Coubertin’s Magnificent Opymlic© Feat!

LBFN’s twinned projects in Pakistan, Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Ghana, and all the local activities we are involved in to reduce violence and to build trust in London this summer are in good company.

Guest post: flags and bunting!

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LOCOG’s Karoline Rutrecht will be joining us at Thursday’s meeting and has kindly offered this guest post – thank you Karoline!

The Olympic Flame is nearly here – are you ready to celebrate?

This Friday 18 May the Olympic Flame lands in Britain to begin its historic 70-day relay across the UK.  Eight thousand people will carry the Torch 8,000 miles across all of the UK’s nations and regions.

Now local faith and multifaith groups have the chance to get involved and dress their Torch Relay, Games celebrations or Truce activities with London 2012’s Community Celebration Pack. The pack contains a range of official goodies- hand flags, bunting, a large flag and flagpole and a horizontal banner- with packs of hand flags also sold separately.

Packs are just £99 plus delivery. Plus, if you order nine packs, you’ll get the tenth for free.

Make sure your group places an order before the Torch comes to your borough! For further details and to order now, go to www.gameslookbook.com/community.

Inter Faith Walks 2012: City Hall meeting + £100

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Here is an invitation to City Hall on Tuesday 15th May at 6.30pm from South London Inter Faith Group.SLIFG has helped local groups organise inter faith walks for many years.  They’re a great way for local people from different religious and other traditions to meet each other, visit local communities and learn from our neighbours.

This Olympic year (and the walks will be part of the Olympic Truce) they are inviting all the London boroughs to walk on the same weekend – 14th or 15th July.  What’s more, they are offering £100 to each participating borough!  ** Ooops, in fact £100 only available for South London boroughs – thank you Sarah for correcting me.

Organising walks means working in partnership with the local police; your local borough commander may like to match SLIFG’s donation.

Come along to find out more, receive your cheque and meet everyone else.  To register, email SLIFG.