Sound of silence proves a hit for Young Quakers podcast

HALF an hour of near silence might not be an obvious choice of content for a podcast, but a group of young Quakers say they have managed to make theirs a success.

The Nottingham Young Quakers say 400 people have listened to a recording of one of their meetings, inspired by the BBC’S season of “slow radio”, which included audio of rock climbers, birdsong and monks chanting.

The February release of the Young Quaker Podcast includes the sound of pages turning, breathing, feet shuffling, rain falling and a clock ticking.

The idea was first suggested by Tim Gee, a London Quaker who said he wanted to “share a small oasis of calm, and a way to provide a moment of stillness, for people on the move”. The episode is believed to be the first time an entire Quaker meeting has been recorded and broadcast in its entirety.

Jessica Hubbard-bailey, 25, from the Nottingham Young Quakers, who hosted the podcast, told The Guardian: “We thought this was a really unique opportunity to give people a little slice of what the Quakers do.

“Also, we are really good at being quiet because we’ve made a practice of it and I think that is of value.

“These days everyone is so busy, everyone is working all the time, so it’s really valuable to have the opportunity to sit down once a week and just be quiet and listen.”

She said she believed the listening figures make the episode “the biggest Quaker meeting this year technically”, and added that some listeners had even been inspired to attend their first meeting after hearing the episode.