A guest post by Miriam Gosling.

Sunday 19 June saw the inaugural Festival of Peace at Sidcot School. Hosted by the school’s Centre for Peace and Global Studies the festival explored the theme ‘The Nature of Identity’.

Held in Refugee Week, and taking place on Father’s Day, the afternoon event celebrated family and community, exploring ideas about identity, belonging, and our place in the world. At a time when many communities around the world face the harsh realities of displacement and seek refuge, the festival was a timely reminder to reflect on, and engage with, ideas of home.

The Sidcot Festival of Peace hosted leading edge speakers including zoologist, presenter and natural history writer Sanjida O’Connell and acclaimed poet Matt Harvey. The event included a stirring mix of drama, art, music and dance, all seeking to provoke reflection on the festival’s theme, while a unique ‘Human Library’ provided the rare opportunity to actively engage with the stories of refugees and others working to relieve crisis across the globe.

In addition to his eagerly anticipated ‘Let Your Life Speak’ seminar at Sidcot on 25 May, the Centre also hosted Mark Edwards’s world acclaimed photographic exhibitions, WHOLE EARTH? and HARD RAIN, during May and June 2016. HARD RAIN was held in the Sidcot Arts Centre during May, and WHOLE EARTH? – displayed outdoors from 1st May until 30 June – provided a powerful illuminating backdrop to the Festival of Peace, and a potent reminder that we can all be part of the solution for a more peaceful and sustainable world.

Here is an interview from BBC Radio Somerset: