“Trust is the foundation of peace – fear is the foundation of war” – that was the message of Stroud’s first ever Global Peace Party on Sunday.

The community event in a sunny Bank Gardens saw dozens of people gather to discuss and celebrate peace in the world, as well as talk about initiatives to bring an end to war.

Participants listened to speeches from activists, took part in art activities, hung peace wishes on trees and enjoyed uplifting reggae music.

The event coincided with International Peace Day on Wednesday 21 – which saw similar events take place in towns and cities across the world.

Jo Woolley said: “It was a heartening and uplifting day which brought Stroud’s community together in common cause and has set a very positive precedent for similar events in the years to come.

“We live in turbulent and uncertain times. It is easy to get pulled into fear and despair over the state of the country; world; environment.

“This makes it ever more important that we focus on what we would like to see in the world.”

Stroud News and Journal:

Zarin Hainsworth, who works for the United Nations on peace initiatives across the world, was the guest speaker during the afternoon.

She spoke about the importance of including women in international peace negotiations and about the ongoing work of the international organisations.

Others speakers at the event included local activist Jojo Mehta, who spoke about Ecocide.

She was followed by Symon Hill, coordinator of the Peace Pledge Union, who spoke about the militarisation of society.

Following on from talks, the party enjoyed a picnic and music from Stroud Song, which was led by Jo McAndrews.

Meanwhile Community Peace scrolls led by artists Herewood Gabriel and Sarah Gillingham were displayed.

There was also the opportunity to write messages on the scrolls and to hang peace wishes on the tree in Bank Gardens.

As the sun went down, the evening’s events continued at the Old Town Hall in the Shambles.

Here Fiona Medley gave a presentation about the conscientious objectors of WWI, followed by poetry readings by long-time peace activists Jeff Cloves and Dennis Gould.

The event came to an end with a rousing performance from The Raga Babas, a band based on World Fusion Devotional music with ancient and contemporary sounds specifically for dancing.

In total around 200 people attended the Peace Party throughout the day.