THE Quakers have made available a “Silence Special” podcast to provide “an oasis of calm” for people as they go about their daily lives.

The podcast consists of the sounds of a Quaker meeting for worship, which is mostly silent apart from a ticking clock, deep breathing, and the occasional shuffle.

Released by the Young Quaker Podcast, the 30-minute episode, “Silence Special”, is believed to be the first Quaker meeting for worship to be recorded and broadcast in its entirety.

The podcast’s host, Jessica Hubbard-Bailey, said: “A Quaker meeting opens up a space where we can listen and wait, which is both comfortable and uncomfortable, holy and ordinary, still and dynamic.

“It can already be enjoyed in any language, but, by sharing a meeting online, we wanted people to be able to enjoy it anywhere.”

The Young Quaker Podcast is a partner to the magazine Young Quaker, which is published three times a year “for young Friends everywhere”.

Tim Gee, a London-based Quaker and writer, came up with the idea. The podcast was created, he said, because “life can be busy, hectic, and stressful.

“By sharing 30 minutes of peaceful contemplation online, we wanted to share a small oasis of calm, and a way to provide a moment of stillness, for people on the move.”

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