Kingston Peace Council held their Hiroshima event on the riverbank at Canbury Gardens, Kingston, where for many years they have organised an evening ceremony. Below are some photos from the commemorations and peace vigil. This year members held up posters in Kingston town centre for an hour, before moving on to the riverbank at lunchtime for a shortened ceremony, joined by the Mayor of Kingston upon Thames Thay Thayalan.
On Saturday 1st August members and supporters of Bromley Borough CND assembled opposite the central library to commemorate the use of nuclear weapons against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th August 1945. We maintained a two hour presence outside the library before processing on a silent and dignified walk around Bromley High Street. We all wore our face masks as a mark of respect to the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and also to victims of the Covid 19 virus. We then walked to the lake in the Library Gardens where we scattered chrysanthemum petals on the lake. Afterwards we read poetry written by members of Bromley Borough CND.
London CND supported the London Peace Pagoda’s annual event, held this year via Zoom.
Programme
Welcome & Introduction - Shigeo Kobayashi (MC), JAN UK
Water Sprinkling & Blessing - Rev. Nagase Shonin, London Peace Pagoda
Chanting - Rev. Nagase Shonin
Chapter 16 Lotus Sutra - Rev. Nagase Shonin
Tibetan Traditional Chanting - Jamyang Buddhist Sangha －Geshe Tenzin Namdak
Christian Prayer - Rev. Alan Gadd, South London Interfaith Group
Speech - Bruce Kent, Vice-President of CND
Speech - Shigeo Kobayashi
Speech on Bradwell - Yuko Moriyama-Wiffen
Song for Peace - Brigette Bennett
Conclusion & Thanks - Shigeo Kobayashi
The ceremony ended with the live image of lanterns at the London Peace Pagoda.
