Salem Chapel, a former Dissenters’ place of worship, lies on the edge of East Budleigh, the village where Roger Conant was born. For many years, the building has hosted a Christmas Tree Festival.
The first Festival proved so popular that the tradition grew rapidly, progressing from around a dozen trees to over 50 in 2016.
The 2023 Festival included a ‘Peace Tree’ in recognition of Roger Conant’s role as a peacemaker. Given the Chapel’s name, meaning ‘Peace’ it was a fitting location for the exhibit.
Created by the village’s Roger Conant Club, the ‘Peace Tree’ was decorated with baubles together with many flags from all over the world, drawing attention in many cases to areas of conflict between pairs of nations.
On one bauble was a quote from the History of the World written by Sir Walter Raleigh, who was also born in East Budleigh.
The photo shows a local family at the ‘Peace Tree’.
If you are interested in the history of early America, and Roger Conant as a peacemaker in troubled times you can join the Devon Peacemaker Festival Facebook group at
No comments:
Post a Comment