"Nuclear arms control is going into reverse," says Tim Cowen.

The nuclear arms control START treaty expired earlier this year, North Korea already has nukes, Iran is accused of trying to develop them, Saudi Arabia has stated that it will work to get nuclear weapons if Iran does and South Korea is debating what to do - the list goes on.

Thus, Quakers in South West London, including in Kingston, are raising awareness of the dangers involved with nuclear proliferation with the performance of a hard-hitting play based upon one man's experience of surviving the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bomb blast - the first use of the atomic bomb in war.

The Priest's Tale is a one-man play that has toured the UK, USA and Japan.

It is the story of Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge's daring escape from the city and the devastation caused by the Hiroshima blast.

Additionally, it is based on a New Yorker article in 1946, which the editor published, called 'in the conviction that few of us have yet comprehended the all but incredible destructive power of this weapon, and that everyone might well take time to consider the terrible implications of its use'.

Michael Mears, who wrote and performed the play, said: "Probably the one thing that most people know about Quakers is our commitment to, and work for, peace.

"This play brings the issues and events at Hiroshima to life for a new audience and a new age and is as relevant now as it was when Hersey wrote his ground-breaking article eighty years ago."

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The play will be performed at Kingston Quaker Centre at Fairfield East, Kingston, at 6pm on Friday, 25 September.

Entry is free and open to all, and refreshments will be provided.

It is the latest in a series of events organised by Quakers in South West London to raise awareness of their activities and concerns.

Previous events have examined AI and Spirituality, the Climate Crisis, the state of HMP Wandsworth, and the refugee situation.

Further events are being planned for later in the year.

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