Above: 1st. Peace Chaplaincy Interfaith & Eco Spirituality Ministry logo.
In 1982 Chief Frank Chilcote, a Crow Medicine Man, who had set up the XAT Society and Prison-Ashram project (based in Seattle) & The Anglo American Support Society for Native American Prisoners (based in Camelford), both asked the founder, to set up a UK interfaith chaplaincy supporting Native American prisoners. XAT felt that a chaplaincy in the UK, a country without the death penalty, could bring a different perspective to that of groups working in the USA. First Peace Chaplaincy is proud of the organisations ministry for death row prisoners.
The Chaplaincy took its name from Black Elks famous lines: “The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the centre of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its centre is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
The Chaplaincy is committed to co-operation in the diverse society in which we all live, offering understanding of citizenship and democracy as well as exploring:
2. Multifaith affinity with aspects of the group of beliefs and range of philosophy that follow: Pagan, Heathen, 1st. Nations, African Animism, Celtic & Saxon Christian, Spiritualism.
2.The Chaplaincy will provide a writing ministry & justice campaign for animal rights, environmental campaigners & political prisoners in the UK
3.The chaplaincy raises awareness of Eco-spirituality within communities of interest. Our Eco-spirituality ministry supports those with anxiety from climate, nature & biodiversity collapse, through prayer, practical actions, education, spiritual practice & the healing of relationships with nature.
4.The Ministry seeks to heal the heart of people and communities & enhance life therein & encourage well balanced free will & well being & within communities, people, the animal kingdom & all of nature, ministering to each soul & divine spirit & fostering thoughtful, mindful, compassionate attitudes, connections & potential. Names & issues can be submitted for our Lyfjaberg healing book.
5.The Chaplaincy supports social justice, animal & environmental welfare & works to create co-operation & understanding through interfaith projects & multi-faith inclusion; working with the spirit whatever the faith: pagan, heathen, US 1st. Nation & African animism, Celtic & Saxon Christian, Spiritualism…the web of world religions.
6.The Ministry uses prayer, spiritual, magical & psychic mysteries & works with nature & the divine to create positive change & display gratitude, joy & nurture & enhance all life.7.The Chaplaincy maintains it’s liminal position, it’s awareness of spirit, it’s willingness to learn & act responsibly. We work with other chaplaincies, ministries & circles that harmonise with our own. At First Peace Chaplaincy, Tuesday mornings, 10:30-11:30 is Spiritual Ecology Hour.
We recently helped with shelter building and story telling activities for preschool children, brewing up hot chocolate, hammering with wooden mallets, tying ropes, telling stories, practicing communication and teamwork skills and getting lots of fresh air.
At Easter 2024, on a visit to Spern Head, children were able to see billions of browntail moth caterpillars, barn owls, curlews, stilts & mute swans.
Above: colour and texture in nature.
Wider key skills and basic skills.
Outdoor and forest experience learning.
Arts education, creative and heritage learning.
"What is this?" Child's found object, family walking session April 2013.
These activities seem to help people to value the same natural features as do wildlife. By protecting such areas for biodiversity in a wild state, are we not ensuring space in which our children can exercise through physically play, a place to develop social skills and mental agility?
Wild places can sustain psychological resilience and wellbeing.
We believe that children & young people are the most important resource in our society & we strive to enable them to make a positive contribution.
Below: Andrea Wright Preschool Manager.
“Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.” – Barack Obama
Children taking part in Earth Day action and learning about responsibilities and sustainability.
Below: toddler looking for ladybirds in an old tree.
At First Peace Chaplaincy we encourage a supportive, nurturing culture, which builds early learning principles and practices based on the real world, to give meaningful, relevant experience. This can lead to positive life long learning patterns, improved confidence and self-direction. We believe that most youngsters want to be respected and trusted and want to co-operate in contributing to the community, in a responsible and sustainable way. We aim to build children's confidence & encourage mentors to experiment with approaches to learning which are filled with vitality & creativity. We use positive affirmations with the children as they create effective self-regulation and give the tools to persevere during troubled or stressful situations, boosting self-esteem and helping create positive mental attitude, thinking and outlook. We encourage Trust Nurturing and PACE parenting, where playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy are key. This Opens communication, helping children to experience being listened to in a safe place. Children then start to explore, discover and learn.

Above: exploring.
We aim to: raise awareness of the vital role played by families in raising levels of attainment. Develop opportunities for parents, carers & guardians to support children and special needs family members: for example as part of our community awareness and well being work: we arranged an event where mental health service users and young people with learning difficulties visited the office of the Nottinghamshire Crime and Police Commissioner.
Work with families in receipt of pupil premium, including adoptive families and forces families. We also integrate these activities with initiatives for those who feel lonely and isolated in our communities. This often leads to intergenerational cooperation and sharing.
Foster involvement and hands on seasonal creative learning activities, which promote an understanding of the power of nature & horticulture; the arts & heritage. this help children to transform their understanding of the world and their communities. One example is our popular annual photographic competitions.
Encourage family access to intergenerational activities, events and play-learning games, to develop compassionate and creative thinking, social responsibility, healthy eating & mental wellbeing, basic skills, understanding of & skills in animal welfare, environmental and social responsibility. For example: community, family and children's cooking sessions are popular.
Below: angel, Laxton Church.
We understand that creative and arts activities, stimulate learning and creativity in all academic areas. The arts develop neural systems such as motor skills and emotional balance, aesthetic awareness, cultural awareness, social harmony and appreciation of diversity. Helping children to understand cultural heritage and history, builds self-esteem and pride in place & community. Children who are read stories and who are taught to listen to music become good listeners: in lessons, in relationships, in social care roles and may become more empathetic and compassionate. 2012 saw a 30% contraction in arts funding in the UK, this makes our work even more vital and worthy of support.
We deliver landscape conservation and skills development & promoting outdoor education for all ages. We are working hard to help bees and pollinating insects. Our Moth-Watch Challenge had good community participation and turned up many colourful species such as the Poplar Hawk Moth.
Below: "discovering the peg" used to mark the strips in the medieval strip farming still practiced at Laxton.
Below: green spaces are important for children.
Our community engagement for all ages, in just one week, helped children's groups to: celebrate heritage festivals, take part in garden bird watching, countryside ID & pond adventures.
Our community project on ammonites model making for children and our family kitchen food preserving project, has been important to our communities in lockdown, stimulating the documentation of the memories of participants. First Peace Chaplaincy set up fifteen virtual learning community event forums during lockdown, to promote thinking and awareness on a range of topics. We will maintain this type of engagement as part of our ongoing programme delivery.
In contrast to the virtual world, our real world learning activity outings are popular & range from consideration of medieval stonework in Tickhill, South Yorkshire, to architectural furniture in Grantham & cooperation with SEND Nottingham, who work with hard to reach children and young people in an inner city area. We have been in demand in the community, to support cross-curricular immersive learning: developing compassion, cultural experience, creativity, academic potential, social skills & outdoor learning possibilities. We have developed resources to support elective home education groups. Activities directly link to Key Stages of the National Curriculum. In one project, our volunteers helping children to check insect hotels, comparing designs to find out the preference of specific species for various designs.
- welfare, well-being, quality of life, happiness and enjoyment.
- equality, equity & ethical communities; social, environmental & economic welfare
- the arts and cultural heritage, including sustainable ceramics research.
- landscape and natural heritage.
- wildlife and animal welfare.
- responsible, compassionate and sustainable lifestyles .
- climate change and eco-philosophy.
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