Who We Are
Friends House, in London – including The Quaker Bookshop and Seed Cafe – and Swarthmoor Hall, in Cumbria, are operated and managed through a wholly-owned trading subsidiary of Quakers in Britain.
The company is effectively the Commercial department of the charity and manages around 60 QiB staff, of all faiths and none, on wages and benefits that are among the highest in the sector.
With responsibility for an award-winning conferencing, events, hospitality and retail business at Friends House and residential & visitor attraction Swarthmoor Hall, the company is an ethical business that ensures Quaker values are lived out in practical, everyday ways, from reducing carbon emissions to sustainable sourcing.
Each year it generates around £1.4M in Gift Aided income for the parent charity, and contributes a further £1.2M towards the central costs of running Quakers in Britain and Friends House.
Governance
A board of directors – known as the Quaker Commercial Board – oversees the work, results and achievements of the company.
The board members all have different professional backgrounds. They use their wealth of experience to help the company grow and make sure that the vision set by Quakers in Britain Trustees is being delivered.
The board meets regularly at Friends House, Swarthmoor Hall and sometimes elsewhere for awaydays.
It is required that all board members are Quakers.
Current board members (as of August 2026) are:
Joe Warren (Clerk / Chair)
Rosemary Bekhradnia • Elisabeth Burch • Tony Clodd • Katharine Parker • Silas Price • Jane Stephenson
