On 26 April, the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Bangor city council became the first Welsh council (the 16th in the UK) to pass a resolution supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Quakers in North Wales have a new Nuclear Weapons Group targeting action on councils, particularly via the ICAN Cities Appeal.
David Mellor of Colwyn Bay Quakers explained: ‘We have been inspired by TPNW and then shocked by the UK government’s defence plans to increase the nuclear stockpile. We want to stick to a simple clear focus on abolition of nuclear weapons as an obvious existential threat to the world.
‘We have been working with several groups in the Bangor area including United Nations Association Menai, Bangor Quakers, Cytun and Bangor interfaith group, to co-ordinate letter-writing and contact with councillors.”
Councillor Owen Hurcum, of Bangor city council, said: ‘Bangor City is the first Welsh council to sign up to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. We felt great pride in signing up our opposition to these abhorrent weapons, putting pressure on the UK government to work towards peace and not destruction.’