Reflections on Scarborough

November is a bad cold month in Cambridge: middle-of-term, end of autumn, start of winter…lots of fun. Until, one afternoon, I get bundled into the back of a car, force-played Ricky Martin and Enrique Inglesias and, five hours later, flung out on a bonfire-lit seawall. Fresh air! Fireworks! People who don’t sound like they’re extras from Absolutely Fabulous! Is there anything more wonderful on this dark foggy earth than the smell of vinegary chips and the sight of Scottish Bahá’í youth running towards you full pelt?

This year’s National Festival in Scarborough was by far my favourite; I’ve always loved seeing my friends there but haven’t been too keen on the program in the past. Not so this time; it was all about the life and sufferings of Bahá’u’lláh. I feel I have to make mention of Naysun Alae-Carew from Dumfries at this point who gave a very special rendition of the story of some of Bahá’u’lláh’s sufferings. The audience were deeply touched, so much so in fact that when I asked my friend from Cambridge if he’d had her greetin’, she was still so carried away with emotion that she said “yes” without having a clue what I meant.

Unfortunately, I was soft enough to be caught crying again that evening, when I got to see my other personal highlight – the “Lights of Unity” dance-group, who are based in Belfast but have been travelling all over. There was even a Scottish representative in their numbers, with Kian Mehrabi from Lochmaben displaying a previously untapped talent for swing-dancing. That wasn’t what brought my tears on, however, shocked as I was, nor it was the dances themselves or the moving way in which they were performed. Rather it was seeing a group of young people, genuinely from all kinds of backgrounds, flinging themselves heart, soul, legs and arms into serving the Bahá’í Faith. What can I say, it’s been a while.

It gave me back the feeling of belonging to a diverse and vibrant national community, which is something that, despite a wonderful local community, can get a little lost down the misty back-alleys of this old town. Having been offered that inspiration again… Cambridge, look out!