SAME SEX MARRIAGES: Quakers from across the Tees Valley have welcomed the vote that may allow the religion to celebrate same sex marriages. At an area meeting in Middlesbrough on Saturday, December 8 church members agreed to ask local MPs to support what the group described as a religious freedom. The decision follows on from Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to allow a free vote on the issue. The Teesdale and Cleveland Area Quaker Meeting represents Quakers from across south Durham and Teesside.