For the April meeting, our humanists group welcomed Bernard North who gave a thought-provoking talk on the history of slavery. With thanks to our friends at the Ludlow Probus Club for the summary.
Bernard North
Bernard commenced by advising that many of our national institutions had connections to slavery – including the Bank of England. Britain’s prosperity today was founded on profits from slavery. We tend to concentrate on the British involvement in transporting slaves from West Africa to the United States. But slavery and slave trading was global, going back thousands of years.
In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd summarizes the talk by Sylvia Duffy and Liz Taylor from the Ludlow Fairtrade Town Group.
Sylvia and Liz are from the Ludlow Fairtrade Town Group. Ludlow was first given fair trade status in 2003. At that time, many Traidcraft products were sold in Ludlow but Traidcraft, a UK-based Fairtrade organisation, went into administration in 2023.
In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd summarises the talk by Dr Simon Jenkins looking at the best ways to make a positive impact.
Simon is Associate Professor for Values, Law and Ethics at Warwick University. He teaches ethics and law to medical students and other medical professionals. Effective Altruism (EA) is a social movement, a set of ideas on how to best improve the world and make it a better place. It combines the head and the heart.
Bernard is a retired civil engineer who lived and worked in Bristol for some years. His children attended a school named after Edward Colston and Bernard went to concerts at the Colston Hall. It wasn’t until later years that Bernard, like many other people, became aware of where Colston’s and much of Bristol’s wealth came from.
Tuesday 15th April 2025 7.30 p.m.
At the Ludlow Quaker Meeting House St. Mary’s Lane, Ludlow, SY8 1DZ
The event will explore how the Fairtrade movement has evolved over the years locally, nationally and globally. Liz and Sylvia will also lead discussion on the movement’s current campaigns, and what we can do – individually and collectively – to advance trade justice for farmers and workers, and climate justice for all.
There will be a small stall of Fairtrade goods for you to browse and make a purchase if you wish. (Cash or card accepted)
Tuesday 18th March 2025 7.30 p.m.
At the Ludlow Quaker Meeting House St. Mary’s Lane, Ludlow, SY8 1DZ
We had a very enjoyable New Year’s lunch at The Charlton Arms in January. Lots of interesting conversations and good food. Many thanks to Linda Senior for organising it.
In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd recounts Paul’s inspiring talk about his courageous work to help people in Ukraine.
Paul has been delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine since 2022
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, Paul has been going in and out of the country taking humanitarian assistance from the UK to support local communities. This is mostly on his own, but he also works with other charities and individuals. He is just back from his 24th trip. These trips each cost between £500 and £600.
Paul showed us a video of him delivering aid in Kharkiv with background noise of alarms going off which he said is “the backdrop every day and night”. He showed us a map of Ukraine, which is the second largest European country in area after Russia, and has a population of 44 million. The map showed which parts of Ukraine Russia has occupied. 3.7 million people have been driven from their homes and many are refugees in their own country. 14.6 million people needed humanitarian assistance in 2024. The big cities are attacked every week if not daily. Paul started by working with Eden Aid, a charity hooking up Ukrainians with sponsors in the UK. He told us Dania’s story who was in Kyiv with her two children and a dog waiting to get to the UK. He drove over and picked them up. She was horrified at the destruction she saw 15-20 minutes away from her home. By the time they arrived in Poland she started to relax. She is now living in Church Stretton sponsored by a person in the Wirral and has her own home, a job and the children are in school.
Most of us have a drive to do at least some good in the world, but are we doing as much as we could? Effective Altruism is focused on using evidence and reason to understand the best ways to make a positive impact: why it matters, how it works, and some tips and ideas – big and small – for how you can make the world a better place.
Tuesday 18th February 2025 7.30 p.m.
At the Ludlow Quaker Meeting House St. Mary’s Lane, Ludlow, SY8 1DZ
In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd provides an in-depth account of the thought-provoking talk by Phil Cheatle, Lead Campaign Commentator of the campaign group My Death, My Decision (MDMD).
Phil told the meeting why he had become involved in My Death My Decision. It was due to his personal experience with his mother and aunt. His mother aged 93 knew things were not going to get better and asked him to end her life. Doctors could not help her as she wished. She said “make them see sense”.
We are all living longer. A lot of heart disease and cancer are now curable but there are degenerative diseases such as dementia, motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are the leading cause of death in England and Wales with 1 in 8 of all recorded cause of deaths and 1 in 4 for women over 80.
