Category: Resources

Humanists UK launches a new membership recruitment drive, fronted by an animated film from its patron, Stephen Fry

As well as being an actor, broadcaster, director, and writer, Stephen Fry is also a humanist, and a proud patron of Humanists UK.

In this new video, Stephen looks at the work Humanists UK does to help people live full, satisfying lives without religion. From campaigning for an education system free from discrimination, to providing popular humanist weddings, as well as pastoral care in hospitals and prisons, humanists work for the good of everyone to promote a fairer society.

Joining Humanists UK is an opportunity to engage with a thriving community of like-minded people who think for themselves and act for everyone.

For more information, please visit: humanists.uk/join

Humanists take part in Ludlow ceremony

On Remembrance Day, 13th November 2022, a small group of us gathered at the Ludlow War Memorial and we laid a wreath on behalf of the Ludlow and Marches Humanists.

In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd summarises the fascinating and topical talk given by Dr. Kelcey about the history of vaccination.

Colin has spent the last two years working with the Oxford AstraZeneca team. The team mutually supported each other by phone. Someone hacked a member’s phone and obtained the numbers of all the team. Team members were rung, often at very inconvenient times, haranguing them and calls were often very abusive. E-mails were also sent to the team members in a similar vein. Colin started to look into the anti-vax movement.

Continue reading “Event report: October 18th meeting with Dr. Colin Kelcey – Blossom and the Origins of the Anti-Vax Movement”

In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd summarises the thought-provoking talk given by Robert about Humanists’ work towards inclusive education

Robert has been in this post at Humanists UK since last November. Education is their biggest campaign. Robert gave some examples of their work. They have exposed concerns about illegal religious schools with practices such as physical abuse for alleged profanities which could be something like mild blasphemy. There are also sometimes concerns about religious indoctrination in legal faith schools. On this, Robert said much depends on the will of the Head who may be highly religious.

Continue reading “Event report: September 20th meeting with Robert Cann, Education Campaigns Manager for Humanists UK”

A growing library of over 270 videos, delivered by some of the world’s greatest thinkers

From science, to philosophy, history, literature, and beyond, the Humanists UK YouTube Channel is an absorbing and entertaining window into the many diverse subjects that fascinate humanists.

Click this link to see what the channel has to offer: https://www.youtube.com/humanists_UK

In this event report, Malcolm Rochefort summarises Marie’s insightful presentation on the issues and arguments for an assisted dying law in the UK

On 19^th April we had a talk from our local Shropshire representative of Dignity in Dying, Marie Yates on ‘Why we need an assisted dying law in the UK’. The campaign’s purpose is to change the UK law to allow the choice of an assisted death for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.

This was an excellent explanation of the background and case for an assisted dying law to be passed in the UK, and was accompanied by a very detailed presentation. My apologies if this article is longer than normal, but I make no apology for reproducing Marie’s arguments from her presentation as I believe they make a very powerful case for a change in the current legislation.

Dignity in Dying was founded in 1935 and its early supporters included HG Wells and GB Shaw.Attempts to legalise assisted dying were made in 1936 and 1950, after which it became a membership organisation. The most recent attempt to legalise was in 2015. Dignity in Dying currently has 25,000 paid-up members, 200,000 supporters on its e-mail list, and 500,000 supporters on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). There are 50 local groups.

Continue reading “Event report: April 19th meeting with Marie Yates, Shropshire representative for Dignity in Dying”

In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd summarises the informative talk given by Amanda about how her organisation is working to support refugees who come to live in Shropshire.

Amanda started her talk by telling us about her background. She had worked with children with disabilities and those in care during her 20s and 30s. She then had a baby and found she had time on her hands. She was horrified when she saw footage of the camps at Calais where 10,000 people were living in tents with accompanying violence and hunger. She read that Kate Bedano had decided to take a caravan to Calais and was inspired to do the same. She gathered funds and the WI in St. Albans offered to renovate it. Meanwhile Amanda took thousands of pounds worth of items to Calais. She was very shocked by what she found in the camps which were completely lawless and where many vulnerable children were living.

Continue reading “Event report: March 15th meeting with Amanda Jones, CEO of Shropshire Supports Refugees”

In this event report, our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd summarises the presentation given by Dr. Kelcey about Mary Shelley and her novel Frankenstein.

Colin’s talk, illustrated with videos and pictures, was about Mary Shelley, her novel Frankenstein, the science at the time and how that science has progressed in the present day.

Mary was born in 1797 to Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Both her parents were great philosophers her mother being a feminist and her father a writer of political tracts. Mary’s mother died soon after her daughter was born and this coloured Mary’s life. Mary was highly intelligent and she used to sit in when friends of her father’s such as Percy Shelley, a poet, and Erasmus Darwin, a physician, would visit the house.

Continue reading “Event report: February 15th meeting with Dr. Colin Kelcey – “Mary’s Warning””

November 16^th meeting with Dr. Frank Baker

Our newsletter editor Frances Lloyd summarises the informative and thought-provoking analysis provided by Dr. Baker at the November meeting of the Ludlow and Marches Humanists.

Dr. Frank Baker is a retired scientist who worked for the UK government on electron physics, surface and materials science. He has managed a US business making on-line devices for the petro-chemical industry and came back to the UK to work with Environmental Electron Microscopes at the University of Cambridge. He has always been interested in matters scientific and has developed an interest in following the debate on Climate Change.

Frank started his talk saying there is confusion between weather and climate. Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions whereas climate is the mean seasonal variation in conditions of a specific region, averaged over a long period of time. The climate changes slowly over many years. Superimposed on this, during the existence of the Earth there have been at least five great Ice Ages.

Continue reading “Event report: Climate change – the evidence and solutions”

A great way to support the work of Humanists UK

The national organisation now has a great selection of Christmas cards on sale through its website.

Some of the cards harken back to the ancient pagan origins of the festival people today call Christmas, while others simply celebrate the beauty in nature and science.

There are 11 designs to choose from and brand new for 2021 is the “Evolution of Father Christmas” card.

Buying the cards to send to family and friends is a great way to support the work of Humanists UK for a more tolerant society, where rational thinking and kindness prevail.

Orders can be placed at: https://humanists.uk/shop/product-category/christmas-cards/