What we’re about
Welcome to Central London Humanists!
CLH provides a meeting place for humanists, the secular, and other non-religious people, particularly those who live or work in the central London area of the UK.
Every month we hold a talk/lecture and several social events. Our social activities include group socials, a book group, picnics, walks, museum & cultural visits and theatre trips.
If you're not religious, or doubting your faith or belief and like open-minded communities, and would like to meet like minded people, come along and join us!
As we don't have a membership fee, a donation of £3 is suggested at each meeting. This goes towards our running costs, partnership fees and charitable donations. If it's your first time, we don't expect a donation.
We are a partner group of Humanists UK.
We are an Associate Member of Humanists International.
We're also on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Some of our previous talks are available on YouTube.
Anyone who joins us on Meetup can participate fully in events. They can suggest events, participate in organising events and much more.
As we are such a large group, each year we hold an AGM and elect a committee to help manage the group. To be a voting member of Central London Humanists, or to be a member of the committee, you must be a paid up member of Humanists UK (to join go here).
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- CLH Discussions: Housing is a Humanist IssueLink visible for attendees
Can we be fully human without access to good quality, affordable housing? What stance should humanists take and what can we do to solve the housing crisis?
Long-term humanist Audrey Simmons will lead our discussion.There is consensus across the political spectrum and civil society that Britain is in the throes of a housing crisis. Homelessness and rough sleeping have increased significantly since 2010 and home ownership has been in decline since the early 2000s. Meanwhile renting is becoming increasingly unaffordable, pricing many people out of the areas in which they grew up and where their families are. The solutions widely touted are to build more homes and in particular to increase the stock of social housing. But in reality the rate at which these are being provided falls well short of demand, especially given our rising population.
Humanists believe that everybody should have the right to live a fully human life, to flourish, to have the opportunity to develop and express their skills. Housing is an essential requirement to enable this, so it's denial to a rising proportion of the population constitutes a breach of their human rights.
As humanists, how strongly do we feel about this issue, what solutions would we prioritise and what action are we prepared to take? Historically, humanists stepped up to create their own housing association in the 1950s. What can we need to do today to help meet the crisis?
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More About Audrey
Audrey Simmons was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, and went to a CofE school. She has been an organiser for ABH for the past 8 years. She is on hiatus as a wedding celebrant for HUK.
Her day job is as a British Sign Language interpreter, which she has been doing for over 20 years.………………
When: Thursday 9 May 2024, 7-8.30PM
Where: Online via Zoom (Link provided upon RSVP)
………………Books:
A Home of One's Own: Why the Housing Crisis Matters & What Needs to Change Hashi MohamedBest 5 books on the housing crisis, Guardian article
Resources:
Housing Crisis, CRISIS housing charityHomelessness is a moral stain, Andrew Copson
Humanist Housing Association, Humanist Heritage project
How did homes become unaffordable? Guardian article
Justin Welby on housing crisis
********This event is free but if you would like to contribute to the costs that Central London Humanists incur running this and our other activities then please use the following payment information: by bank transfer, pay Central London Humanist Group, sort code 30-94-25, account number 19143068; or to pay by Square please click here
(Suggested donation £3)Central London Humanists is a volunteer-run community group which organises numerous monthly activities. We aim to provide a safe space for the humanist community in London to come together for fellowship, learning and fun. We receive no financial support and are entirely funded by donations from our membership and event attendees.
Our events are 18+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. We encourage dialogue, debate, and sharing of information, but ask people to keep their comments cordial. Any individual's views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the group at large.
- Camden Walk -see what the tourists miss - with Robert HallCamden Town, London
Camden -see what the tourists miss
A guided walk of +/-2 hours walking 3.2 Km / 2 miles
There is so much more to Camden than the market. Where else will you see an estate agency in a bus? Or a lady in a van? Or monkeys and parrots in a bakery?
Some fine Art Deco; 4 pubs for each of the countries of the UK, or not; plus Amy Winehouse, David Bowie and many other musicians - just some of the features of this walk.Date: Saturday 11 May 2024
Time: 2 pm with a prompt departure at 2.15 pm
Place: Camden Town Underground Station (see details below)
Finishes: About 4.15 pm at The Lyttelton Arms, 1 Camden High Street NW1 7JE diagonally opposite Morning Crescent underground station exit
Maximum: 30 people
Cost £3
Turn left out of the exit of Camden Town (Northern Line) underground station and take a few paces to meet at the busy road junction. You can also find us with what3words.com using ///feared.ducks.hobby
There are toilets at various cafes and hostelries in the area – one example is Starbucks 4/6 Parkway NW1 7AA situated just off the busy road junction towards the west.
Walk is led by Robert – 07981963681
He can be contacted for further information but please note he won’t be able to respond to messages or calls after the walk has started.
The formal bit:
You are responsible for your own actions and safety; there is no liability on the walk leader or CLH for anything that may happen on the walk. You must be able to walk at 2.5 mph and able to walk for 2.5 miles. It is participants responsibility to keep up with the walk leader. To safely cross roads, where appropriate, pedestrian controlled lights will be used and obeyed unless it is obvious that the whole group can cross safely. When stopped at a point of interest please be mindful of not blocking pavements so that members of the public can pass by safely.These walks are not suitable for dogs.
Don’t forget this is the UK and it may rain at any time! Walk will go ahead whatever the weather unless significant snow so please bring clothing for all seasons.
The majority of Central London Humanists events are free, but we kindly ask for a £3 contribution per head. This helps towards the running and organising of events, as well as various admin expenses. If you can't attend and would still like to contribute, please click here.
Maximum group size is 30 people. If you have signed up but find you can't attend, please change your RSVP as soon as possible so others can join.
CLH events are 18+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. We encourage dialogue, debate, and sharing of information, but ask people to keep their comments cordial. Any individual's views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the group at large.
- CLH Book Group 📚 Sparks by Ian JohnsonRoyal Festival Hall, London
May's book: Sparks: China's Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future by Ian Johnson
Sparks tells the story of how underground writers, filmmakers, and journalists have been able to bypass China's legendary surveillance state to reveal the truth of Communist Party rule: from famines and purges of years past to ethnic clashes and virus outbreaks of the present. Ian Johnson spent nearly a decade on the ground with these outlaw historians, tracing their history back to the origins of the Communist Party last century and their new, nationwide presence in today's China. Written with verve and humanity, Sparks is a testimony to the power of memory over forgetting.
The meeting starts at 7:15. At 7:30 pm we will break up into small groups. Those familiar with the CLH Book Group meeting know how this works: in each group we take turns introducing ourselves and giving our 1 minute thoughts on the book. It's important not to go over a minute and not to interrupt other people's minute so that everyone gets a chance to participate. After this first round, each group discusses for another 20 minutes or so.
We then shuffle the groups so as to talk to as many different people as possible and in the new groups repeat our introductions and 1 minute thoughts. We'll do this a couple of times before coming all together at the end in one last big group.
While we are very social and welcoming, the book group's primary focus is on discussing books. Feel free to turn up if you haven't managed to finish this month's book but note that the group works best when we have all read at least half of the book and are prepared to share our opinions.
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£3 per person to attend. If it's your first time, come and try us out for free!
If you prefer you can also pay online by clicking here: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML71XMH66FX5E/checkout/ALWCDLQ3S7AVPLFZ62PZGXLUWe encourage dialogue, debate and sharing of information on our site but ask people to keep their comments cordial. Any views expressed here are those of the individual posting them and may not reflect those of CLH.