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
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Turnham Green - William Hogarth FRSA, Earl Burlington and Possum Trot
Turnham Green Tube Station (outside the station, across the road), Turnham Green Terrace, London, GBTurnham Green - William Hogarth FRSA, Earl Burlington and much more
This walk is presented by Central London Humanists and led by Robert Hall. Humanists believe we have just one life to be lived rationally and well, with compassion for others.
This event is an informative guided walk of +/- 2 hours walking 5 Km / 3 miles.
Please note that in comparison with previous walks this is longer than usual - 6 Km (3 miles) - and will be walked at a moderate pace with fewer stops befitting a mid-November autumnal walk. We'll view two fine houses, two parks, a temple and catch a quick glimpse of the Thames. At one stop you may feel you have been transported to Egypt! The pub at the end hosts a theatre and you may wish to stay to see "Possum Trot" at 6 pm.
Date: Saturday 15th November 2025
Time: 2 pm with a prompt departure at 2.15 pm
Place: Meet across the road from Turnham Green station exit. (District and Piccadilly lines).
It is strongly suggested you find us using https://what3words.com/teams.busy.loft - or the What3Words app.
The nearest toilets are in The Post Room Cafe, 2 Bedford Corner W4 1LD. There will be a stop for a quick toilet break half way around.
Finishes: About 4.15 at Turnham Green station. Optional refreshments will take place at The Tabard, 2 Bath Road W4 1LW.
The 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:
These walks are not suitable for dogs, sorry.CLH events are 18+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. The maximum group size is 40 people. If you have signed up but find you can't attend, please change your RSVP on Meetup (it’s very easy to do) as soon as possible so others can join.
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 keep up with the walk leader at 4 Km/h (2.5 mph) for 5 Km (3 miles). It is participants' responsibility 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 the group stops at a point of interest, please be mindful not to block pavements so members of the public can pass by safely.Don’t forget this is the UK and it may rain at any time! The walk will go ahead whatever the weather unless conditions are dangerous so please bring clothing for all seasons.
A donation of £3 to Central London Humanists would be appreciated.
The majority of Central London Humanists events are free, but we welcome 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, or would prefer to pay online, please click here.
We encourage dialogue, debate, and sharing of information, but ask people to keep their comments cordial. Any individual's views expressed (most definitely including the walk leader!) do not necessarily reflect the views of the group at large.
19 attendees
•OnlineCLH Talks - PROTEST: Civic Duty, Disappearing Right w/ Prof. Colin Tyler
OnlineProtest has long been a core part of the democratic ideal. Yet, many people are worried by recent changes to the law in England and Wales and the prosecution of environmental campaigners and others. Join us for this talk, where Professor Colin Tyler looks at restrictions that are gradually being placed on our right to protest, and the implications that it has for us as conscientious citizens.
Whether you are a humanist, humanist-curious or just keen to learn more about the topic of protest in modern society, you can be sure of a warm welcome. The event is free to attend, but if you are able to make a voluntary donation this helps us put on more events like this in the future.
Colin Tyler is Professor of Applied Ethics and Political Theory, in the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull. His research and teaching focuses on the free society, British idealism and the New Liberalism, the theory and practice of social justice and common good politics both in historical and contemporary settings. Colin has published more than seventy books, critical editions, peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, with articles appearing in major international journals including Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie, British Journal of the History of Philosophy, Contemporary Political Theory, European Journal of Social Theory, History of European Ideas, Journal of Information Ethics, Parliamentary Studies and Political Studies.
Recent work & further reading
- Prof Colin Tyler, University of Hull staff profile: hull.ac.uk/staff-directory/colin-tyler
- Analyzing Pluralized Moral Panics Using Morphological Framing: The Case of the Transgender Debate (Deviant Behavior, open-access PDF)
- Multicultural conversations: The nature and future of culture, identity and nationalism — Ethnicities (via Hull Repository)
- The Politics of Idealism — Hull Research Repository
Please RSVP to receive your Zoom link.
How to Join:
Register here on Meetup or Eventbrite. We do not charge to attend our online talks – but we ask for a £3.00 donation from those who are able, to help cover the group's costs (we do not have a membership fee like other groups).An online donation of £3 can help us continue offering events like this and more - please use this link.
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Central London Humanists is a volunteer-run community group. 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.
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Stay Connected with Central London Humanists- Subscribe to our mailing List
- For more events follow us on Meetup
- Chat with fellow members in our WhatsApp Community
- Follow us on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
- Listen to the Humanism Now Podcast
For any questions email us at info@centrallondonhumanists.org.uk
26 attendees
CLH Book Group 📚 Indian Summer by Alex von Tunzelmann
Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, London, GBNovember's Book: Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire by Alex von Tunzelmann
The stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947 liberated 400 million Indians from the British Empire. One of the defining moments of world history had been brought about by a tiny number of people, including Jawaharlal Nehru, the fiery prime minister-to-be; Gandhi, the mystical figure who enthralled a nation; and Louis and Edwina Mountbatten, the glamorous but unlikely couple who had been dispatched to get Britain out of India without delay. Within hours of the midnight chimes, however, the two new nations of India and Pakistan would descend into anarchy and terror.
INDIAN SUMMERdepicts the epic sweep of events that ripped apart the greatest empire the world has ever seen, and reveals the secrets of the most powerful players on the world stage: the Cold War conspiracies, the private deals, and the intense and clandestine love affair between the wife of the last viceroy and the first prime minister of free India. With wit, insight and a sharp eye for detail, Alex von Tunzelmann relates how a handful of people changed the world for ever.
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 pay online, by clicking here.We 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.
6 attendees
Past events
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