About us
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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London Bridge – poor health, bad debts but a Grade I pub at the end
London Bridge Station, St Thomas Street, London, GBLondon Bridge – poor health, bad debts but a Grade I pub at the end
This walk is presented by Central London Humanists and led by volunteer Robert Hall. Humanists believe we have just one life to be lived rationally and well, with compassion for others.
This event is a guided walk of +/- 2.25 hours pointing out places of interest. We will be walking 3.5 Km / 2.2 miles.
This walk is a companion to the walk we did from Borough station almost exactly a year ago and there is a slight overlap. Amongst highlights we see a former church that is now being put to better use, view a building containing an operating theatre dating from 1822, a rather more modern hospital, the site of a debtors prison and a rather puzzling statue of Alfred the Great. We’ll also meet Henry (no – not the vacuum cleaner!).
Date: Saturday 16th May 2026
Time: 2 pm with a prompt departure at 2.15 pm
Place: Toilets at London Bridge Mainline station. The toilets are not well signposted so leave plenty of time to find them!
Finishes: About 4.30 pm at The George, 75 Borough High St, Southwark SE1 1NH
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 anyone who is interested in Humanism and Central London Humanists to consider becoming a member:
- If you wish to register as a full member of CLH (no membership fee) please register on our website: https://centrallondonhumanists.org.uk/signup
- If you wish to join Humanists UK and support its work to promote humanism in British life, please go to: Humanists UK – Think for yourself, act for everyone
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.
44 attendees
CLH Talk: Weird Science, An Introductionto Anomalistic Psychology
Old Diorama Arts Centre, 201 Drummond Street, London, GBThis talk starts at 7 PM, please join us from 6:30 PM.
The science behind paranormal phenomena
Opinion polls show the majority of the general public accepts that paranormal phenomena do occur. Such widespread experience of and belief in the paranormal can only mean one of two things. Either the paranormal is real, in which case this should be accepted by the wider scientific community which currently rejects such claims; or else belief in and experience of ostensibly paranormal phenomena can be fully explained in terms of psychological factors.Psychological and physical explanations
This presentation will provide an introduction to the sub-discipline of anomalistic psychology, which may be defined as the study of extraordinary phenomena of behaviour and experience, in an attempt to provide non-paranormal explanations in terms of known psychological and physical factors. This approach will be illustrated with examples relating to a range of ostensibly paranormal phenomena.Our Speaker
Chris French is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, where, up until 2024, he was also Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit. He retired from Goldsmiths in 2020.
He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and a patron of Humanists UK. He has published over 200 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics within psychology. His main area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He writes for the Guardian and the Skeptic magazine. His most recent book is The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal (2024, MIT Press).Post event social
As after all our in-person talks at the Old Diorama Arts Centre, we will move on to a local pub for a post event social. So from 8:30 PM we will be going to the Queen's Head and Artichoke, 30-32 Albany St, London NW1 4EA.Payment
We ask for a £5 donation to attend this talk, which can be paid on the door. (Or pay what you can afford.)
If you would prefer to make the £5 donation online or can't attend and would still like to support the event please click here.
Alternatively you can do a transfer using our account details: Central London Humanist Group, Sort code: 30-94-25, Account number: 19143068, Reference: Talk
BeaconPlease note this event will be recorded and we will take photos for publication on CLH media channels. If you do not wish to be featured in video or photographs please contact the CLH team in advance or make us aware at the event.
Resources and FAQs
…for members, supporters, and participants in CLH activitiesSee here for our knowledge base packed with important, useful information about the group, the organisers, and what we offer the community. See here for our code of conduct and complaints policy.
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.
36 attendees
External Event: Book Launch Party with Dr Alfredo Carpineti
Chats Palace, 42-44 Brooksby's Walk, London E9 6DF, GB#### Details
This is an external event that we are sharing details about. Please go to this link to sign up if you would like to attend
The Event
What if the Universe around us is far richer than we can perceive? In Invisible Rainbows, astrophysicist and science journalist Dr Alfredo Carpineti reveals the extraordinary hidden universe beyond the limits of human vision and how we have learnt to harness it.
The book comes out on May 21, and we are celebrating with a launch party in the incredible Chats Palace in Homerton. You will experience a bespoke cosmic cocktail (complimentary for the first 50 people) and hear a discussion about space, diversity, and more, between Alfredo and science communicator Dr Suze Kundu.
There will be copies of the book available to purchase on the night (you can reserve a copy below) and get it signed, and just have a good time with some fun science discussions and music!Event Details
Chats Palace, 42-44 Brooksby's Walk, London, E9 6DF
Thursday 21st May 2026 at 6:30 PM
Accessibility - Accessible Toilets, Relaxed Performance, Wheelchair Accessible
FREEDr Alfredo Carpineti (he/him):
is a queer Italian astrophysicist, science journalist, and social activist. He is the Senior Staff Writer & Space Correspondent for IFLScience where he has worked for 10 years, writing over 6,000 articles that have been read by millions. He is the author of the upcoming pop astronomy book Invisible Rainbows. He is the chair and founder of Pride in STEM, an award-nominated British charity dedicated to supporting and showcasing LGBTQIA+ in STEM and founder of the International Day of LGBTQIA+ People in STEM.2 attendees
CLH Book Group 📚 Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O'Sullivan
Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, London, GBMay's Book: The Age of Diagnosis :Are Medical Labels Doing Us More Harm Than Good? by Suzanne O'Sullivan.
A BEST BOOK OF 2025 IN THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, FINANCIAL TIMES, GUARDIAN, ECONOMIST, OBSERVER, LONDON STANDARD, NEW STATESMAN AND IRISH TIMES
'Revelatory. Slices through the contradictions that had tied me in knots.' - CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN
'So well-written. Raising awareness of something that is critically important.' - RANGAN CHATTERJEEFrom autism to allergies, ADHD to long Covid, more people are being labelled with medical conditions than ever before. But can a diagnosis do us more harm than good?
The boundaries between sickness and health are being redrawn.
Mental health categories are shifting and expanding all the time, radically altering what we consider to be 'normal'. Genetic tests can now detect pathologies decades before people experience symptoms, and sometimes before they're even born. And increased health screening draws more and more people into believing they are unwell.
An accurate diagnosis can bring greater understanding and of course improved treatment. But many diagnoses aren't as definitive as we think. And in some cases they risk turning healthy people into patients.
Drawing on the stories of real people, as well as decades of clinical practice and the latest medical research, Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan overturns long held assumptions and reframes how we think about illness and health.
The meeting starts at 7:30. Shortly after 7.30, 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.
10 attendees
Past events
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