Our annual public debates, talks and panel discussions

Previous talks, visits and discussions have included:

2021

• June Farnham Watermills Walk
• May at pub Bookclub “The Poisonwood bible”
• May online:Cosmology and the Big Bang Kevin Pretorius
• April online:THE SHADOW SIDE OF SCIENCE  As Seen Through Psychoanalysis and Literature Lindsey Harris and Tricia Wallis
• April Bookclub online: Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
• March online:Members Favourite Music Evening
• February online: Bookclub by Zoom
• February online: AGM + Pub Quiz
• January online: Burns night themed members evening
• January online: Teaching RE in a UK Secondary School
• January online: Bookclub by Zoom

2020

• December online: Christmas Cracker Social
• November online: Prof David McDonald Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research
• November Remembrance Day
• October online: A talk on Charles Bradlaugh
• September: Cycle ride Sue Shaw
• September online: Talk on Evolutionary Psychology by Adam Mynott
• August:  Visit Lincluden Nursery Keith and Christine Hayward
• August: Farnham Tree Walk – David 
• July online:A Revolution in Nuclear Power – Simon Johnson
• June online: 6 Members talks – see report
• May online:  Jung’s Model of the Psyche – Lindsey C. Harris – see talk report
• April online: Farnham Humanists share their conversion stories
• April: 1st On-line Meeting Social Distancing – What you can and can’t do.
• March – meeting cancelled due to COVID-19. See Youtube talk on Charles Bradlaugh and a paper comparing him with Charles Darwin
• February: Population Matters
• January: Annual Dinner

2019

• December: Alternative Christmas Cracker
• November: Climate Emergency Question Time
• October:  Inter-belief dialogue event
• August: Guided Dragonfly Walk at Thursley Common
• August:  Pub Cycle Ride
• July: Garden Party 2019
• May: Mike Flood “Is Fake Information destroying democracy?”
• April: Members Talks’ Evening
• March: Tackling Adult Social Care
• February: Short AGM & Richy Thompson Humanists UK talking on Assisted Dying
• January: Annual Dinner

2018

• December: Christmas capers to a live Ceilidh band – South Farnham School
• November: A dialogue with Christians about the meaning of life
• November: “Creative Arts Education – Important for Farnham, vital for the world?” UCA Professor Roni Brown
• November: Defence Humanists attend this year’s Remembrance Ceremony Farnham Memorial
• October: The inheritance of intelligence, and its significance for humanism
• September: 2 pub cycle rides
• September: Garden Party
• August: Visit to a nursery and lunch
• July: Cycle to a pub for lunch
• June: “Who controls our schools?” Headteacher Dr Robert Sykes CBE
• May: “Happiness Course – Can we teach people how to be happy?”
• April: “A Humanistic Perspective on the caste system in India and the UK” Amarjit Singh
• March: meeting cancelled due to snow
• February: Brief AGM and “The role of the National Secular Society in the UK and internationally” Keith Porteus Wood, President and former Executive Director of the NSS
• January: Live Ceilidh Band – Celebration of Rabbie Burns in words, music and dance

2017

• December: Festive meal
• November: “Humanist, Secularist – what’s the difference? How Secularist are you?” with Andrew Copson Chief Executive of Humanists UK
• October: What do Farnham Humanists do in the local community?
• September: Faith to faithless and discrimination against minorities in conservative religions
• August: Garden Party
• July:The Big Change in Religion and Belief – how should a humanist respond?
• June: John Sweeney: “The Church of Fear: Inside the Weird World of Scientology”
  
• May: Talk: “What is Paganism today?”
  
• April: Group discussions: Where do our ethics come from?
  
• March: Talk “Saving Israel – What hope now for peaceful coexistence?”
  
• February: Brief AGM & talk “Do we need a Right to Freedom from Religion?”
  
• January: Annual Dinner

2016

• Dec: Festive evening – mulled wine, bring a plate finger buffet, quiz
• Nov: Remembrance Day wreath laying Farnham Memorial Gostrey Meadow
• Nov: Public debate  – see report – “Britain is no longer a Christian country and should stop behaving as if it is” Andrew Copson, Rev Canon Andrew
• Oct: “Inside AA: Can a Non-existent God Cure Alcoholism?” Jon Stewart
• Sept: “Is forced labour in the UK today a form of slavery?” Rowena Shepherd
• Aug: Summer walk & pub lunch – joint event Basingstoke Humanists
• Easy 2 ½ mile walk incl. circuit of Roman Walls of Calleva Atrebatum.
• July: Summer Party in Farnham Museum Garden – Ruth & John de Prey
• July: “Big Data: What is it? Should we be worried?” Talk by Tom Khabaza, Chair Society of Data Miners, “the Isaac Newton of Data Mining”.
• June: Talk by English Collective of Prostitutes – Should prostitution be de-criminalised?
• May: David Savage from the BHA “Non-religious pastoral care in prisons, hospitals and hospices. Why? How?”
• April: Ailsa Davies – small group discussions on questions such as “How do you see your identity?”, “What does spirituality mean to you?”, “What is a good life?”
• March: David Brittain “Hypatia of Alexandria – any parallels to Islamic State?”
• Feb: AGM & Talk by BHA Head of Education Luke Donnellan
• Jan: Annual Dinner at Andersons Restaurant Farnham

2015

• Dec: Festive Evening – Quiz and finger food buffet at Daniel hall
• Nov: Talk by TV Celebrity Comedian Dr Phil Hammond ‘How to make the most of your one wild and precious life?’
• Oct: Talk by Chris Moos ‘Multifaithism and freedom of expression’
• Sept: Talk by Roger Haines ‘Humanism and Animal Welfare’
• July: Talk by Richard Wilson ‘Dangers of Bogus Skeptics’
• May: Talk by Alice Herron What is it like to spend 27 years in a UK Hindu Cult?
• April: Workshop What is Modern humanism? – Back to basics
• March: Talk by Hampshire Equality Group Why equality is better for all 
• Feb: AGM and talk by Secularist Lawyer Sadikur Rahman The Importance of Secularism in the UK today
• Jan: Annual Dinner at Andersons Restaurant Farnham

2014

• Dec: Festive evening social
• Nov: Public Debate on faith schools 
• Oct: Chris Street’s led discussion about There is nothing science cannot illuminate and elucidate
• Sept: Kauser Akhtar’s talk about Women and Sharia Law
• July: Dr Sara Melly’s talk about Religion in Healthcare: What’s the Harm?
• June: 10th Anniversary Celebration Garden Party – see photos and write up here!
• May: Amy Walden’s talk about Humanist pastoral care in prisons
• April: Humanist Celebrant Ailsa Davies facilitated our Ethical Jury
• April: Exploring Life – A Non-religious View Sharing views of life’s big questions
• March: John Christensen’s talk about Injustice and Tax Havens
• February: Prof Jim Al-Khalili’s Guildford talk “Written in the stars…”
• February: AGM and Talk on “Humanism in Education” by Sara Passmore Head of Education and Promotion at the British Humanist Association
• January: Annual Dinner Lion and Lamb Cafe

2013

• Festive buffet and Face Quiz at Jennie and Simon’s December
• Remembrance day Wreath laying November
• “What’s happening to our NHS?” Panel Discussion, November
• ‘Climate Change’ Dr Peter Stott, Head of Climate Monitoring at the Met Office, October Peter Stott’s Presentation
• “Interviews with Afghan Women”, talk by Peggy Kelsey October
• Visit to Darwin’s House, Downe in Kent September
• Valued object shared with group led by Sue Willson, September
• Garden Party at John and Ruth’s August
• ‘Meaning of Life’ Talk/discussion David Savage July
• ‘Gay and Civil Partnerships’ Caroline Bowlby, lecturer in family law June
• Summer walk and pub lunch organised by Roy Wheedon June
• ‘Equality and Diversity in the Police’ Mick Day, Diversity Manager Surrey Police May
• ‘Judaism- a personal view’ Peter Susman April
• ‘Religious Child Maltreatment (and how to stop it)’ Janet Heimlich March
• AGM and Talk on ‘IHEU and Humanism in Uganda’ by Bob Churchill, Communications Officer IHEU February
• Annual Dinner Cafe Rouge March postponed from January due to snow

2012

• Festive evening at Jennie’s December
• ‘How to make a Living Will or Advanced Directive’ Belinda Schwehr November
• Talk by Gerald Howarth MP Minister of Defence October
• “Sharia Law in the UK” Anne Marie Waters, One Law for All September
• ‘An anthropologists view of humanism’. Matthew Engelke July
• Garden party at Belinda’s July
• ‘William Cobbett’, Richard Thomas of the Cobbett Society June
• Jeremy Hunt MP The Big Society comes to Farnham May
• ‘Spirit Level’ Professor Derek Diamond LSE April
• An Ethical Jury run by Belinda Schwer March
• AGM and Talk by Gerard Phillips, Vice-president of the NSS February
• Annual Dinner January

2011

• “Victoria Sponge Quiz” December
• Members talks: Alan Montgomery ‘Life in a divided Ireland’ November
• Prof Richard Norman ‘Humanism and the arts’ October
• ‘Conscientious Objection’ Alan Howarth political philosopher & author September
• Members talks: ‘Citizens Rights to Social Care Services in an Era of Cuts’ Belinda Schwehr July
• Garden party at Alan and Linda’s
• An Ethical Jury run by Michael Imison June
• Walk and pub lunch June
• ‘Skeptics in the Pub movement & Winchester Skeptics’ James Thomas May
• Members talks. S. Clough ‘Being’, G. Thomas ‘What good are the Arts’April
• ‘Police Chaplaincy’ Rev Jan Moore March
• AGM and ‘British Humanist Association and How It Works’ Naomi Philips BHA February
• Annual Dinner January

2010

• ‘An Evening’s Entertainment on a Humanist Theme’, Christine Haywood December
• Simon Johnson ‘Bell’s Inequality – an argument for the existence of multiple universes?’. October  Summary of Simon’s talk Oct 2011
• ‘International Humanism’, Jim Herrick; Click here for talk
  plus dialogue with Surrey County Council on local Equality issues September
• Protest the Pope march September  Protest the Pope photos
• ‘What is Lost and What is Gained by Being Non-religious?’, group discussion July
• Summer Garden Party June at Meg’s
• Stall with Organ Donation Promotion June
• ‘Whitehall Civil Servant – Yes Minister’. Jo Huddleston June
• A walk in the bluebell woods and pub lunch May 2010
• ‘Language. The Big Idea’, Keith Haywood May
• Group discussion “What Humanism means to me” April
• “The Moral Maze”, members discussions on moral problems March
• Michael Irwin on “Old Age rational Suicide” February

2009

• Canon Derek Holbird Director of the Education Diocese of Guildford talking about Faith Based Schools December
• Alec Leggatt about Construction Projects and the Hindhead Tunnel October
• Farnham Humanists Ceremony Officiants talking about Humanist Ceremonies September
• Barbara Burfoot about The Sea of Faith July
• Why Humanists should not believe in representative democracy by Jane Cullen June
• Desmond King-Hele talking about Erasmus Darwin May
• Jim Herrick leading a discussion on Censorship March
• Talk on infinity by Alec Leggatt April  – THINKING ABOUT INFINITY Alec Leggatt

Pre 2009

• Dennis Cobell, Former President of the National Secular Society “The Future of Humanism”
• Facing the moral implications of global warming Mayer Hillman, Senior Fellow Emeritus, Policy Studies Institute The Maltings, Farnham, 23 September 2007
• Discussion on “Humanism: anti-religious or a Humanist philosophy.
• Discussion on the “Age of Enlightenment”.
• “Science or religion?” Talk by Vincent Marks author of “Panic Nation”.
• “Islam” by Mufti Liaquat Ali from the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking.
• “Do we have free will?” by Dr Jeremy Stangroom of The Philosophy Magazine.
• Talk by Hanne Stinson, Chief Executive of The British Humanist Association.
• Talk on Buddhism by Carolin Bevan a practicing Buddhist.
• Discussion ‘What Humanism means to me’.
• Talk, ‘Persecution of the religious and non religious in today’s world’. Harold Hillman Amnesty International
• Discussion, ‘Is prostitution moral?’
• Talk by Norman Bacrac South Place Ethical Society, editor of the Ethical Record.
• Religion and Crime – Mike Adams
•  Visit to the Hellfire Club
• Discussion “A Humanist’s attitude to the Church”
• Visit to the Hindhead Tunnel excavations
• Talk on Quaker Beliefs by Michael Gittins
•  Dr Richard Thomas on Africa
• Talk on Adoption, reality and practice by Joe Ansah