Our annual public debates, talks and panel discussions
Previous talks, visits and discussions have included:
2020
- April online: Farnham Humanists share their conversion stories
- April online: Bookclub
- 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
