News and Past Events

Here’s a summary of what we’ve been up to in recent months

• October talk – The Incoherent Truth: Plymouth & South Devon Freeport
  We had our most well attended talk since the pandemic in October. Around 30 people filled the B-Bar to hear Jim Funnell talk about Freeports, and in particular the Plymouth & South Devon Freeport. Jim has conducted extensive and meticulous research into Freeports and found that the promised gains simply don’t seem have materialised, while… Read more: October talk – The Incoherent Truth: Plymouth & South Devon Freeport
• Charles Bradlaugh and the ‘Devonport Affair’
  Charles Bradlaugh was a leading 19th century secularist. He founded the National Secular Society, worked tirelessly to oppose religious privilege and promote atheism, and with his friend, feminist and socialist, Annie Besant, campaigned to make artificial contraception widely available. You can read more about him here https://heritage.humanists.uk/charles-bradlaugh/.   There’s an interesting local connection – he had… Read more: Charles Bradlaugh and the ‘Devonport Affair’
• September talk – The People’s Primary
  It was great to see so many people at our September talk on ‘The People’s Primary’. Anthea is a passionate and knowledgeable speaker, and the talk was both fascinating and inspiring. You can read more and watch the videos Anthea mentioned on the South Devon Primary website here https://www.southdevonprimary.org/
• Monday’s violence in Plymouth
  Hopefully many of you will have already seen Humanists UK’s statement about the recent outbreak of far-right violence targeting minority communities in the UK. Here’s the link https://humanists.uk/2024/08/05/humanists-uk-condemns-far-right-violence/ We completely endorse this statement, but wanted to add a few words of our own.  We’re sure you were as shocked as we were to see what happened… Read more: Monday’s violence in Plymouth
• Supporting those who leave high-control coercive religions
  We had a very interesting and informative talk from Yvonne of Faith to Faithless in June. She told us about her own experiences leaving a high control religious environment, the sort of issues others going through the same process face, and the support that is available. The file below details resources that may be useful… Read more: Supporting those who leave high-control coercive religions
• Election 24 – Local candidates position on humanist issues
  In the run up to the election on July 4th, Humanists UK have been analysing the party’s manifestos for their implications for key humanist campaigns. They have a page on their website where you can find where the parties stand on various issues of particular concern to humanists – https://humanists.uk/ge2024/ We have written to our… Read more: Election 24 – Local candidates position on humanist issues
• May 24 talk – Zion Lights on decarbonising electricity generation
  Zion Lights, science communicator and Humanists UK Patron, came to speak to us in May. Zion is a longtime environmental activist, having been heavily involved in Extinction Rebellion and was arrested twice during protests against coal and tar sands investment in the 2000s. Zion talked about the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels… Read more: May 24 talk – Zion Lights on decarbonising electricity generation
• What you think you know about decarbonisation is probably wrong
  In advance of her talk to us in May (see details under the Events tab), Zion Lights has written this article for us outlining her arguments on decarbonisation of our energy systems and the role nuclear energy should play in it. Climate crisis, climate emergency. These words are frequently thrown around, but what’s being done… Read more: What you think you know about decarbonisation is probably wrong
• April ’24 talk – The Howard League for Penal Reform
  Rob Preece from the Howard League for Penal Reform came down to Plymouth to speak to us in April. He gave an very interesting, if rather concerning, talk on the state of the UK justice system. By the prison service’s own measure of safe and decent accommodation, he told us, there are about 80,000 prison… Read more: April ’24 talk – The Howard League for Penal Reform
• An opportunity for some activism
  The government is again proposing to allow new faith schools, even though completely state funded, to select 100% of their pupils based on their parents’ religion (as if the current 50% cap wasn’t iniquitous enough). More information in the links below. It’s annoying to have to fight this battle again, but if you’d like to… Read more: An opportunity for some activism
• March ’24 talk – West Country Voices
  We had a particularly well attended talk in March. West Country Voices editor in chief Anthea Simmons talked to us about why she and a small group of (largely) retired people with no background in journalism set up an online newspaper.  She discussed the role of citizen journalism and how it can be used to… Read more: March ’24 talk – West Country Voices
• January and February 2024 news
  We’re well into 2024 now, and we’ve already had some great events. Our January talk was a fascinating introduction to the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. Nick Helm, National Marine Park Assistant Ranger, first told us about the spectacular wildlife to be found in the waters of the Sound, and then detailed the aims of… Read more: January and February 2024 news