News and Past Events

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

• April ’25 – Talk by Dr Rich Boden
  We had a fascinating talk from Dr Rich Boden of Plymouth University in April. He took us back to the origins of multicellular life to look at what we know about how eucaryotic cells first arose, and how much Darwin’s theory of evolution applied in those ancient times. Even today, the way bacteria evolve requires… Read more: April ’25 – Talk by Dr Rich Boden
• 15 Years of Plymouth Humanists
  This year marks the 15th anniversary of Plymouth Humanists. We’ve achieved a great deal over that time. We organised over 100 talks on very varied topics, ranging from the works of Shelley to quantum physics, and from assisted dying to climate change. On top of that, there were numerous social events such as meals, walks,… Read more: 15 Years of Plymouth Humanists
• March ’25 talk – Combating violence against women and girls in Plymouth.
  Meghan Field, Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategic Lead at Plymouth City Council, came to speak to us about what is a worrying but important issue. She told us how to recognise the various forms of violence woman and girls face in modern society, where help can be found for victims, and the positive… Read more: March ’25 talk – Combating violence against women and girls in Plymouth.
• February Events
  February was a busy time for us. To start off the month we saw the Danish film ‘The Girl with the Needle’, a beautifully filmed but disturbing story. Later in the month we had our Darwin Day meal at Veggie Perrins, which was as popular as ever. Finally our talk was ‘An Introduction to Particle… Read more: February Events
• January ’25 talk – Urban Wildlife
  We had an amazing turn out for our talk on urban wildlife in January. Over 40 people packed the B-Bar to hear Dr James Buckley talk about the challenges of and opportunities for encouraging biodiversity in our city. There are a few things of interest that were raised that we said we’d pass on. Plymouth… Read more: January ’25 talk – Urban Wildlife
• December ’24 Events
  As is traditional, we had our Christmas Buffet at the beginning of the month in the Fortescue, which was well attended, and also a few outings to see films at Plymouth Arts Cinema. Thanks to everyone for your support this year and we hope you will enjoy the events we have planned for you in… Read more: December ’24 Events
• November ’24 Talk – Humanists at Risk
  We had another well attended talk in November, when Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, came to speak to us. He started by giving an update on the Assisted Dying Bill before moving onto his main subject – ‘Humanists in Danger’. The freedoms we enjoy in this country are not universal, and many humanists… Read more: November ’24 Talk – Humanists at Risk
• 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