07 Nov 2010
02 Nov 2010
We have received confirmation today from the owner of the house that Jacob Bronowski lived in that they are happy for us to put up a blue heritage plaque to commemorate Humanist, Scientist and Broadcaster Jacob Bronowski's time living and working in Hull and the East Riding.
01 Aug 2010
The BHA have been running a campaign to allow Humanists to contribute to BBC Radio 4 Thought for the Day. The HERHG Secretary was invited to contribute to the BBC Radio Humberside equivalent for a third time in July. Listen here:
Monday 19th July
Tuesday 20th July
Wednesday 21st July
Thursday 22nd July
Friday 23rd July
18 June 2010
Bronowski Campaign
The HERHG have begun a campaign to recognise the work of the great Humanist Jacob Bronowski who taught at the University College Hull between 1934-1942. The campaign is part of Humanist Week 2010 which runs from 21st-27th June and has the backing of Lisa Jardine who is Jacob Bronowski's daughter.
Click here for more details.
25 April 2010: Sunday Breakfast with Blaire Jacobs
Another Pause for Thought and another opportunity for putting a Humanist perspective.
Sunday 25th April
15 April 2010: Pause for Thought
The BHA have been running a campaign to allow Humanists to contribute to BBC Radio 4 Thought for the Day. The HERHG Secretary was invited to contribute to the BBC Radio Humberside equivalent for a second week in April. Listen here:
Monday 12th April
Tuesday 13th April
Wednesday 14th April
Thursday 15th April
Friday 16th April
02 Jan 2010: Thought for the Day?
The BHA have been running a campaign to allow Humanists to contribute to BBC Radio 4 Thought for the Day. The HERHG Secretary was invited to contribute to the BBC Radio Humberside equivalent each morning the week before Christmas. Listen here:
Monday 14th December
Tuesday 15th December
Wednesday 16th December
Thursday 17th December
Friday 18th December
21 Nov 2009
Janice Thornton, a Humanist Celebrant from West Yorkshire, gave an excellent talk about Humanist Ceremonies at the November meeting. She
was interviewed by BBC Radio Humberside before the meeting, listen here.
15 Sep 2009
The HERHG has celebrated its first birthday. It was on the 15th September 2008 that
eleven people met in the Plotting Parlour of the Olde White Harte pub in Hull for the first time.
During the first year of our existence we have increased public awareness of what Humanism is about.
Our goals for the coming year are to increase the number of external speakers coming to talk to the
group and to increase the size of the group executive from 6 to 8 people at the AGM in June 2010.
05 Aug 2009
There will be no meeting in August. HERHG meetings will resume in September.
14 July 2009
Group Secretary Tim Stephenson took part in a debate on Faith Schools at Hull Guildhall, hosted by Hull and East Riding Interfaith.
24 Jun 2009
Humanist Dorothy Rowe will be speaking at the Hull Truck Theatre on Wed 1st July 09 at 8pm as part of the Humber Mouth Festival.
Hull and East Riding Interfaith will be having a debate on Faith Schools at the Guildhall, Hull on 14/07/09. HERHG Secretary Tim Stephenson will be speaking.
15 Jun 2009
Arthur Spurr, Susan Edwards, Gill Beckett, Tim Stephenson, Phil Mason and Peter Beckett were elected as members of the HERHG Executive Committee.
11 Jun 2009: ERYC SACRE Meeting
HERHG Secreatry Tim Stephenson attended a meeting of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education, where he discussed the lack of mention of Humanism or Atheism in the RE syllabus for East Riding Schools (there is mention of "other world views").
08 Jun 2009: What Humanism Means to Me
HERHG member Phil Mason gave a talk about "What Humanism Means to Me" to the North Yorkshire Humanist Group in York.
04 May 2009: HASA
Best wishes to all involved with the newly formed Humanist, Atheist, Secularist and Agnostic Society (HASA) at the University of Hull. Contact HASA here for more details.
22 Apr 2009:
HERHG Receives Starter Grant from James Reckitt Trust
The Hull and East Riding Humanist Group have received a £150 starter grant from the James Reckitt Trust which offers small grants for new community groups in the Hull area. The money is to be used for room hire at the Friend's Meeting House, refreshments and publicity for our meetings.
20 Apr 2009: What Does Humanism Mean to You?
Phil Mason gave an excellent talk to the HERHG on what Humanism is about. He discussed a wide range of thinkers including Kurt Vonnegut, Epicurus, Socrates, Bill Hicks, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Karl Popper.
16 Mar 2009: Schools for the Future
The HERHG had a discussion about Humanism and Education led by Susan Edwards, our Treasurer.
26 Feb 2009:
HERHG Secretary Attends First ERYC SACRE Meeting
as Co-opted Member
Tim Stephenson attended a meeting of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education as a co-opted member for the first time.
16 Feb 2009: Darwin Bicentenary Discussion
12th February 2009 was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and this year was also the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work, "On the Origin of Species". The 6th meeting of the HERHG was a discussion of the impact of Darwin and his influence on Humanist thought.
11 Feb 2009: NASACRE Conference in York
Three Humanist represenatives from the North of England attended a NASACRE conference in York. NASACRE is the National Association of Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education. Humanists believe in a genuinely inclusive school system in which all pupils are educated together, not separately according to the beliefs of their parents, believing that the rights and entitlements of both the religious and the non-religious can be respected within community schools.
27 Jan 2009: Holocaust Memorial Event
Tim attended the Holocaust Memorial Event at Cottingham School as the Humanist representative at the invitation
of Councillor Bryan Pearson, chairman of East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
19 Jan 2009: 5th meeting of HERHG
This was our first meeting at the new venue - the Friends Meeting House in Bean Street. 14 people were present which
is the most people we have had at a meeting so far. We watched some of the films on the "Why Atheism?" DVD and
discussed Humanist ceremonies (Funerals, Weddings and Baby Namings).
15 Dec 2008: 4th meeting of HERHG
Our Chairman Arthur Spurr gave a short talk about the origins of some of our Christmas traditions. There had been concerns raised
over the poor access for disabled people to our meetings and we have agreed to hold our January meeting in the Friends Meeting House
in Bean Street.
11 Dec 2008: Caistor Grammar School World Issues Day
Tim took part in a "World Issues" day at Caistor Grammar School on Thursday 11th November. The head of RE contacted him at short notice when she became aware of a Humanist group
reasonably close to the school (there is still no Humanist group in Lincolnshire although I have been contacted by someone contemplating starting one in Lincoln).
The subject of the day was the BBC drama "God on Trial" set in Auschwitz during the second world war. The students heard about the different responses to the problem of Evil and
Suffering from the perspective of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Humanism. Over 80 sixth form students took part in the day which involved 4 one hour workshops of 20 students
(each group spending an hour with each speaker in rotation) followed by a closing discussion as a single group. The school printed out a worksheet from the
BHA Humanism for Schools website for each of the students taking part.
The staff and students at the school were all very polite and friendly.
Only three of the eighty students admitted to knowing what Humanism was but many of them engaged with the topic and showed an understanding
of the issues. Our group has not many members but being invited to speak at these events has shown that creating
a local presence in Hull and the East Riding is already achieving results in promoting the Humanist view.
05 Dec 2008: HERHG Secretary Meeting with
University of Hull Chaplain
HERHG Secretary Tim Stephenson had a meeting with the University of Hull chaplain David De Verney. Tim has agreed to be a contact for students studying at the university (particularly
international students) who are Humanists.
25 Nov 2008:
Hull and East Riding Interfaith Group
Is Humanism a Religion ?
Arthur, Irene and Tim took part in a discussion at the Guildhall in Hull hosted by the Hull and East Riding Interfaith Group on
25th November. Tim spoke for about 20 minutes on the subject "Is Humanism a Religion?" before answering questions. He was followed by Revd. Lee McMunn from St. John's Newland
church whose talk was entitled "What is a Religion?". Click here for an insight in to Revd. McMunn's beliefs. About 30 people attended.
17 Nov 2008: 3rd Meeting of HERHG
We agreed our constitution. Arthur Spurr was nominated and elected Chairman of the HERHG. Susan Edwards was elected as our Treasurer.
16 Nov 2008:
Journey of Faith on BBC Radio Humberside (Part 2)
Click here to listen to the second part of HERHG Secretary
Tim Stephenson talking to Judi Murden as part of the Journey of Faith feature on the Blair Jacobs Sunday morning show
on BBC Radio Humberside.
15 Nov 2008: Two HERHG members attend BHA GRAM 2008
This website was one of six shortlisted for the BHA Humanist Website of the Year award at the 2008 BHA Group Representatives Annual Meeting
at Conway Hall in London on Saturday. Two members of the HERHG (Arthur and Tim) attended the GRAM meeting. Conway Hall has a long history of association
with Humanism and is the home of the South Place Ethical Society. Speakers included Steve Hurd of South Cheshire Humanists who gave
a talk on links with schools in Uganda run by Humanists and a talk by Chris Street of the BHA Science Group.
09 Nov 2008: Journey of Faith on BBC Radio Humberside
Click here to listen to HERHG Secretary Tim Stephenson talking to Judi Murden as part of
the Journey of Faith feature on the Blair Jacobs Sunday morning show
on BBC Radio Humberside.
07 Nov 2008:
Humanist Representative on East Ridining of Yorkshire SACRE
Tim Stephenson has been invited to join the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Standing Advisory
Council for Religious Education as a Humanist representative. The SACRE advises on the RE syllabus for schools in the East
Riding of Yorkshire. His first meeting will be on 26th February 2009.
23 Oct 2008:
Talk on Humanism at University of Hull Philosophical Society
HERHG Secretary Tim Stephenson gave a talk on Humanism to the members of the University of Hull
Philosophical Society on 23rd October.
20 Oct 2008:
Second Meeting of the Hull and East Riding Humanist Group
The group met in the top floor room at the Olde White Harte pub in Hull and discussed the BHA
Local Development Project.
21 Sep 2008: Upcoming Talk on Humanism at Hull and East Riding Interfaith Group
HERHG Secretary Tim Stephenson has been invited to give a talk entitled "Is Humanism a Religion?" to the
Hull and East Riding Interfaith Group at the Guildhall on 25th November at 5pm. The HERHG have also
been invited to take part in a discussion of Faith Schools on 31st March 2009.
21 Sep 2008:
BHA Local Group Representatives Annual Meeting
Two representatives of the Hull and East Riding Humanist Group will be attending the BHA Local Group
Representatives Annual Meeting (GRAM) in London on 15th November 08.
18 Sep 08: Humanist Representation at East Riding of Yorkshire Council Community Cohesion Meeting
Tim Stephenson, group Secretary and BHA Local Development Volunteer for the East Riding of Yorkshire
attended the ERYC Community Cohesion meeting on 18th September. He suggested the attendees think about the
underlying causes a lack of community cohesion and made the point that expanding the number of sectarian
schools in the region would increase the isolation of different communities. He also made the case for
the promotion of secular ideals in creating social harmony.
16 Sep 2008: First Meeting a Success
Eleven people attended our first meeting. A further nine were interested but could not attend.
14 Sep 2008: BBC Radio Humberside
Click here to listen to Tim and Paul talking to Blair Jacobs
about Humanism on BBC Radio Humberside.
04 Sep 2008: First Meeting
Please click here for updated details of the first meeting of the group on 15th September.
02 Sep 2008: Press Release
Please click here to see our press release about the first meeting on 15th September.
28 Aug 2008: Books Page Added
Click here to view a page of recommended books of interest to humanists.
01 Aug 2008: Launch of Website
We thought that a url containing the full title
of the group would be a bit long.