About Suffolk Humanists & Secularists

The Suffolk Humanist group was founded in 1991. We changed our name in April 2008. Members receive regular newsletters, with news and views.

We contribute a regular 'Thought for the Day' on BBC Radio Suffolk. We provide speakers for schools and adult organisations. We raise awareness of Humanism through the press, through involvement with other organisations, and through educational activities.

We meet in Ipswich and Colchester, and sometimes in members' homes. Sometimes we welcome guest speakers, and sometimes we simply enjoy socialising. Because our members are widely scattered and transport can be a problem, we try to arrange for members to give and be given lifts to meetings.

We're affiliated to the British Humanist Association, the National Secular Society, and the Suffolk Interfaith-Resource, and we're members of the Suffolk Association of Voluntary Organisations. We're represented on Suffolk County Council's Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE), ensuring that a secular world view is included in RE.

The Suffolk Humanist Ceremonies Team provides a service to the people of Suffolk and NE Essex, supported by the group and independent of the BHA ceremonies network. We welcome new members. If you're not sure we're what you're looking for, come and meet us before you make up your mind.

Humanists think that:

• this world and this life are all we have;
• we should try to live full and happy lives ourselves and, as part of this, make it easier for other people to do the same;
• all situations and people deserve to be judged on their merits by standards of reason and humanity;
• individuality and social cooperation are equally important.

A J Ayer, as President of the British Humanist Association, 1960s

"I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for other people."

Katherine Hepburn

BBC Radio Suffolk's Rachel Sloane visited one of our meetings at the end of 2006 to record an item about Humanism for her Sunday morning programme. You can listen to her recording via the BBC website but will need a media player.