Northumbria Students Union 2 Sandyford Ford, Newcastle NE1 8SB

22-24 June 2018 Newcastle

FOR A TOLERANT WORLD WHERE RATIONAL THINKING AND KINDNESS PREVAIL WELCOME

Welcome to Humanists UK probed some of the bigger Convention 2018, in the questions about human nature stunning city of Newcastle. We and morality. hope, over this weekend, to be inspired and entertained as One of the most striking we bring together hundreds features of Northumbrian of like-minded people to think, has been its laugh, eat, and discuss ideas outward-looking nature, under one roof. We’re all here exemplifying Harold because we are humanists: Blackham’s maxim that people who shape their own ‘Humanism is about the lives in the here and now. And world, not about humanism.’ as the national organisation The North East Humanists, a for humanists in the UK, it’s partner group of Humanists Humanists UK’s mission to UK originally founded in 1957, in. And you’ll have a chance champion ideas for the one is a great example of this. to ask questions of some of life we have. This weekend The group has been a great the foremost activists working we’ll dive deep into some of supporter of the Isaac Newton to build a fairer, more rational those ideas – and we hope High School in Uganda for society in the UK and around you’ll find the talks, debates, many years now, helping the the world. and entertainment we’ve Ugandan humanists ensure put on both stimulating and that a broad-based, liberal Whether this is your first ever rewarding. education is freely available Humanists UK event or your to both boys and girls, fiftieth, I hope you have a It’s good to be in Newcastle. irrespective of family income. fantastic weekend. Everyone Like many parts of the UK, North East Humanists also is here for the same reasons Northumbria has contributed devotes a portion of its income – to have fun, to celebrate a great deal to humanism every year towards other good humanism, to explore new around the world. It is the causes working in and beyond ideas, and to think and probe birthplace of many a famous the North East. some of the work we’re doing humanist, who display the to create a tolerant world breadth and depth of humanist We hope you’ll find that same where rational thinking and achievement. These include sense of outward-looking, kindness prevail. Members pioneering figures in , compassionate, and optimistic are invited to come along like the physicist Peter humanism evident throughout to the Humanists UK AGM, Higgs – the man who first this weekend’s discussions. which will be held on Sunday postulated the so-called ‘God Our speakers are set to take us at 14:00, where you’ll have a Particle’ discovered at CERN, on a tour of human history, and chance to catch up on a year which has revolutionised our to examine the very nature of of great achievements for understanding of reality. The the scientific enterprise and Humanists UK. great Anglo-Polish humanist the search for truth. Others author Joseph Conrad also will probe what it really means But enough from me. Enjoy had strong ties to the city; it to be human, and to lead an this year’s Convention! was on cargo ships to and from ethical life. You’ll also hear Newcastle that he first learned from leading cultural, social, to speak English. He later and political critics and experts Andrew Copson went on to produce some of – who will bring a humanist Chief Executive the finest novels ever written perspective to bear on the in the language. His writing challenging times we are living YOUR TICKET

Register and collect your name badge at the registration desk on the first floor, outside Escape.

Registration for Humanists UK Convention is open from 08:30 on Saturday, and 09:30 on Sunday.

Registration for Humanist Professionals Conference is open from 10:30 on Friday.

Convention ticket plus lunch plus lunch and gala dinner Convention ticket-holders are In addition, please join us for a As well as teas, coffees, and welcome to join us at any talk or buffet lunch on Saturday and lunches, please join us for drinks panel discussion throughout the Sunday. in Reds from 19:00 on Saturday weekend. Teas and coffees are evening, and for the Gala Dinner included. in Domain at 20:00.

Coffee is served at 09:55 and Lunch is served at 12:00 in Reds There is no designated dress 14:50 on Saturday, and 10:50 and and Habita on both days. code for the dinner; come as you 13:55 on Sunday. feel most comfortable!

Pastoral Celebrant Support Section Leader Volunteer Young Humanists LGBT Humanists Local School Humanist Students Group Speaker Defence Humanists Leader FRIDAY

EVENT VENUE

10:30 Humanist Professionals Conference Escape registration opens

15:00 Registration opens Escape

17:00 Pub quiz with Habita Jonny Berliner and Simon Watt

19:15 Comedy (doors open) Domain

19:30 Comedy Domain

20:15 Break

20:30 Comedy resumes Domain

21:30 Drinks at cash bar Habita

Music and comedy featuring

Dave Alnwick

Simon Watt Jonny Berliner

Iszi Lawrence Jay Foreman SATURDAY

DOMAIN STAGE 2

09:00 Welcome Nick Brown MP

09:10 The future of humans in space Piers Bizony

09:55 Coffee break (Reds) Coffee break (Habita)

10:15 Supercharged: a humanist journey Will the UK ever with green energy legalise assisted suicide? (batteries included) Michael Irwin Saiful Islam

11:00 Break Break

11:10 Identity wars: the rise of The fight for humanist marriage populism in Europe and America Laura Lacole, Richy Thompson, Ian Dunt & Isabel Russo

12:00 Lunch (Reds) Lunch (Habita)

13:00 Crime: why so much of We should all be feminists what we’re told is wrong Emily McCullouch Nick Ross

13:50 Break Break

14:00 Backlash to the past in the 21st century Catherine Nixey, Tim Whitmarsh, Sunny Hundal & Zoe Margolis Francesca Stavrakopoulou, & Natalie Haynes

14:50 Coffee break (Reds) Coffee break (Habita)

15:10 A brief history of Protecting Human Rights Defenders everyone who ever lived in a perilous world Mary Lawlor

16:00 Break Break

16:10 Lights in the distance Can science answer all Daniel Trilling the great questions? Peter Atkins & Saiful Islam

17:00 Close SATURDAY EVENING

EVENT VENUE

18:00 LGBT Humanists Drinks Reception Escape

19:00 Young Humanists Saturday night social The Junction For humanists aged 18–35 Percy Street NE1 7PF

19:00 Gala Dinner Drinks Reception Reds

20:00 Gala Dinner Domain SUNDAY DOMAIN STAGE 2 10:00 Welcome back

10:05 The work of the Community Services team in the last year Teddy Prout

10:25 The work of Humanists UK in the last year Andrew Copson

10:50 Coffee break (Reds) Coffee break (Habita)

11:10 The many uses and abuses of Islam From heresy to Arzoo Ahmed

12:00 Lunch (Reds) Lunch (Habita)

12:15 Getting involved with Community Services

13:00 Market fundamentalism and completing the Enlightenment Angela Eagle MP

13:50 Close

13:55 Coffee (Reds) Coffee (Habita)

14:00 Humanists UK AGM (Members Only)

16:00 Drinks with trustees SESSIONS

Friday night entertainment Friday 17:00–Late | HABITA, DOMAIN A fun, easy, social start to the weekend! Join us for a pub quiz from 17:00, for comedy and music after 19:15, and why not stay for a few drinks with attendees old and new from around 21:30.

Welcome Nick Brown MP Saturday 09:00–09:05 | DOMAIN Nick Brown MP, member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group and Member of Parliament for East, welcomes Humanists UK.

The future of humans in space Saturday 09:10–09:55 | DOMAIN 2018 marks 50 years since 2001: A Space Odyssey – a film that takes as read some Piers Bizony connection between our destiny and the wider cosmos. At the same time, we see privateers such as Elon Musk start to operate ‘sustainable’ rocket businesses, capable perhaps of revolutionising access to space. So – what next? Hawking and others say we have to spread ourselves into space to ensure our survival. Films and TV shows now exploit a common trope: Earth in chaos, with its upper orbits decorated by fleeing spaceships. But does extraterrestrial colonisation really offer hope of an ‘Earth B’, a ‘backstop’ in event of a terrestrial collapse? Or might it just lead to a spurious and dangerous fantasy?

Supercharged: a humanist journey with green energy (batteries included) Saiful Islam Saturday 10:15–11:00 | DOMAIN A talk of two halves. Firstly, Saiful Islam will discuss his experience growing up in a Muslim household in north and his outlook becoming atheist – despite his name(!). Secondly, he will take us through his research on green energy materials, for which he was invited to present the BBC’s 80th anniversary Christmas Lectures in 2016. With the aid of 3D glasses, Saiful will discuss his research on new battery materials for electric cars that help cut carbon emissions and air pollution, and leave a better world for tomorrow.

Will the UK ever legalize assisted suicide? Michael Irwin Saturday 10:15–11:00 | STAGE 2 Why has it been so difficult to achieve a ‘right-to-die’ law in the UK, through Parliament or the Courts, in spite of overwhelming public support for such legislation? Michael Irwin, a ‘right-to-die’ activist for 25 years, will explain what he lies behind the difficulties. In order to illustrate the possibilities available should such a freedom be offered in the UK, he will describe some of his own personal experiences, including his witnessing of five doctor-assisted suicides in Switzerland since 2005.

Identity wars: the rise of populism in Europe and America Ian Dunt Saturday 11:10–12:00 | DOMAIN Liberalism is in retreat. The threat of reactionary populism is everywhere: , Trump, Orbán, Erdoğan, the Alternative for Deutschland and now, in Italy, from a far-right party in government. Politics.co.uk editor Ian Dunt looks at the right wing attack on liberal democracy – from the assault on global and domestic institutions, to the rise in anti-semitism, to fake news – and finds a dark form of right-wing identity politics sweeping over the West. SESSIONS

The fight for humanist marriage Laura Lacole, Saturday 11:10–12:00 | STAGE 2 Richy Thompson, Since 2014, the UK Justice Minister has had the power to declare humanist & Isabel Russo marriage legal, but no sitting minister has yet done so. Jersey legalised humanist marriage in February 2018, and it has been legal since 2005 in Scotland, where it is more popular than any form of religious marriage. Laura Lacole and her husband Eunan O’Kane took the Northern Irish Government to court in June 2017 for their right to a humanist marriage; a right they now want extended to all couples. Why is the fight for humanist marriage such an important battle, and how will we win it?

Crime: why so much of what we’re told is wrong Nick Ross Saturday 13:00–13:50 | DOMAIN Whether humanist or religious, we all have faith. We all resist ideas that undermine our confidence. So this session puts convictions to the test – literally – starting by challenging the that crime is caused by criminals. Nick Ross spent more than 20 years on helping the police with their inquiries; he founded the new discipline of crime science and a new department at UCL. Do you have faith in British justice? Do you think you know what causes crime? Do you believe the police are experts on crime, or even know how much there is? In an almost criminal appeal to scepticism, Nick Ross explains why everything we think we know about crime is wrong.

We should all be feminists Emily McCullouch Saturday 13:00–13:50 | STAGE 2 ‘Feminism’ is a word that carries a lot of meanings to a lot of people. Often it’s seen as controversial, and debates can be incendiary. Emily McCullouch, Chair of Defence Humanists, has called herself a feminist for years, but finds that what this means to her keeps changing as she reads and understands more. Without lengthy scholarship, how can the humanist on the street understand and apply feminism in their daily life? Emily invites you to join her for a friendly and distinctly amateur discussion on feminist concepts and principles, in the hope of persuading you that the aims of feminism and the aims of humanism are quite perfectly aligned.

Backlash to the past Catherine Nixey, Saturday 14:00–14:50 | DOMAIN Tim Whitmarsh, The past can sometimes make for uncomfortable reading. For many, notions of Francesca identity – of a crucial part of themselves – are tied up the historical virtue of their Stavrakopoulou, group, nation, or fellow believers. When great deeds are diminshed, and injustices & Natalie Haynes or cruelties exposed, it can feel like a personal attack. A panel of expert historians will discuss their work, and the sometimes hostile reactions it has provoked.

Religion in the 21st century Sunny Hundal Saturday 14:00–14:50 | STAGE 2 & Zoe Margolis 53% of adults in the UK have no religion. But not all experiences of religion and non-religion are alike. Drawing on personal experiences, Sunny Hundal and Zoe Margolis will speak on the changing face of religion in the 21st century.

A brief history of everyone who ever lived Adam Rutherford Saturday 15:10–16:00 | DOMAIN Sex, death, murder, disease, warfare, invasion, migration, and famine. Of all the historical texts available to us, none is richer than the one we carry inside every cell. In the last few years, we have made extraordinary progress in our ability to read and understand DNA in the living, and to wheedle it out of people who may well have been dead for tens of thousands of years. Only now are we re-painting SESSIONS the picture of the human story, using a unique combination of archaeology, history, art, and our genomes. DNA is the saga of how we came to be who we are today.

Protecting Human Rights Defenders in a perilous world Mary Lawlor Saturday 15:10–16:00 | STAGE 2 Human Rights Defenders work at great personal risk to protect and uphold the rights of others in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. This session will give an overview of the situation of human rights defenders around the world, the risks they face, current trends to try to stop them carrying out their peaceful and legitimate work, and the efforts of Front Line Defenders to provide round-the-clock practical support to try to protect them.

Lights in the distance Daniel Trilling Saturday 16:10–17:00 | DOMAIN As we come to terms with Europe’s worst refugee crisis since the Second World War, the ‘European values’ of freedom, tolerance, and respect for human rights are being put to the test. Daniel Trilling, editor of New Humanist magazine, will be discussing his new book Lights in the Distance, which draws on years of reporting on refugees and migrants in Europe.

Can science answer all the great questions? Peter Atkins Saturday 16:10–17:00 | STAGE 2 & Saiful Islam The scientific method came with the Enlightenment, and has revolutionised society and humanity. But does it have a limit? Non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA) was the viewpoint advocated by Stephen Jay Gould which claimed that the questions science and religion attempt to answer are in different ‘domains’, and one cannot aid with the questions of the other. Is this viewpoint correct, and are there other domains from which science must recuse itself? What can science tell us about ethics, rights, public policy, or indeed, the existence of an almighty creator?

The work of the Community Services team in the last year Teddy Prout Sunday 10:00–10:25 | DOMAIN Director of The Humanists UK’s Community Services provide support and assistance Community Services to hundreds of thousands of people each year, all across the country. From ceremonies to pastoral care, from support for teachers and parents, to support for apostates. Our community services are there for people in times of need and celebration, to be a network of support, at a local level, to all who need it, whenever they need it. This talk will outline the progress we have made over the past year, and our plans for the year ahead.

The work of Humanists UK in the last year Andrew Copson Sunday 10:25–10:50 | DOMAIN Chief Executive Cast your mind back to June 2017. For Humanists UK, much has changed, but much stays the same. We have won some considerable victories, but the challenges we face remain substantial. Humanists UK will always strive for a more tolerant world where kindness and rational thinking prevail. Hear about our work over the past 12 months, as we look to what lies ahead. SESSIONS

The many uses and abuses of Islam Arzoo Ahmed Sunday 11:10–12:00 | DOMAIN This session will explore how Islam has inspired freedom, coexistence, women’s liberation and scientific progress. It has, however, also been the justification for patriarchy, authoritarianism, and intolerance. How can one religion have so many faces, and what does it mean to practice Islam in Britain today? Can Islam contribute to conversations about what it means to be human, and how we ought to tackle some of the greatest challenges we face today?

From heresy to witchcraft Deborah Hyde Sunday 11:10–12:00 | STAGE 2 Witchcraft became big news in the 16th and 17th centuries. Torrents of learned discussion turned to action, and the corpses piled high. But where did the legal infrastructure for such a mass persecution arise? Had this power already been tested and used? Deborah Hyde will discuss totalitarianism, paranoia, and yearnings for empire in the making of a very bloody delusion.

Getting involved with Community Services (meeting) Teddy Prout Sunday 12:15–12:45 | STAGE 2 Isabel Russo If you find yourself inspired hearing about the work of the Community Services Simon O’Donoghue team and think you might like to get involved in any way, come along to this very Sean Turnbull informal special lunchtime session to put your questions to the people working every day to bring about a kinder society. Offering advice and answering questions will be our Director of Community Services, Head of Ceremonies, Head of Pastoral Support, and Student and Youth Coordinator.

Market fundamentalism and completing the enlightenment Angela Eagle MP Sunday 13:00–13:50 | DOMAIN The UK is one of the wealthiest, most successful nations in the world. Why, then, do so many people feel short-changed? The old assumption that ‘if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get on in life’ looks increasingly like a cruel joke. Homeownership, secure employment, and fair wages seem like relics of a bygone era. Meanwhile exploitative workplace practices have created a new serfdom, leaving many people trapped in unfulfilling and underpaid work. At a time of huge political upheaval and ever-increasing inequality, Angela Eagle will ask: how can we build a successful economy, powered by a happy and productive workforce that benefits everyone in the twenty-first century?

Close Andrew Copson Sunday 13:50 | DOMAIN manists UK AGM (Members o Humanists UK AGM (Members only) Sunday 14:00 | STAGE 2 SPEAKERS

Arzoo Ahmed Arzoo Ahmed is Director of The Centre for Islam and Medicine, exploring faith and bioethics. She completed an MPhil in Medieval Arabic Thought at the , in 2012. She worked on policy issues with the government through her role in Young Muslim Advisory Group, of which she was the Chair. She is managing the publication of Al-Muhaddithat: a 40-volume encyclopedia on the history of Muslim female scholarship. Arzoo’s research interests include the soul and the human person, epistemology, methodology, ethics, and gender studies.

Dave Alnwick Dave Alnwick is a magician and entertainer. He has delighted audiences at the Fringe and QED (Question, Explore, Discover).

He has 13 sold-out Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows to his name, three national tours under his belt, and was also the host of QED 2017. Phil Jupitus reckons they’d have burned him at the stake 300 years ago.

Peter Atkins Peter Atkins is a former Oxford Professor of , and patron of Humanists UK. He is a fellow of Lincoln College in the University of Oxford and the author of about seventy books for students and a general audience. He is the author of Conjuring The Universe and The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction. His texts are market leaders around the globe. Peter was the 2016 recipient of the American Chemical Society’s Grady-Stack Award for science journalism.

Jonny Berliner Jonny Berliner is a singer-songwriter and graduate in the history and philosophy of science. His career path was clear. Since his songs were featured on ’s Science Weekly podcast, he has been at the forefront of comic science communication, having shared stages with the likes of and Professor Brian Cox, Bill Bailey, and Professor , and performed at scientific institutions such as CERN in Geneva and the Royal Institution of London.

Piers Bizony Piers Bizony is a science journalist, space historian, and author. He has written about space, science, and the history of technology for a variety of publications including , the BBC, and Wired. His book 2001: Filming the Future is considered to be the authoritative account of the making of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. His book The Rivers of Mars, a critically acclaimed analysis of the life on Mars debate, was shortlisted for NASA’s Eugene M. Emme Award for Astronautical Writing.

Nick Brown MP Nick Brown is a Newcastle MP, and a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. He was first elected to Parliament in 1983 and he has been an MP for a Newcastle constituency ever since. He has had a long career on the backbenches, and the Government and Opposition frontbenches, and currently is the Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons. In 1997 he was made a Privy Councillor and in 2001 he was awarded the freedom of the city of Newcastle. SPEAKERS

Andrew Copson Andrew Copson is the Chief Executive of Humanists UK and the President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union. Together with A C Grayling, Andrew edited the Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Humanism. His most recent book Secularism: Politics, Religion, and Freedom was published in 2017.

Ian Dunt Ian Dunt is a political journalist, commentator, author, and editor of politics.co.uk. He specialises in issues around immigration, civil liberties, democracy, free speech and social justice, and appears regularly on the BBC, Sky, and Al-Jazeera as well as a variety of radio stations. He also writes lifestyle columns for other publications and websites. He is the author of Brexit: what the hell happens now? and a host on the Remainiacs podcast.

Angela Eagle MP Angela Eagle is the Labour MP for Wallasey, having first been elected in May 1992. A former Cabinet Minister, she is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. She is the author of The New Serfdom (2018).

Jay Foreman Jay Foreman is a a musical comedian with four critically acclaimed shows to his name. His songs have been heard on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 4 Extra, and several sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He is also known for his YouTube channel which features series such as Map Men, Unfinished London, and Politics Unboringed.

Natalie Haynes Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster. She writes for the Guardian, and the Independent. Her first novel, The Amber Fury, has been published to great acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, as was The Ancient Guide to Modern Life, her previous book. She has spoken on the modern relevance of the classical world on three continents, from Cambridge to Chicago to Auckland. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4: reviewing for Front Row and Saturday Review, and banging on about Juvenal whenever she gets the chance.

Sunny Hundal Sunny Hundal is a journalist and commentator. He currently works as social media editor for openDemocracy, a global news platform concerned with human rights, freedom, and democracy, and previously founded and edited the centre- left Liberal Conspiracy. He is also one of 16 Convenors of the More United cross-party political movement, named for the maiden speech of humanist MP . He is a prolific commentator on national politics, the media, and race relations, and has been a frequent critic of religious fundamentalism. SPEAKERS

Deborah Hyde Deborah Hyde is a cultural anthropologist, and is Editor-in-Chief of The Skeptic, the UK’s only regular magazine to take a critical-thinking and evidence-based approach to pseudo-science and the . During the day, she’s a film/ TV industry coordinator and production manager. Deborah was Co-Convenor of Westminster Skeptics and Speaker Liaison of Soho Skeptics. In February 2018, she was elected a fellow of The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

Michael Irwin Michael Irwin is a former Medical Director of the United Nations in New York (1982–1989). He has campaigned for legalised assisted dying since 1994, having being Chairman of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society and President of the World Federation of the Right-to-Die Societies. He founded the Secular Medical Forum and also My Death My Decision. Since 2005, Michael has accompanied five determined, suffering individuals to Switzerland to witness their doctor-assisted suicides.

Saiful Islam Saiful is a Chemistry Professor and a Patron of Humanists UK. He presented the 80th anniversary Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2016 for the BBC on the theme of energy, which received over 3.5 million hits through the broadcasts and social media. He works at the University of Bath and has received awards for his research on green energy materials. Saiful grew up in Crouch End, London, and enjoys family breaks (as a dad of two), indie music, and the chemicals gin & tonic.

Shappi Khorsandi Born in Iran in 1973, Shappi Khorsandi and her family were forced to flee from Iran to London after the Islamic Revolution, as her father had written satirical poetry. She is a comedian, performs stand-up, and has appeared on many radio and television shows, including Shappi Talk and Question Time. She became President of Humanists UK in January 2016.

Laura Lacole Laura Lacole is a Northern Irish model, media personality, and humanist campaigner. She regularly speaks out on topics such as legal humanist marriage, freedom of expression, the promotion of science, and women’s rights. Her most recent battle, in 2017, saw her and her fiance Eunan take the Northern Ireland Government to court, in a successful attempt to have their humanist marriage legally recognised. Laura was a founding member of Atheist NI, and has recently worked with the British Science Association.

Mary Lawlor Mary Lawlor is the founder and former Executive Director of Front Line Defenders, established to meet the immediate security and protection needs of Human Rights Defenders at risk around the world. Mary is widely respected in international human rights circles, and has been a leading figure in developing rapid response mechanisms and institutional responses for HRDs. Mary was Director of the Irish Section of Amnesty International from 1988 to 2000. In 2011, she received the Irish Tatler Woman of the Year Special Recognition Award. SPEAKERS

Iszi Lawrence Iszi Lawrence is a comedian, writer, skeptic, and broadcaster. Iszi works regularly with Making History on Radio 4. She also writes, hosts, and co-produces the British Museum Membercast and Z List Dead List, which all cover a broad range of unfamiliar topics that have turned listeners into superfans. She has over 12 years’ experience on the live comedy circuit across Europe including the Edinburgh Fringe, The British Museum, and The Stand, as well performing warm up sets for Stewart Lee, Sarah Millican, Omid Djalili, and Alan Davis.

Zoe Margolis Zoe Margolis is a journalist working across books, print, television, radio and the web. Her books have been translated into 16 languages and her work has been published acrossed dozens of outlets including the Guardian, The Telegraph, New Statesman, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed and others. She writes on topics she is passionate about: sex, gender, feminism, politics, technology, film, the media, and pop-culture. She has presented talks at The Lost Lectures, SXSW, and Latitude, and debated on panels for the Media Standards Trust, Cybher and Eroticon.

Emily McCullouch Emily McCullouch is a Squadron Leader in the RAF, and is Chair of Defence Humanists. She joined the RAF as an Air Traffic Controller in 2007, after working within the NHS and as a teacher. She has served operational tours in Afghanistan and the Middle East. As Chair of Defence Humanists, Emily is proud to work with the Ministry of Defence towards greater inclusion for all, particularly the non-religious.

Catherine Nixey Catherine Nixey is a classicist, historian, and author of The Darkening Age, for which she was presented the Royal Society of Literature’s 2015 Jerwood Award. The book tells ‘the largely unknown story of how a militant religion deliberately attacked and suppressed the teachings of the Classical world, ushering in centuries of unquestioning adherence to “one true faith”’. She studied Classics at Cambridge, and subsequently worked as a Classics teacher for several years, before becoming a journalist on the arts desk at .

Teddy Prout Teddy is Humanists UK’s Director of Community Services, responsible for the strategic development of the services Humanists UK offers in education, pastoral support, ceremonies, and other aspects of support in the community, in , Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands. He is also responsible for development of research and pilot projects to ensure the secure future and promote the value of the services Humanists UK provides.

Nick Ross Nick Ross is a campaigner and broadcaster. He presented Crimewatch from 1984 to 2007. Nick Ross is an international conference chairman and was for more than thirty years one of Britain’s best-known broadcasters. Although he still contributes to radio and TV journalism he is now heavily committed to charities and campaigns. He has written and directed award-winning documentaries, has been a lobby correspondent, and presented A Week in Politics for and Westminster with Nick Ross for BBC Two. SPEAKERS

Isabel Russo Isabel Russo worked as an actor in theatre, film, and television for 20 years before becoming a in 2009. Isabel then worked as a funeral, wedding, and naming celebrant for four years, before becoming Head of Ceremonies at Humanists UK in May 2013. The role of ritual and storytelling in shaping and influencing community has been a central thread throughout her working life.

Adam Rutherford Adam Rutherford is an evolutionary biologist, geneticist, author, and broadcaster. He is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s flagship science radio programme,Inside Science, as well as many documentaries; on the inheritance of intelligence, on MMR and autism, human evolution, astronomy and art, and the evolution of sex. His book A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived was published in 2016.

Francesca Stavrakopoulou Francesca Stavrakopoulou is a theologian, broadcaster, and Professor of and Ancient Religion. She is interested in biblical traditions and religious practices most at odds with Western cultural values. Francesca presented a three-part BBC documentary series about the Bible and archaeology, The Bible’s Buried Secrets, in March 2011. She also appears regularly on the BBC’s The Big Questions and Sunday Morning Live.

Richy Thompson Richy Thompson has been Director of Public Affairs and Policy at Humanists UK since 2017. He works on issues from across Humanists UK’s public policy remit. Richy was the Treasurer of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, a member of the advisory group of the Sex Education Forum, and on the steering groups of Voice for Choice, the Accord Coalition for inclusive education, and the Fair Admissions Campaign.

Daniel Trilling Daniel Trilling is a journalist and writer. He is author of Lights In The Distance and Editor of New Humanist. He has reported extensively on refugees in Europe. His work has been published in the London Review of Books, the Guardian, the New York Times and others, and won a 2017 Migration Media Award. His first book, Bloody Nasty People: the Rise of Britain’s Far Right, was longlisted for the 2013 Orwell Prize.

Simon Watt Simon Watt is a biologist, writer, science communicator, comedian, and TV presenter. He runs Ready Steady Science, a science communication company committed to making information interesting and takes science based performances into schools, museums, theatres, and festivals. He is perhaps best known as a presenter on the BAFTA-winning documentary series Inside Nature’s Giants and the Channel 4 special The Elephant: Life After Death.

Tim Whitmarsh Tim Whitmarsh is Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge. He came to this role after professorial posts in Oxford and Exeter. He works on all areas of Greek literature and culture, specialising particularly in the world of Greeks under the Roman Empire. He is author of the 2015 book Battling the gods: in the ancient world.