Events

Dr Anna Joy Drury Did you know Earth’s climate varies with a semi-periodic beat that is controlled by Earth’s location in our solar system? Using oceanic sediments recovered from deep below the sea floor, we will explore how astronomical processes influence Earth’s climate beat and why it sometimes changes – seemingly unpredictably.   Anna is a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow with the Geography, Geology and Environment Unit at Leicester University. Her research interests span palaeoceanography, geochemistry and stratigraphy, with a strong focus on understanding climate evolution and dynamics. She has helped develop the Code for Ocean Drilling Data (CODD) to facilitate analysis of ocean drilling data and the creation of composite core images. ...

 We have a break in our programme at Yuletide, Easter and in the summer holiday period. The new programmes commence in January, April and September.

Guest Speaker: 'Polyp' (author of the visual biography of Tom Paine)  plus readings, music from the Falling Angels , traditional fayre and toasts at Secular Hall.     Tickets £16 (members £12)  We can only accommodate 40 so it is "first come first served" and the final date for booking a place is 31st January (provided there are places remaining).   For tickets contact Mike either by email to tickets@Lsec.org.uk or phone 07722 782727. Please indicate if you want the vegetarian option. No bar, bring your own drinks.    

The lived experience of female ex-Muslims often involves profound liberation and self-discovery alongside significant challenges, including social ostracision, family rejection, fear of violence, and navigating a new identity free from religious constraints, with many finding community and empowerment through public activism or support groups. Key themes include escaping patriarchal control (like forced marriage or FGM), reclaiming autonomy over their bodies and choices (hijab, career, relationships), battling shame and stigma, and the difficult process of rebuilding lives and finding belonging.  The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session.  For security , registration through Eventbrite is required. This event is free for LSS members and £5 for non-members.  Ima...

Hugh McClintock   River bridges cause obvious points of convergence and are often very heavily populated by motor traffic, making such routes unpleasant for walkers and cyclists. Separate bridges for these travel modes can encourage active travel by providing shorter, safe and pleasant routes. This talk will concentrate on the proposed foot-cycle bridge over the Trent to connect the former Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station site and East Midlands Parkway Station on the south side with the Chilwell, Toton, Attenborough and Long Eaton areas on the north side.   Hugh McClintock is a retired Nottingham University lecturer in town planning and is very active in cycle campaigning, nationally, regionally and locally, with Pedals (Nottingham Cycling Campaign) since 1979.   All welcome - admission free. Tea & biscuits. Donations welcome - £5 suggested to cover  costs. ...

Ned Newitt Ned will look at the post World War II decisions relating to housing in the City and how it arrived at a programme of improving housing rather than demolishing and rebuilding.   Ned was born in Southend-on-Sea in 1946. He studied at Cardiff College of Art and came to Leicester in 1971. From 1984-2003, he was a Leicester City Councillor. He is a long standing member of the Society and is the current Chair.   Ned has written several books, most relating to the history of Leicester, including -   The Secular Hall - A History The Anthology of Leicester Chartist Song, Poetry & Verse...

Christopher Hitchens was known as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism (along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett). His epistemological razor, which states that "what can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence", is still of mark in philosophy and law. Hitchens described himself as an anti-theist and saw all religions as false, harmful, and authoritarian. He endorsed free expression, scientific scepticism, and separation of church and state, arguing science and philosophy are superior to religion as an ethical code of conduct for human civilisation. All welcome - admission free. Tea & biscuits. Donations welcome - £5 suggested to cover  costs.