New humanist group launches in Haywards Heath: organiser looks for like-minded members
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The first community meeting of Haywards Heath Humanists took place on Saturday, February 1, at The Redwood Centre where guests were able to find out more.
The initiative is organised by local members and volunteers of Humanists UK and the group has joined the network of other groups around the country.
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Hide AdCoordinator Alastair Lichten, from Hassocks, said he decided to start Haywards Heath Humanists so people could find others who were like-minded in their community.


He said: “I’d seen this model succeed in other parts of the country and I felt it would be a really good project for me to do.”
Alastair, 35, pointed out that the 2021 Census revealed that 42 per cent of people in Mid Sussex identified as non-religious with many more sharing humanist beliefs. He hopes a new humanist group will represent these people and make ‘their shared interests and identities more visible in local decision making and civil society’.
The first meeting was so people could find out whether the group is for them.
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Hide AdAlastair said: “Many people can come to their opinions about their values and also about existential issues, like the existence of God, the supernatural, the afterlife, etc. You can sit at home and watch YouTube videos and read social media posts and come to those conclusions and have it be quite an individual thing. But I think these values become different when you share them in a community and they’re not a purely theoretical thing.”


He said: “That community gives you an ability to check your own thinking.”
Alastair said humanists ‘are just people who want to be very rational’ but said that perceived rationality should be checked and challenged by others. He called humanism ‘descriptive’ not ‘proscriptive’, saying most humanists discover the label after they have discovered their values. He said humanist communities do not turn anyone into humanists, but provide space for non-religious people to explore that aspect of their identity and collaborate to make the wider community better.
“I want to actually put my values and my rationality, if indeed I am rational, into action,” said Alastair, adding that he also wants to have some fun and meet people. “It’s the same as people enjoying knitting groups or book clubs in many ways.”
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Hide AdAlastair said: “Bringing people together over values, identities, hobbies or interests, can be a powerful thing. After being involved in humanist community organising and development across the country, it means a lot to me to be supporting this new group right here, in the local community that has helped me so much.”


Before the meeting, he said he was looking forward to Haywards Heath Humanists becoming sustainable and to people contributing their own ideas in about what the group can do. The group aims to offer activities like: expert talks and discussions, humanist socials, family friendly events, participation in inter-belief work and representation in civic forums, advocacy and campaigns work, and charitable and social action projects.
The group’s next upcoming events include:
February social: February 12, 12pm, Dice and Drinks, Burgess Hill. A friendly chat about humanism over coffee and a board game.
Second Community Meeting: March 1, 10.45am, The Redwood Centre, Haywards Heath.