What’s On

Summer Picnics

It’s time for us to gather outdoors! This year we’re going to have four picnics on 2 July, 16 July, 6 August, and 20 August. Bring picnic blankets, food, board games, and acoustic musical instruments. We’ll sing a few songs and have a few laughs.

All four picnics are planned to be held at Lincoln’s Inn Fields. If the weather looks less than ideal, we’ll meet under the bandstand.

Grief Without God

• 11:00 am, September 3 2023
• Speaker: Rachel Rose Reid

Coping with the subjects of death and grief remain some of life’s greatest challenges. For those who are not part of a religious framework or community – and do not wish to be – what can be offered as a substitute for the emotional comfort that religious faith offers those in facing their own death or the death of their loved ones? How can we find ways to adapt ritual technology to support ourselves and our communities on the long and challenging path of loss and bereavement?

Rachel is a spoken word artist, writer & storyteller grappling directly with these questions. Raised on a hotchpotch of immigrant heritage, English folk and concrete jungle, Rachel plays with storytelling through the creation and adaptation of folk rituals and practices for meeting real and pressing needs in contemporary life.

Rachel aims to show that the art of reclaiming, renewing, and restoring ritual practice in everyday life is for everyone, and is most often made by people making do with what they have available to them, which can be enough.

Seeds of Change

• 11:00 am, September 17 2023
• Speaker: Helene Schultz
• Performer: Louise Goodfield

Ever heard of the Pink Plum tomato? The Mayan Jaguar lettuce, Lablab Bean or maybe the French Marigold?

To enlighten us on such things we are delighted to welcome Helene Schultz who is part of the collective behind the London Freedom Seed Bank, a grassroots urban seed network, stewarding over 170 London-grown vegetable, herb and flower varieties and helping to keep them alive and flourishing for future generations. She is also doing a PhD exploring the urban seed commons. She is interested in the ways seed savers, particularly of migrant heritage, subvert a long colonial and xenophobic regime which has dominated (and profited from) the international movement of plant material.

Helene is the editor of The Preserve Journal and part of the Garden of Earthly Delights, a guerrilla gardening collective. She is interested in mutual aid, particularly from feminist, anticolonial, antiracist and indigenous perspectives, and how working with seeds can help us build more just and care-full futures.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/helene__schulze/

LFSB IG: https://www.instagram.com/freedomseedbank/

Behind Closed Doors

• 11:00 am, October 1 2023
• Speaker: Rob Foreman
• Poet: Chris Syrus

Nelson Mandela said that “no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails”, but few of us ever get to see for ourselves what life is like inside a UK prison.

Sunday Assembly London’s own Rob Foreman has spent 10 years as an independent monitor observing conditions in London’s prisons. Monitors are volunteers who are granted access to prisons and other places of detention, in order to judge whether the people held there are being treated fairly and humanely, as well as providing an independent voice to those who are marginalised or unable to speak up for themselves.

Rob provided insights into how the reality of prisons matches the public perception, and the difference that volunteering has made to his own life.

Chris Syrus shared some of his poems from his new book of Poetry, LoveLife6968 Memoirs from The Pen, written whilst he was incarcerated. After turning his life around post release, Chris is now a Personal Development Speaker & Coach, using the creative arts to help young people at risk of offending.

Happy Together

• 11:00 am, October 15 2023
• Speaker: Sarah Vero
• Poet: Soni Quintero

Prioritising happiness and kindness influences how we approach everything – including our personal lives, families, communities, schools and workplaces. It also shapes our views on public policy and helps us to consider the wellbeing of future generations too.

Sarah Vero, Head of Communications at Action for Happiness has a specialism in the intersection of joy, creativity, politics, mental health and wellbeing. She joins us today to talk about how we can help each other learn evidence-based skills for happier living, feel a sense of belonging and commit to personal action to create more happiness, for ourselves and others.

We are also thrilled to have poetry from Soni Quintero, poet and founder of Newham Poetry Group, Queer Newham, and Borderless; initiatives that facilitate access to creative writing for people new to the English language, and create safe and supportive spaces for POC LGBTQ+ refugees and forced migrants.

Pub Quiz

• 7:00 pm, October 25 2023
• The White Hart, Drury Lane

Do you have a mind full of useless information? Are you an explosion of esoteric effulgence?

Come and prove it and win the respect of all your friends (and some prizes) while raising some funds for Sunday Assembly London.

Join us at The White Hart on Drury Lane, at 7pm on Wednesday, October 25th for fun, food and fabulous fripperies.

Entry £5 per person.

Aliens: What are the Chances?

• 11:00 am, November 5 2023
• Speaker: Dr. Peter Altman
• Poet: Flora Ogilvy

The topic of alien life is no longer just in the realms of Science Fiction – it is now mainstream science with courses in Astrobiology being run by most Universities. Even NASA has a Centre for Astrobiology, and one of the tasks of the new James Webb Space Telescope is to look for signs of alien life.

In this talk, Dr. Peter Altman will speak about our place in the Universe, putting its size into context and looking at the historical origins of the concept of UFOs as well as current evidence and validity. He will help us to learn how to look out for the signs, and to think for ourselves, ‘what are the chances?!’

Dr. Peter Altman is a biochemist, medical researcher and publisher as well as a magician, having been a Member of the Magic Circle since 1984. He is also the author of Mysteries of the Universe and Astounding Facts about the Universe. A third book, Amazing Discoveries in Science, is in preparation.

We will also be graced with some poetry from Flora Ogilvy.

Sunday Assembly Late: Smutty Letters

• 7:00 pm, November 17 2023
• Speaker: Revolting Rosy Pendlebaby

As we were unable to hold our second assembly of the month on 19th November as intended, this Friday event took its place.

Join the raunchy revolution: say no to the fast and flaccid romance of the digital age, as we revive the lost art of the smutty letter!

We are led by facilitator, art historian, performer, and activist, Revolting Rosy Pendlebaby, founder of Revolting Arts Club, which is a creative lab of rebellious arts for growth, empowerment, and pleasure. They run workshops, talks, and events that celebrate the innate creativity within all of us and explore its therapeutic potential, for all those wishing to play, express, and make a mess.

Enjoy a selection of salacious readings of choice smut from yesteryear, and be guided through some fun and flirtatious exercises to get you penning some letters of your own… Brush away the dust of shame, judgement, and unexpressed desire and explore what it means to unleash your love, lust, and longing in epistolary form!

Come on your own, with a lover, or a friend! This event is for all 18+

We are also joined by Naomi Wood @iamnaomiwood @naomiwoodwrites – a multi-disciplinary performance artist merging the circus with storytelling and poetry and creating pieces that incite riotous acts of joyful disobedience. She facilitates creative writing workshops in Sussex and online. You can see Naomi’s solo poetry show ‘Gobbess’ in London in spring 2024 as part of her debut theatre show tour.’

Tickets are £15 and include a drink. 

Dream Yourself Awake

• 11:00 am, December 3 2023
• Speaker: Sarah Janes

As we all settle down to begin our hibernation for the winter, we will likely spend more time sleeping and dreaming than usual. The workings of these inner realms have beguiled and bewitched us since ancient times, with dreams being variously interpreted as prophetic messaging, psychological processing, a way to commune with ancestors and for some cultures, indistinguishable from reality itself.

Sarah Janes is a lucid dreaming researcher, presenter and workshop host exploring the anthropology of sleep, ancient dream cultures and philosophy. Sharing her more than a decade of research on Sleep Temples, Sarah explores the evolution of imagination, memory, and consciousness throughout the ages and proposes that dreams have been fundamental in the creation and development of culture.

Her forthcoming book about Mnemosyne, Greek goddess of Memory, explores the ancient history and philosophy of dream therapy and sleep medicine, beginning in deepest antiquity through to ancient Mesopotamia, and offers insight into our contemporary enquiries into psychedelics, altered states, synchronicity, parapsychology, and time perception.

Yule Rock 2023

• 7:00 pm, December 15 2023

Come one, come all to Sunday Assembly London’s annual seasonal singalong, Yule Rock!

We’re decking the halls and jingling our bells as we return to Conway Hall for the most festive night of the year. All your favourite Christmas classics will be included, from Elton to Wizzard, plus a few surprises, as always. Hosted by the inimitable Jessie-lu Flynn, this event will feature live music by our community band, and a cashless bar serving alcoholic and alcohol-free beverages (please bring your card or smartphone).

Dress your silliest, sparkliest best – Christmas jumpers, baubles, fairy lights, antlers, and other wintry delights are welcome! This all-ages party will be full of joy for family and friends. Doors open at 7pm for drinks, with the singing and dancing kicking off at 7:30pm.

Yule Rock is brought to you by Sunday Assembly London, a secular community that celebrates life under the motto of “Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More”. It is a heart-warming and inclusive gathering, embodying the essence of Sunday Assembly’s core values of community, joy, and wonder. It is the perfect occasion for individuals of all backgrounds to come together, sing their hearts out, and revel in the holiday cheer without any religious affiliations.

Solidarity & Community: Making The Museum of Homelessness

• 11:00 am, December 17 2023

• Speakers: Matt and Jess Turtle

This time of year can be one full of joy and festive plans, but alongside the good cheer of the season is a rising concern for the increasing number of people experiencing homelessness or housing precarity.

The multi-award winning Museum of Homelessness – created and run by people with direct experience of homelessness – has been doing incredible work for the past 13 years: building the first national collection for homelessness, taking practical action, fighting injustice with research and campaigning, and educating on homelessness through groundbreaking art exhibitions and events.

Having been a ‘homeless’ museum since their establishment in 2010, they have recently been given their own museum space in Finsbury Park. Co-Founders Matt and Jess Turtle join us today at Sunday Assembly to share some of their incredible journey and plans for the museum’s public programme in 2024.

As usual, our magnificent in-house band will be leading us in song and there will be tea, biscuits and a good old natter afterwards. This time, we’ll also be showcasing our community’s crafting talents at a very special winter market – so do bring some cash!

Sunday Assembly London is 10!

• 8th January 2023, 11:00am

We turned 10!

Sunday Assembly London has grown from a tiny egg of an idea from comedians Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones into a totally rad double-digits ten-year-old. And like all the cool kids, we had a birthday party to celebrate!

Like all the best parties, there was cake, games, candles to blow out and a magician. Yes, we partied and have a good time with a real-life maker of magic.

We also sang along to some much-loved classic pop tunes, as voted for by members of the community.

Living Your Quest Life

• 22nd January 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Sam Furness

In a hectic, money-driven society it can sometimes seem impossible to live creatively, reconnect with our imaginations and ponder the everyday wonders of our world.

In 2016, our speaker Sam Furness of Channel Twelve set himself a challenge. He would immerse himself in a different form of creativity each month, in his spare time, for a year. And so Sam began an awfully big adventure which eventually led him to launch his own company and help others live creatively and expand the way they see the world, through monthly Creative Quests.

As well as finding out how you too can live your Quest life, we’ll be singing along with the Sunday Assembly band to some rockin’ tunes, listening to poetry from the wondrous Kay Scorah and lots more.

And of course there will be singing, mini talks to listen to and tea, coffee and cake at the end.

Blowing Hot and Cold

• 5th February 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Phil Wiles

There’s more to a fridge than meets the eye.

Sunday assembler Phil Wiles loves talking to people about how the world works and what makes us human. He also likes drinking large quantities of coffee. Phil will be combining these super likes to tell us how fridges changed what we eat, what diseases we get and the climate we live in. And he’ll spill the beans on how fridges work and the surprising role they could play in future energy crises.

And of course there will be singing, mini talks to listen to and tea, coffee and cake at the end.

The Science of Poetry

• 19th February 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Dr Robin Lamboll

Poetry explores the limits of language – but how good is it at actually communicating? Do poetic constraints change what poems say? We explore how to think about communicating information scientifically, how different languages communicate ideas and what that means for trying to spread scientific concepts through poetry.

Dr Robin Lamboll researches climate change at Imperial College London, and writes poetry inspired by the intersection between the human and natural world. Robin has won the UK, Vogon and Madrid International poetry slam finals, and came second in the World Cup of Slam in 2019. They have given a TEDx talk on poetry and science communication and performed everywhere from the Royal Albert Hall and music festivals to universities and COP26

Your host for the assembly is Matt Lockwood. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community. 

Embracing Equity

• 5th March 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Miranda Grell

As we get ready to celebrate International Women’s Day it raises questions as to how we promote inclusivity and recognition of each other’s unique experiences within our daily lives

To lead us in this exploration we are delighted to be joined by Miranda Grell. Miranda is a barrister at Staple Inn Chambers, she was awarded the Law Works Pro Bono Award in 2017, she is also an equality advocate and is advisor to the civil rights organisation Black Equity.

Miranda will share her experiences both as a professional and a campaigner to look at what embracing equality means in an intersectional context particularly with regards to women’s rights and racial justice, including black transwomen. Miranda will explore how these overlap and how allies such as ourselves can play our part in making the world a better place.

Your host for the assembly is Emily Rowan.

Common Threads

• 19th March 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Leonora Nicholson

Leonora Nicholson is the founder of Unheard Poetry, an organisation with a mission to make poetry more accessible. Unheard Poetry strives to put poetry in unexpected places and this time that unexpected place will be a coat! They have worked with poets across the UK to collect 38 poems which have been turned into an actual walking piece of poetry.

Come along to hear about the creative process, change your perspective on poetry and get a exclusive look at the poetry coat.

Your assembly host will be Andrew Hoerlein.

Once You Were A Dinosaur Snack

• 2nd April 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Richard Robinson

Scientists have spent years puzzling over the history of humanity. Other scientists are curious about our mysterious oddities: why we yawn, what are goosebumps and hiccups, or what’s the point of sunbathing. Lo! We find the answer to one is the answer to the other. You see once upon a time you were a fish, then a mouse, then a monkey… and your body keeps memories of those times. Your 14 billion year story is full of adventures.

Richard Robinson (founder of the Brighton Science Festival) will uncover, with those oddities as clues, along with demonstrations, videos, chat, games and tricks (you will learn how to waggle your ears!)

People and Places

• 16th April 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Olivia Evershed

Relationships are formed via a connection with place – or more specifically, land and earth. What’s even more fascinating is the far-reaching impacts of climate change and the way in which these changes in the planet influence how people live and interact with one another.

We’re delighted to have Olivia Evershed talk about how such change has helped to forge and strengthen relationships between communities, and also how people without a deep connection to the land and the place they are living can learn to invest in the environment through group programmes as well as individual acts. She has experienced such things first hand in her valuable work with various communities.

Your assembly host will be the wonderful Matt Lockwood.

Goodbye Furry Friend

• 7th May 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Sieske Valk

Losing your pet hurts. For some people, it hurts more than losing a human relative. And we can’t just “get another one” as some people around us might suggest. The loss of pets is still a very unacknowledged kind of grief and we feel awkward if our heart feels broken for longer than the allowed few days society permits it.

Sieske Valk will be talking about why we should become more comfortable around talking about our pets getting older and eventually passing away and why now is the right time to start.

She is the founder of Autumn Animals, London’s first holistic mobile veterinary clinic that specialises in improving the quality of life for injured, ill and elderly pets – and their families. With twenty years of experience in veterinary care and working as an End of life Doula for pets, Sieske has been on both sides of pet loss and is not afraid to start the difficult conversation.”

Dance is Radical

• 21st May 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Alan Gregan
• Poet: Emma Fisher

Dance occupies a funny place in the English psyche; can you think of an activity we engage with so enthusiastically and regularly, but also so badly. Why was it banned by Oliver Cromwell and the priest in Footloose? Why was the government so threatened by “music wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”? When society wants us to be cerebral observers of culture, dance allows us to be visceral participants.

We’re delighted to have our very own Alan Gregan deliver a talk on how we in England live, how we dance and how we can use dance to explore and practise different ways of living. Alan is a dancer, a teacher and a Sunday Assembly community member. He has been learning styles under the swing umbrella for 12 years and teaching since 2015.

We will also have Emma Fisher deliver a movement workshop that explores what it might be like to tune into the language of our bodies, developing internal connectivity to allow for greater outer expressivity, and beginning to re-choreograph narratives about self, other and community. Emma is a professional dancer and registered Dance Movement Psychotherapist. Her performance career has taken her across 5 continents, collaborating with artists and choreographers.

Your host for the assembly is Anj Cairns.

Guessed List: Predicting In Real Life

• 4th June 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Nathan Young
• Poet: Hannah Deasy

Sometimes life is a coin toss. Sometimes it’s a foregone conclusion. The problem is telling the difference, but this is a skill you can improve. Whether you want to know how your next date will go or who will win the US election, you can learn when to be confident and when to be uncertain. Nathan Young, a forecaster at the Swift Centre, has a few tips for adding predictions into your toolkit. You’ll enjoy it. Probably.

Nathan predicts events in geopolitics, AI and pandemics, and builds forecasting tools online. He also founded the Coronavirus Tech Handbook. Beyond that, he likes singing and hosting community dinners. If you have an idea for a forecasting question, he’d love to hear it at @nathanpmyoung on twitter.

We’re also very much looking forward to Hannah Deasy in our poetry slot! Hannah offers hard -hitting, vulnerable and often hilarious spoken word. Unpredictable, raw, warm and not afraid to dish the dirt on the state of her mental health, she holds crowds gripped with her personal true stories, skilfully intertwined with supremely well observed jokes.

We’ve Got Pride

• 18th June 2023, 11:00am
• Speaker: Chris Fitchew
• Poet: Tom Ana

Chris Fitchew is part jester, part comedian, full joy alchemist and space holder who has travelled the world to hone his crafts, including working with plant medicines in Peru, vortex energy healing and working with many great teachers and Wisdom Sharers. He believes that one of the greatest access points in finding our purpose and self-healing is through laughter, joy, and play; for ourselves and our communities.

Chris brings his life story to this Sunday Assembly London Pride special, as he shares how he managed to pivot and transmute a childhood of shame to a life of pride, and fears a plenty into Joy in abundance.

Tom Ana will be the guest poet for this Assembly. They are a nonbinary writer and facilitator from the North of England, and run the Queer Poetry Circle, a space that aims to create a new oral tradition through exploring poetry; Queer Spiritual Explorers, a group for interfaith exploration for LGBTQ+ people, and are a co-facilitator at the Queer Death Café.

What kind of future do we want?

• 3rd July 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: David Wood

Fast-changing technology might bring all kinds of benefits. Or plunge us into dystopia. At least, that’s what Hollywood and Netflix suggest. How can we assess which future scenarios are truly credible? And how can we go beyond “future shock” at some of these ideas, to figure out which scenarios are truly desirable – and which others are to be feared? David Wood, Chair of London Futurists, will join us to help us explore how life could become significantly better in just a few short decades. He’ll share his views about the future of health, the future of work, the future of communities, and the future of sustainability. Prepare to wonder!

‘Apple Pie Part 2’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilci9y6uN4M

Exceptional Individuals

• 17th July 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Matt Boyd
• Guest speaker: Victoria Melody

One of the most positive developments of the 21st century has been the acceptance and understanding of neurodiversity. First coined in 1998, ‘neurodiversity’ is the idea that certain developmental disorders and learning difficulties are normal variations in the brain, and are essential strands in the fabric of humanity. Our main speaker, Matt Boyd, will talk to us about the organisation he founded, Exceptional Individuals, which helps neurodivergent people find work that suits their unique set of traits as well as assisting employers in supporting their neurodivergent staff.

Hosted by renowned slam poet Robin Lamboll, this assembly will include summer-y sing-alongs with the Sunday Assembly Band, a guest performer, and a talk from a member of our community who is Trying Their Best. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community. 

Picnics

• 31st July, 7th August, 21st August

Create communities, not cults

• 4th September 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Matthew McNaught
• Performer: Variety D

Just as the famous Cheers theme tune goes, “you want to be where everybody knows your name”. We all want to feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves and that we belong. What does a group of people need to do to feel connected? What kinds of shared values need to be established in order to build a community that has strong foundations capable of withstanding growth and change over time? And what possible dangers or pitfalls can such a collective encounter? At our next assembly, author Matthew McNaught will share his own spiritual journey as described in his essay “Immanuel” and explore the ways in which communities that start with the best intentions are often plagued by tyranny and corruption.

Hosted by co-founder of Sunday Assembly Sanderson Jones, this gathering will bring us together with moving sing-alongs led by the Sunday Assembly Band, poetry by guest performer Variety D, and a talk from Joshua Becker, a member of our community who is an expert on collective consciousness. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

This Technicoloured Life

• 18th September 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Sue Kreitzman

One day, while acclaimed TV chef and cookbook author Sue Kreitzman added the final touches to her 27th cookbook, she had an epiphany: she made a doodle of a mermaid, and fell in love with it. Until that moment, she thought she was incapable of making art herself, only admiring the art of others. Soon she began drawing and painting on anything in reach using whatever materials appealed to her. There was no plan or purpose, just a passion for creating with colour. She joined London’s Outsider Art movement in the early 2000s and has never looked back. Her riotously joyful colour palette is as visible in the way she dresses as in her art – indeed, she is a walking work of art.

At this assembly, Sue will talk about her love of self-expression through clothing and her involvement with the Colour Walk community: a group of people who meet up monthly to wear colourful clothing together. So we’re inviting all of you to dress up in your most vibrant threads. Get creative and make some accessories too, by turning objects into wearable art!

Hosted by poet and author Anj Cairns, this assembly will include colourful sing-alongs with the Sunday Assembly Band and a talk from Lizetta Lyster, a member of our community who has lived a very colourful life! Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

Something inside so strong

• 2nd October 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Andrew Hoerlein
• Poet: Alex Williams

Booker T Washington wrote that “…success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” At this assembly, community member Andrew Hoerlein will share the story of his own life-changing obstacle when he fell from a mountain and was rescued by paramedics. Forced to put his trust in others for his own survival, he became fascinated by the work they do, leading him on a path to become one of them. Andrew will talk about what it means to hold someone else’s life in your hands and the importance of making plans for our own eventual ends.

We will also honour Black History Month with sing-along songs by black artists and a poetry reading on this theme by Alex Williams. Our event will be hosted by Matt Lockwood and feature a special performance by the Sunday Assembly London Choir. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

Knowing When to Quit

• 16th October 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Sarah Weiler

Quitting used to have negative connotations- a quitter was once considered weak or lacking in conviction. In recent years the pendulum has swung completely in the opposite direction as people take pride in announcing their ‘dealbreakers’. Sarah Weiler is a Quitting Coach: an expert in guiding people through periods in their lives when they need to make difficult decisions. At this assembly, Sarah will teach us about the methods she uses to help people decide whether the time is right to move on or they should stay the course.

This assembly will be hosted by Mags Houston, the Head of Projects and Communications at Drug Science. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

Dig into the Past

• 6th November 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Maiya Pina-Dacier
• Poet: Cheryl Cohen

Let’s go on a DigVenture! Move over, Indiana Jones, and catch ya later, Lara Croft; make room for Maiya! Maiya Pina-Dacier is an archaeologist and Head of Community at DigVentures, an organisation that helps ordinary people experience the excitement of going on an archaeological dig. She’ll tell us all about how this incredible organisation got started and what you can do to support their work.

We’ll also hear original poetry by Cheryl Cohen and a talk by Gwawr Thomas, a member of our community who has been on several DigVentures. This event will be hosted by Sunday Assembly’s Adventurer in Chief, Matt Lockwood. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

The First Rule of Mental Fight Club…

• 20th November 2022, 11:00am
• Speakers: Ian McCartney and Neil Coles
• Poet: Norman Welch

Peer support groups exist to help people work through their personal struggles while simultaneously helping others. But they’re not the best fit for everyone. It can feel uncomfortable to sit in a group and talk about each person’s problems. What if there was a better way? Mental Fight Club is an open, welcoming group which puts on exciting, well-organised and inspirational creative events and projects. Its aim is to narrow the divide between the ‘ill’ and the ‘well’ through social engagement. Ian McCartney, Development Director at Mental Fight Club, and Neil Coles, the Senior Project Manager will talk about this amazing charitable organisation that has benefited countless people since its inception in 2003.

This assembly will be hosted by street art blogger Stuart Holdsworth and will feature poetry by Norman Welch. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

The How of Happy

• 4th December 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Ariane Sherine
• Poet: Christopher Kraken

When we chase happiness, it runs away like a cat when you’re trying to give it a bath, but the world of pop psychology is filled with competing advice that either claims it can help you catch it or warns you not to seek it out at all.

Comedian Ariane Sherine was determined to find the true path to happiness, so she enrolled public health expert David Conrad to help out (and write a book in the process). She’ll be talking about what the studies say you should do to find happiness in your relationships, your friendships, your finances, your sex life and your career.

This assembly will be hosted by resident human guinea pig Matt Lockwood and will feature poetry by Christopher Kraken. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

Yule Rock 2022

• Friday 9th December 2022, 7:00pm

Come one, come all to Sunday Assembly London’s annual seasonal sing-along, Yule Rock! We’re decking the halls and jingling our bells as we return to Conway Hall for the most festive night of the year. All your favourite Christmas classics will be included, from Elton to Wizzard, plus a few surprises, as always. Hosted by Master of the Master of Ceremonies and permanent member of the Naughty List Sanderson Jones, this event will feature music by our community band and choir, a cashless bar serving alcoholic and alcohol-free beverages (please bring your card or smartphone), and complimentary mince pies.

Dress your silliest, sparkliest best- Christmas jumpers, baubles, fairy lights, antlers, and any wintry delights are welcome! This all-ages party will be full of joy for family and friends.

Yule Rock is brought to you by Sunday Assembly London, a secular community that celebrates life under the motto “Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More”. We are part of a global movement for good, and we welcome all who welcome all. Our congregation meets twice a month at Conway Hall in Holborn to hear inspiring talks, sing together, and get to know each other over tea and cake.

Snow Globe

• 18th December 2022, 11:00am

Ho, ho, snow!

It’s that time again when we round up the end of the year with a festive celebration. Join us for seasonal songs and tales of wonder from around the (snow) globe, all performed by members of the Sunday Assembly London community.

Don’t tell anyone, but we heard a rumour that a special someone in a red and white suit may make an appearance – Hail Santa!

Join us at Conway Hall for all the singing, tea and biscuits and some jolly old XMAS JOY!

It’s my PARTY and I’ll DRY if I want to

• 23rd January 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Laura Willoughby
• Poet: Gecko

Happy New Year, and happy 9th birthday to Sunday Assembly! We’ve got a lot to celebrate, but we want to make sure we’re celebrating in a way that is completely by choice, not hindered by social pressure or habit. That’s why we’ve invited Laura Willoughby, co-founder of Club Soda, to be our main speaker at this assembly. She will teach us all about ‘mindful drinking’, and how we can empower ourselves to make conscious decisions about our alcohol consumption.

This assembly will be hosted by street art blogger at Inspiring City, Stu Holdsworth. We’ll get this party started with some rockin’ tunes performed by the Sunday Assembly band as well as our returning guest performer, Gecko! And a community member will give a talk about their own mindful drinking journey.

Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community. And later in the afternoon we’ll take a group trip to Club Soda’s pop-up storefront to taste some delicious alcohol-free beverages.

Lunch at Nando’s after the assembly:

Sex on the Brain

• 6th February 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Zoe Cormier

The more we study biology across the animal kingdom, the more we learn what a special evolutionary gift human sexual pleasure is. The fact that it has been deliberately maligned, misunderstood, and stigmatised throughout history should make us feel even more grateful that we live in a time when we can be free to express our true selves.

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Zoe Cormier, science communicator and author of ‘Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll: The Science of Hedonism and the Hedonism of Science’ will share some amusing anecdotes which reveal deeper truths about human desire.

This assembly will be hosted by poet and author Anj Cairns. As always, the Sunday Assembly Band will help you get your groove on, and we’ll hear some poetry and words from members of our community. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations.

Becoming what you are

• 20th February 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Sasha Gay Smith

No one chooses where they come from. Some of us are born with more advantages than others. But in the long run, it’s the choices we make in our lives that determine our success or failure. Sasha Gay Smith, founder and director of the London-based company I AM IN ME, will talk to us about what motivates her to guide young people on their journeys to improve their lives and become their absolute best selves.

In addition to the main talk we invite you to sing along to some epic tunes with the Sunday Assembly band. We’ll also have a special performance by our choir as well as a talk by a Sunday Assembler who is “Trying Their Best”. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

Thinking Like a Woman

• 6th March 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: George Halfin

Eleanor Roosevelt once famously said, “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.” At the start of the pandemic George Halfin, project manager at a national charity, Innate Health coach, and mum of two found herself in ‘hot water’. Furloughed from her job, struggling with home-schooling and with her husband’s work also in flux she began thinking seriously about her situation and the state of the world. At risk of drowning in the negative chatter of her personal thinking, she reached out for a lifeline: she was lucky enough to know other women who had learned a way through their own struggles.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, George will speak to us about what she learned from these women, and how they motivated her to bring their inspiring stories together in her book, “A Life Less Serious.”

Our singalongs:

• Man! I Feel Like a Woman – Shania Twain
• I’m Every Woman – Chaka Khan
• (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin
• Wannabe – Spice Girls

Detoxing Masculinity

• 20th March 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Jerry Hyde
• Poet: Keith Jarrett

From violence against women and girls, to shocking mental health outcomes for men – how do we heal masculinity to create a better world for all people? Bringing men into the feminist fold is essential, but can be tough. There’s a lot of toxicity out there blocking the way to self-work, men’s work, the work of allyship – and men can feel called out and shamed in the face of righteous anger. But the work is happening, so: join us for a positive experience of masculinity and being called-in. Together, we can all live better.

Hosted by poet and educator Dan Simpson, this assembly will feature the psychotherapist, filmmaker, and leader of men’s groups for over 20 years, Jerry Hyde, as our main speaker. We are also thrilled to welcome Keith Jarrett as our poet. As always, we invite you to sing your hearts out along with the Sunday Assembly band and stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with others.

Mind your Language

• 3rd April 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Keith Kahn-Harris
• Poet: Andrew Rae

In our modern world, we have become accustomed to the idea that people speak different languages in different places, and that all we need to do is tap a ‘translate’ button to decipher the code. But languages are more nuanced than that, and it can be difficult to make direct translations. Take, for instance, the warning label found within everyone’s favourite ‘toy-within-a-chocolate-egg’. Because these ovoid confections are sold globally, the enclosed miniature Rosetta Scroll needs to be understood in no less than 34 languages! Each language has its own cultural history and flavour.

Keith Kahn-Harris, author of “The Babel Message: A Love Letter to Language” believes that the messy diversity of language shouldn’t be a source of conflict, but of collective wonder. 

In addition to Keith’s talk, the Sunday Assembly Band will use the language of music to bring us together, and we’ll hear wild and wordy poetry from Andrew Rea [sic]. The icing on our lexical cake will be a talk from community member Hanna Finn in a segment we call This Much I Know. Stick around after for tea and meaningful chat with others.

Sunday Assembly’s Got Talent

Friday 8th April 2022, 8:00pm

Do you like to tell jokes? Juggle? Play an instrument? Now’s your time to shine in Sunday Assembly London’s first-ever talent show! This all-ages event will be made by you and for you. We’re looking for a wide range of acts, from poets and storytellers to magicians and musicians. So polish up your circus acts and your dancing shoes and sign up to take part. And don’t worry if you’ve never performed before. The audience will be filled with family and friends who want to support you and cheer you on.

Emcee’d by the Host with the Most, Sanderson Jones, we’re amping up the fun with a bingo game and a raffle! Sunday Assembly’s Got Talent is a fundraising event for Sunday Assembly London, a secular community that celebrates life under the motto “Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More.” All money raised from this event will go towards sustaining our programming for this talented community.

The uneggspected: Tales of lost and found

• 17th April 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Rina Atienza
• Performer: Harriet Braine

During the medieval times of Western Christianity, abstinence from eating flesh meat, which included eggs, was part of the Lenten fast, a 40-day period of penitential preparation that starts after Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Day). Nowadays, Easter is celebrated with the decadence of chocolate goods.

But long before the packaged consumption of sugar, artists embraced the idea of hiding secret images in their work, hoping that others would see and appreciate them. Rina Atienza, our main speaker, is a lecturer at Kingston School of Art who will show us some of these hidden ‘easter eggs’ and irreverently guide us to explore what we might be missing about this ritual.

Our singalongs:

• I’m So Excited (‘Eggcited’) – Pointer Sisters
• Lay All Your Love on Me (L’Oeuf) – ABBA
• Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs – Brian & Michael

The Art of Protest

• 1st May 2022, 11:00am
• Speakers/performers: Stop Shopping Choir UK

In 1998, actor and playwright William Talen became so angered by the mass consumerism that had taken over city life in New York that he began protesting in Times Square. But it wasn’t a normal protest; it was more like a performance. He developed an over-the-top Billy Graham-esque character, and accompanied by a choir filled with people who believed as he did – that shopping culture was destroying communities as well as the planet – his irreverent act grew from a street act into a movement.

In 2021, as Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir made plans to tour the UK to spread their message of earth-consciousness leading up to COP26 in Glasgow, they invited some of their British followers to join them. Now Stop Shopping UK is embarking on their own journey, and they’ll share their story and their message with us through speech and song.

Our singalongs:

• Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution – Tracy Chapman
• If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next – Manic Street Preachers
• What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes

Periods of Change

• 15th May 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Chella Quint

Chella Quint, science communicator, educator, and comedian, coined the term ‘period positive’ for the 2006 tour of her “Adventures in Menstruating” comedy show and workshops. During the tour, she realised that more and more people were looking for a way to teach a positive approach to menstruation education. Her goal is to counter all of the negative portrayals of periods in the media, which lead young people to feel shame and disgust about their bodies.

In addition to the main talk and performance, we will hear from a member of our community who is Trying Their Best to deal with a period of change. And as always, we will enjoy some positively excellent sing-along songs with the Sunday Assembly Band. Stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with others.

How to make an apple pie from scratch

• 5th June 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Harry Cliff

Thanks to some pesky particles, we had to cancel our final assembly of 2021. But the good news is that we were able to reschedule our speaker from that assembly, particle physicist Harry Cliff, for our 5th of June Jubilations! While exploring the history of time (very briefly) starting from a fraction of a second after our universe began, Harry’s talk will include personal stories of his own life in the modern world of physics.

In addition to Harry’s talk, we’ll enjoy some out-of-this-world rock and pop sing-alongs led by our community band and hear poetry by David Lee Morgan. Please stay after for tea, apple pies, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

Queer Britain

• 19th June 2022, 11:00am
• Speaker: Dan Vo

Our main speaker, Dan Vo, is an award-winning LGBTQ+ tour coordinator and museum consultant. As the marketing manager for the new Queer Britain Museum, the UK’s first LGBTQ+ museum, he will talk to us about why it’s so important to have a place where people can go to learn about the history of queer culture.

In addition to Dan’s talk, we’ll hear poetry by Sanah Ahsan, a clinical psychologist and 2019 Outspoken Prize winner for Performance Poetry. And as always, we’ll sing our hearts out to pop and rock songs performed by our community band and hear the voices of our choir sing loud and proud. Please stay after for tea, biscuits, and engaging conversations with members of our community.

Queer Intentions

• 7th July 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Amelia Abraham
• Poet: Jenny Foulds

Today, the options and freedoms on offer to LGBTQ+ people living in the West are greater than ever before. But is same-sex marriage, improved media visibility and corporate endorsement all it’s cracked up to be? At what cost does this acceptance come? And who is getting left behind, particularly in parts of the world where LGBTQ+ rights aren’t so advanced?

For this Pride special Sunday Assembly we are so excited to have journalist Amelia Abraham coming to speak with us. Amelia will be talking about her latest book Queer Intentions: A (Personal) Journey Through LGBTQ+ Culture, where she travels to 8 countries in the West looking at the unprecedented levels of acceptance and visibility on offer to LGBTQ+ people and looks at some of the potential drawbacks and catches. Here, for Pride month, she explains what she learned along the way, and asks what we really mean when we talk about LGBTQ+ equality.

Amelia Abraham is a journalist from London. She has worked as an editor at Vice, Refinery29 and Dazed. Her main interest is LGBTQ+ identity politics, and she has written on this topic for the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent, the Sunday Times, the New Statesman, ES Magazine, i-D and Vogue.

We also have the wonderful Jenny Foulds coming to perform some spoken word for us!

Then we’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Rewilding the City Slicker

• 21st July 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Tony Riddle
• Poet: Anj Cairns

If you come along to Sunday Assembly London, chances are you live in this urban jungle we call home. How connected to you feel to nature in your day to day concrete-life? Do you want to take a journey back to the wilder version of yourself? – Then this assembly is for you! And before you ask, no, we aren’t all going to be hopping on a bus to the forest!

This assembly will be our last for summer (we are back in September) so we wanted to set you up for some outdoor adventures. We are so excited to have Tony Riddle along to speak with us! Tony has spent twenty years studying the modern condition and working on ways to free us from its constraints to achieve total wellness.

“If we can recognise where nature is missing from our lives we can reconnect with it and fall back in love with it, and in doing so can shake the angst-inducing monkey off our collective back” – sounds good, right?

We also have the wonderful Anj Cairns coming to perform some spoken word for us and Katherine Sirrell is Trying Her Best.

Then we’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Community Picnics

• 4th and 18th August 2019, 11:00am

Now that Sunday Assembly is on its usual summer break from Conway Hall, there’s no need to miss us too much! Join us in the nearby Lincoln’s Inn Fields from 11am this Sunday for a Potluck Picnic (feel free to bring things to share with labels for eating preferences), a Summer Song Singalong, Lawn Games, Board Games, Pavement Poetry and a free Ukulele class (bring your own Uke if you want to join in!). Dogs welcome too! 

What We Throw Away and Where It Goes

• 1st September 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Daniel Webb

This September 1st we’re returning to Conway Hall fresh off our summer break to discuss one of the biggest trending topics of 2019 – WASTE.

It’s estimated that only 4% of over 295 BILLION pieces of plastic thrown away annually in the UK is actually being recycled. Are we being lied to about recycling? Because clearly, recycling is not enough.

We’re super excited to hear from Daniel Webb, founder of Everyday Plastic, as our main speaker. Daniel was commissioned to make a giant mural of all the plastic he threw away in a year, and then co-authored “Everyday Plastic: what we throw away and where it goes” with scientist Dr Julie Schneider, based on his analysis, which he’ll be talking about on the day.

We’re also kicking-off 4 months of SA London Labs, where we’ll be experimenting with all the elements that make Sunday Assembly, bringing in community ideas and getting collaborative to make our community the best we can be!

As always alongside that we will have some wonderful spoken word from Binky Hyde, mass singalongs to some of our favourite pop songs, hearing stories from a member of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Living Your Best Life

• 15th September 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: James Wallman
• Poet: Anj Cairns

Ever find yourself scrolling mindlessly through your feed with a niggling feeling you could be doing something more satisfying? Or returned from a holiday wondered whether it had really been worth it?

This coming Sunday, author and speaker James Wallman talks to us about his life-changing rules for creating exciting and enriching experiences, and making the most of our leisure time in the face of an ever-longer list of things to do!

Then we have the wonderful Anj Cairns coming to do some found poetry for us as well as our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite pop songs, hearing stories from a member of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

We’re also continuing SA London Labs, where we’ll be experimenting with all the elements that make Sunday Assembly, bringing in community ideas and getting collaborative to make our community the best we can be!

Our Incredible Ocean

• 6th October 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Caroline Riggs

The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and contains some of the most amazing creatures on this planet. We’ll be taking some time on Sunday 6th October to wonder at just how incredible they are.

Caroline Riggs is the granddaughter of a lighthouse keeper, and she innately loves the seas, spending her spare time convincing everyone they should love them too! She works with Incredible Oceans, an organisation telling critical ocean-saving stories through the arts and science.

Our host, Sanderson Jones, will also be introducing amazing spoken word performance, someone from the community telling us how they’re Trying Their Best, and then mass singalongs to some of our favourite pop songs and drinking a vat of tea afterwards!

We’re also continuing SA London Labs, where we’ll be experimenting with all the elements that make Sunday Assembly, bringing in community ideas and getting collaborative to make our community the best we can be!

Small Steps, Big Ideas

• 20th October 2019, 11:00am

• Speakers: Jangala‘s team

We’re thrilled to be bringing you this weekends Sunday Assembly as part of the Bloomsbury Festival. Small Steps, Big Ideas is a celebration of endeavour, progress, and pioneering achievements.

Our speakers this week are from Jangala, a UK-based charity dedicated to enabling internet access for people in need of urgent humanitarian aid or longer-term development assistance.

In situations of natural and manmade disaster, existing communications networks can fail – exactly when the need for them is the greatest. Jangala have developed Big Box, a piece of equipment which enables WiFi – something so essential during humanitarian emergencies, where coordination and communication are vital.

Our host, Sanderson Jones, will also be introducing amazing spoken word performance, someone from the community telling us how they’re Trying Their Best, and then mass singalongs to some of our favourite pop songs and drinking a vat of tea afterwards!

We’re also continuing SA London Labs, where we’ll be experimenting with all the elements that make Sunday Assembly, bringing in community ideas and getting collaborative to make our community the best we can be!

Social Mobility

• 3rd November 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Rachael Catherine
• Poet: Dennis Evans

The social structure of the UK has historically been highly influenced by the concept of social class, which continues to affects our society today. Statistics tell us that children of highly paid individuals are more likely to end up in highly paid careers and children of low paid individuals are more likely to be low earners. If you’re someone born into a lower socioeconomic bracket, how do you break out of that cycle? – This is social mobility, the subject of our assembly this week.

We are thrilled to have Rachael Catherine speaking with us at this assembly. Rachael is a young Mancunian with council estate roots and passion firmly placed in tackling class inequality. She works for RECLAIM, a youth-leadership and social change charity, working with working class young people with an aim of ending leadership inequality.

Most of her work is centred in the belief that too few social change leaders come from the backgrounds of the problems they seek to address – particularly from personal experience, she wants to promote the idea that lived experience should be valued as expertise.

We will have an amazing spoken word performance from Dennis Evans and someone from the community telling us how they’re Trying Their Best.

Then as usual, mass singalongs to some of our favourite pop songs and drinking a vat of tea afterwards!

We’re also continuing SA London Labs, where we’ll be experimenting with all the elements that make Sunday Assembly, bringing in community ideas and getting collaborative to make our community the best we can be!

Outrageous Statistics

• 17th November 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Zoe Griffiths

If you’re lucky enough to be a resident of Hackney or Tower Hamlets you’ll by now have completed your practice Census for the Office for National Statistics. Census 2021 is a few years away yet, but it’s got us thinking about numbers and statistics!

In this assembly we are thrilled to have mathematician Zoe Griffiths speaking with us. Zoe will explore the multitude of ways outrageous conclusions can seemingly legitimately be reached using statistics, from misrepresentation of data to people lying in surveys. Expect a humorous journey through the subject area and the chance to take part in some live experiments. This talk is your chance to do some very bad statistics and also learn how to avoid these classic pitfalls.

We will also have some performing arts and someone from the community telling us how they’re Trying Their Best.

Then as usualy, mass singalongs to some of our favourite pop songs and drinking a vat of tea afterwards!

We’re also continuing SA London Labs, where we’ll be experimenting with all the elements that make Sunday Assembly, bringing in community ideas and getting collaborative to make our community the best we can be!

Please remember, Sunday Assembly London is free to attend and runs entirely on donations. Please support us if you can to keep it free for those who can’t.

Purpose and Passion

• 1st December 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Caroline Ludbrook

What gives your life purpose? How do you bring fire and passion to the work you do? Caroline Ludbrook, this week’s main speaker, inspires others to greatness as a regional manager for Shannon Trust, a charity which aims to teach people in the prison system to learn to read. But Caroline’s path to finding her purpose in life began much earlier, when she started volunteering with the Brownies at age 14. Caroline’s years as a Brownie leader have taught her how to find the passion within herself to not only achieve her own goals, but help others to reach theirs.

In addition to Caroline’s inspiring talk, we’ll also belt out some of our favourite sing-along pop tunes, hear how a member of the community is Trying Their Best, and afterwards, celebrate with tea and cake.

We’re also continuing SA London Labs by experimenting with all the elements that compose Sunday Assembly, gathering feedback from everyone in attendance and collaborating to make our community the best it can be!

A Star is Born

• 15th December 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Harry Cliff
• Poet: Jenny Mitchell

For our last assembly of the year, our main speaker is Harry Cliff, the renowned particle physicist who puts the ‘cool’ in Newton’s Law of Cooling! He will take us on a journey through the life cycle of stars, and explain how one in particular may have had an enormous impact on the story of Christmas: The Star of Bethlehem.

We will also hear poetry from our very own Jenny Mitchell, joint winner of the annual Geoff Stevens’ Memorial Poetry Prize. Her debut collection, Her Lost Language, is the Poetry Kit Book of the Month for November 2019.

And we’ll sing some of our favourite sing-along pop tunes (including a couple of Christmas classics to get you in the spirit for our upcoming Yule Rock!), and celebrate afterwards with tea and cake.

This assembly will be the final experiment of SA London Labs, in which we have played with all the elements that compose Sunday Assembly, gathering feedback from everyone in attendance and collaborating to make our community the best it can be. Please be sure to leave your feedback on the paper slips placed on each seat.

Yule Rock 2019

• 19th December 2019

Photos on Facebook

6th Birthday Celebrations

• 6th January 2019, 11:00am
• Speakers: Tiu de Haan, Shamash Alidina

Our first assembly for 2019 AND our 6th ‘golden’ Birthday! What a date!

Join us in kicking 2019 off with a bombastic BANG and celebrate the past 6 years of Sunday Assembly with 6 of our favourite people from the past year on the 6th of Jan!

It’s a total treat and call us greedy, but, to celebrate this momentous date we will be having not one but TWO speakers, TWO poets and TWO Trying My Best speakers from yesteryear! Don’t say we don’t spoil you!

We are so excited to have Tiu de Haan back to talk to us about the importance of rituals and lead us in a Sunday Assembly ritual. Tiu is a ritual designer, creative facilitator, inspirational speaker, voiceover artist and musician. She creates experiences designed to connect us to our creativity, to each other, to ourselves and to the possibility of wonder.

Our second speaker is Shamash Alidina, co-founder of the Museum of Happiness, author of Mindfulness for Dummies and all round expert on Kindfulness! Shamash will be leading us on an extra special mediation to get our heads in the right space for the year ahead!

This Sunday Assembly will be hosted by our co-founder Sanderson Jones and we will have two of our favourite poets from 2018 performing.

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, an awesome spoken word artist, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Trusting Your Superpower

• 20th January 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: CK Goldiing
• Poet: Laurie Bolger

It’s time to take a little look inwards and onwards to 2019 and beyond!

So, let’s cut to the chase, what are your superpowers? And are you expressing them in your daily life?

For our next assembly we have CK Goldiing coming to teach us all to TRUST OURSELVES and how to live out our superpowers TO THE MAX!

Our speaker this week is writer, creator & presenter, CK’s uplifting stories have been championed by BBC, Huffington Post, Red Bull, Metro & Evening Standard. Fascinated by the psychology of everyday people, his projects are rooted in his spontaneous interactions with strangers – ordinary people he encounters in his everyday life.

In 2018, his debut short film, ’61 HUGS’ is CK’s most personal story yet, revealing what happened when he approached 61 total strangers in the street, and asked each for a hug.

A self-confessed overthinker, forever battling his own crippling self-talk, CK comes to Sunday Assembly London to share how he overcomes his intrusive inner dialogue and finds the will to create such bold, ambitious, inspiring stories.

This Sunday Assembly will be hosted by our co-founder Sanderson Jones and we will have the amazing Laurie Bolger doing some poetry for us.

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, an awesome spoken word artist, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Running For a Reason

• 3rd February 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Ivo Gormley
• Poet: John Wheeler

With January now over, maybe all of your very well intended health/ fitness/ wellbeing goals have taken a bit of a back seat, as the reality of 2019 sets in… Are you looking for a reason to get back on track? A ‘Reason To Run’, perhaps?

This week we have the Ivo Gormley from the GoodGym coming to help us get up, get out and get motivated! This assembly is all about Living Better and Helping Often! Pow Pow!

Goodgym is a growing movement of runners who run to help older people and community organisations. As well as starting that, Ivo has worked on increasing user participation for technology startups and public services in the UK and US. He directed the documentary film Us Now, an exploration of participatory culture which was broadcast around the world and his film The Runners has been watched by millions!

This Sunday Assembly will be hosted by our co-founder Sanderson Jones and we will have the wonderful John Wheeler doing some poetry for us.

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, an awesome spoken word artist, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Living With OCD

• 7th February 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Dr David Adam
• Poet: Christy Ku

Have you ever had a strange urge to jump from a tall building, or steer your car into oncoming traffic? You are not alone. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder comes in many shapes and forms and affects around 1.2% of the UK population.

This week we are very excited to have best selling author Dr David Adam coming to speak with us! David is the author of Sunday Star Times best seller ‘The Man Who Couldn’t Stop – The Truth About OCD’.

David will teach us about what it’s like to live with OCD and explore the weird thoughts that exist within every mind, and how they drive millions of us towards obsessions and compulsions. This assembly will be sure to challenge the way you think about what is normal, and what is mental illness.

This Sunday Assembly will be hosted by our co-founder Sanderson Jones( his last assembly hosting for a few months!) and we will have the wonderful Christy Ku doing some poetry for us.

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, an awesome spoken word artist, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

There’s More To Reading Than Words

• 3rd March 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Anj Cairns
• Poet: Esi Yankey

I’m going to assume that (unless you have some futuristic dictating technology or someone is reading aloud), if you’re reading this right now, you can probably read.

Reading is part of our society, we read to learn, we read to stay connected, to keep updated with the world around us – to broaden our horizons. Reading empowers us. But imagine how shut off and disconnected from society you would feel if you couldn’t read?

This Sunday we are so excited to have Anj Cairns the CEO of Shannon Trust – an organisation which supports thousands of prisoners a year to transform their lives by unlocking the power of reading. They inspire and train prisoners who can read to teach prisoners who can’t.

We will also have the wonderful Esi from Poetry Prescribed reading some poems to us.

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, an awesome spoken word artist, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

The Science of Living Longer

• 17th March 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Richard Faragher
• Poet: Elie Karslake

What causes ageing? How does it make us ill? Can we all extend our lives beyond 120 years in good health? What will it cost? If we could, would we want to? And if not, why not? The answers are both simple and more complex than you might think.

Our wonderful speaker this week is Richard Faragher – Professor of Biogerontology. Richard works on the relationship between cell and organismal ageing. He is past chair of the British Society for Research on Ageing, the International Association of Biomedical Gerontology and the American Aging Association. He has won the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Medal for his research into the accelerated ageing disease Werner’s syndrome. He is the first scientist to be honoured by Help the Aged for his championship of older people and holds the Lord Cohen of Birkenhead Medal for services to gerontology.

This assembly will be hosted by our co-founder Sanderson Jones. We will also have the amazing Elie Karslake from London Laughter doing poetry for us.

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, an awesome spoken word artist, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Why We Dream

• 7th April 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Alice Robb
• Poet: Daniel Piper

Following the success of our Sleep assembly late last year, we have decided to delve a little deeper into our night-time lives. For the next Sunday Assembly we are asking, Why Do We Dream? And what are dreams?

To answer these questions we are SO excited to have Alice Robb – who has come all the way from New York! Alice is a journalist and the author of Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of Our Nightly Journey, which has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR, The Guardian, Vogue and Elle, and will be translated into thirteen languages. She graduated from Oxford with a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology and lives in Brooklyn.

This assembly will be hosted by our co-founder Sanderson Jones. We will also the wonderful poet Daniel Piper doing spoken word for us.

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, an awesome spoken word artist, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Let’s Talk About Drugs

• Thursday 11th April, 7:30pm
• Speakers: Stephen Reid, Dr Will Lawn
• Performer: Gemma Rogers

The third Edition of our ‘Lates’ series is coming to Conway Hall this April! And to keep in line with the more risqué subjects we are tackling in this series – It’s all about drugs!

This is an adult only evening gathering, which is ticketed to raise funds for Sunday Assembly London!

If you sometimes struggle to get up on a Sunday (or know someone who does) and would love to come to a Sunday Assembly where we can talk about things that aren’t suitable for children’s ears, this one is for YOU!

For this Edition of SUNDAY ASSEMBLY LATES we have Co-Founder of the UK Psychedelic Society, Stephen Reid. Stephen is a social entrepreneur, activist and public speaker. Previously, he served as a board member of Greenpeace UK, co-founded the New Economics Foundation’s New Economy Organisers Network and worked as a technology consultant for organisations including the Labour Party, the Green Party and 350.org. Stephen has Masters degrees in Physics from the University of Oxford and Complexity Sciences from the University of Bristol.

Our second speaker is Dr Will Lawn – Post-Doctoral Research Associate at University College London. Will we be talking about his research into the effects of cannabis on the teenage mind & brain and the risk of addiction to various drugs. He has also worked closely with the Global Drug Survey team, investigating the use of novel psychoactive substances.

As we as that we have the AMAZING Gemma Rogers coming to perform for us! What a treat!

Them as always, we’ll have our band welcoming you through the doors, some awesome power ballads and all the best Sunday Assembly joy (but at night!).

We will also have a donation based bar so you can enjoy a drink while you listen/ sing/ dance/ sit.

Come have fun while raising some pennies for this fantastic community!

Accepting Your Body

• 5th May 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Becky Young
• Other guests: Melanie Bloch

Are you too fat? Too thin? Too tall? Too short? How do you feel about your body? Your appearance? Do you Accept Your Body?

After a short break in April, we are back at Conway Hall on the 5th May and we are talking BODIES! We are SO excited to have Becky Young coming to speak with us. Becky is the founder and director of the Anti Diet Riot Club, who a stirring things up in the world of Body Positivity!

The 5th of May is also WORLD LAUGHTER DAY! So to celebrate that we will also be having Melanie Bloch and the Museum of Happiness along leading us in some laughs!

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Out of Your Comfort Zone, But Within Your Own Boundaries

• Sunday 19th May 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Yaron Engler
• Poet: Jah-Mir Early

We are often being told to ‘go outside of our comfort zone’ but sometimes that’s not so easy to do. It can feel overwhelming at times and out of touch from where we are at. This week we are so excited to have Yaron Engler from UpBeat coming to speak with us. Yaron is a professional drummer who has performed in front of over 500,000 people all around the world.

He is the founder of UpBeat Performance where he helps
organisations of all sizes to boost the levels of trust,
confidence and engagement of their people towards better
results and well-being.

At this assembly Yaron is going to create a space which will allow us to push ourselves, think differently, act differently and remove our defences – but all within the comfort of our personal boundaries.

We also have the Sunday Assembly favourite – Jah-Mir Early coming to perform some spoken word for us!

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Embracing Your Weirdness

• 2nd June 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Steve Chapman

The outsider’s time has come! In a society that is stuck in loops of common sense where we have an unhealthy attachment to expertise and logical, linear thinking, something counter-intuitive is needed. It is time for a creative revolution. One in which the outsider sits at the table alongside the experts. Where the passionately inexpert play a vital role in unsticking stuckness. All that you need to bring is your own unique and beautiful weirdness!

Our speaker for this assembly is the wonderful Steve Chapman! Steve is an artist, writer, philosopher and speaker who is interested in creativity and the human condition. He has spoken around the world on creativity, written a couple of books and exhibited his art alongside the likes of Pablo Picasso and David Shrigley. He spoke at Sunday Assembly London way back in 2014 and is very much looking forward to returning. He is at his best when he does not know what he is doing.

We’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.

Digital Distractions

• 16th June 2019, 11:00am
• Speaker: Dr Anastasia Dedyukhina
• Performer: Lonan Jenkins

Do you check your email or social media just for a second, and then two hours later find yourself mindlessly clicking on yet another cat video? How about reading something online, and then immediately forgetting what it was about? You are not alone.

This coming Sunday we are so excited to have Dr Anastasia Dedyukhina speaking with us. Anastasia explores, how the internet is changing our brain. Quoting the latest neuroscience research, she explains how digital distractions are preventing us from good decision making and innovative and creative thinking, and will give practical tips on how to coach your brain to stay focused in the age of digital distractions.

Seeing as it’s Father’s Day we also have the wonderful Lonan Jenkins coming to do some father themed story telling for us! AND our very first Sunday Assembly father, Rich Kershaw, doing a Trying My Best!

Then we’ll also be doing our usual: Mass singalongs to some of our favourite power ballads, hearing stories from a number of our community and drinking a vat of tea afterwards.