Conversations on Kindness: How the Power of Kindness can Change the World

11:00 am, July 20 2025

Backyard Comedy Club, Bethnal Green

Speaker: Bernadette Russell

Poet: Adam Lind

Here at Sunday Assembly London, kindness is one of the qualities that we value the most and try to cultivate within our community and beyond. Today we welcomed expert on kindness to help us continue to spread the love!

Our guest speaker: Bernadette Russell

Bernadette Russell is a storyteller, performer, and expert on kindness and hope. For over a decade she has toured the US and UK speaking about the life-changing experience of practising kindness. This was her fifth time speaking at Sunday Assembly London.

With wit and poignancy, Bernadette told us about how London’s 2011 riots inspired her to spend the following year doing an act of kindness every day, touching others’ lives and her own in unexpected ways. She extended her kindness to us by giving us sunflowers and teacakes!

Our guest poet: Adam Lind

Adam Lind gave us the rare privilege of hearing him perform his poetry. He connected with us through three authentic poems whose themes included perceptions of masculinity and setting an example to future generations.

Thank you to Bernadette and Adam for being so appreciative of our Sunday Assembly London community. Their latest books, Conversations on Kindness and Floating Home, are available via our online bookshop.

Our songs

As usual, there were four pop songs performed by our Sunday Assembly London band. They reflected today’s theme of acts of kindness.

  • With A Little Help From My Friends – The Beatles
  • All The Small Things – Blink 182
  • Lean On Me – Bill Withers
  • Shine – Take That

About Sunday Assembly London

Sunday Assembly London is your regular and reliable stop for a welcoming, accessible and inspiring Sunday community, where you can hear talks and poetry, sing songs and make new friends.

Stay after for tea, biscuits, and chat in the Backyard Comedy Club. Then join us for a local meal, picnic, or a drink and card games at the pub.

→ Our next assembly: Fight the Good Fight: How to Have Conflict, 7th September (after our August break)
← Our previous assembly: The Outside Project: Creating an LGBTIQ+ Safe Haven, 6th July

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