11:00 am, September 6 2026
Backyard Comedy Club, Bethnal Green
Speaker: Dr Hannah Fair
Poet: Sunday Assembly London choir
Here’s a question you may not have been asked yet this year: could you be happier checking mousetraps than mailboxes?
Recent research reveals that professional pest controllers experience surprisingly high levels of job satisfaction. What does this tell us about how ‘dirty work’ is valued in society, and what are the unexpected qualities that make labour enjoyable and meaningful?
Come and hear from Dr Hannah Fair, a Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Southampton. As part of her Economic and Social Research Council funded project SPIDER (Situating Pests: Impacts, Disgust, Expertise and Responsibility), Hannah explores everyday and often unwanted experiences with nature in our homes, from rats and mice to moths and bed bugs.
You’ll also be treated to a performance by the latest version of the Sunday Assembly London popup (or should that be pipe-up?) choir!
In the meantime, we have a brilliant array of summer social activities, from swims and ice cream to museums and musicals. Find out more here. Come along, you’ll have the pest time.
Our singalongs
As usual, there will be four pop songs performed by our Sunday Assembly London band and connected to today’s theme. Get your insect and rodent related guesses in now!
The lyrics will be projected on screen and everyone’s welcome to sing (and dance) along.
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: TBC, 20th September
→ → A future assembly: Alien On Stage, 15th November
← Our previous assembly: Adult ADHD, 19th July