About Us

Leeds Atheist Society is here for people who like to question the world around them!

What we’re about

The society has three main aims:

  • Provide a forum for lively and open debate on secular issues
  • Provide high quality lectures on secularism, science and atheism
  • Provide a top quality social life for the irreligious in Leeds!

When do we meet?

One of our weekly meetings We hold our weekly meetings and socials on Tuesday evenings, we run our popular courses evening on Fridays and have many special events over the course of the year.

Check out events page to find out what upcoming events we have coming up!

A brief history

Darwin Day 2007 Leeds Atheist Society was founded in December 2006, holding our launch party in the following January. Since then the society has gone from strength to strength with weekly meetings and socials, large scale awareness weeks and many other events.

Here are some of the society’s highlights:

  • In 2007 the society held it’s first awareness week ‘Rationalist Week‘ the society has held one every year since, the week is now called ‘Reason Week’ the year 2011-12 the society will be holding it 6th successive awareness week!
  • In 2008 the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies (The AHS)was formed. Leeds played an instrumental part hosting the first national conference and the then Leeds president Norman Ralph was the AHS’s first president.
  • 2009 the society’s biggest ‘Rationalist Week‘ to date was held.  This is still the biggest awareness week run by an atheist society anywhere in the country! The week saw the society have a marquee outside the union the whole week and host over 40 events!
  • 2010 saw some of the society’s most high-profile speaking events: Simon Singh spoke to the society about the need for reform of the libel laws and comedian Robin Ince give a talk about comedy, science and atheism.
  • Reason Week 2011 had more guest speakers than any other Leeds Reason Week, including chair of the Secular Medical Forum Dr Antony Lempert and Andrew Copson from the British Humanist Association.  Leeds continued to have a strong involvement at a national level with two out of three executives of the AHS being from Leeds.
  • Surely many more to come!