Written by Robin Wood, HSS Member, Celebrant and Convenor of the Glasgow Group.

 

 

 

The Humanist Society of Scotland was formed in 1989 in response to a rising demand for a nationwide Scottish organisation that was open to all.

The history of free thought goes back a long way in Scotland. The earliest known group was based in Glasgow in the 1930’s and came under the auspices of the Rationalist Press Association. A separate Edinburgh Group was formed in 1956, hot on the heels of the controversial talk given by Professor Margaret Knight of Aberdeen University on the BBC Third Programme entitled ‘Morality without Religion’.
One of their many initiatives was to set up The Edinburgh Youth Homes in 1964, which cared for boys from disturbed backgrounds and which operated successfully for more than forty years before being wound up in 2005. The Nigel Bruce Charitable Trust, which founded and supported them, continues to make grants to young people in need and to other organisations around the world involved in the care of the young.
The first Scottish Humanist Conference took place in Edinburgh in 1962. Later, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Humanist Groups jointly organised regular conferences, many being held at Stirling University.