Caledonian Humanist Association

We at the CHA would like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
As the year turns, it’s a time for looking forward, but also a time for looking back.
We are honoured to conduct a great many wonderful weddings during the year and we know our newlyweds will be looking forward to their first Christmas as a married couple.
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Today is not only #HumanRightsDay 2018, it's also the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For more information on this historic event please visit the United Nations website :
http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsda y/

We support this wholeheartedly. The Scottish Parliament, The Scottish Government - time for a change in the law.

Our friend and colleague Tim Maguire -Humanist Celebrant was once again asked to contribute from a Humanist perspective to the Scottish Governtment Remembrance Day Ceremony. Tim wrote this very thought-provoking piece on remembrance that we wanted to share with you.
"Permanent Secretary, thank you for inviting me. Today I want to talk about the forgotten language of flowers.
My memory is terrible these days and that’s strangely appropriate. It wasn’t until I began writing th...
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Fantastic news. Humanists are already included at many remembrance events across the UK, but this will be the first time the non-religious who made the ultimate sacrifice are officially recognised at the main event at the Cenotaph. A huge congratulations to Humanists UK for a successful campaign.

We wanted to share this post with you from our partners at Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief.
Far from being morbid, it's a huge comfort to your loved ones if they have access to your own memories of your life. As well as contributing towards an even more personal Humanist ceremony, it's a great memento for a family to keep.
It doesn't take any training, just start at the very beginning.
... There's no excuse, so get writing!
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There is no counter argument to this. It's inhumane to allow people to suffer in this way while forcing their loved ones to live through that experience with them.

Our Celebrants will be there so what you waiting for!

How typical. We don't post anything for a few days, then two come along at once!
But this one is not only about a subject very close to our hearts, it's one that we think everyone should talk about.
As a member of a bereaved family said to one of our Celebrants "not talking about it doesn't mean it's not going to happen". Wise words indeed.
... https://www.independentage.org/…/more-w e-befriend-what-we-f…
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We wish these next two couples marrying in a humanist ceremony in Northern Ireland the very best.
No doubt they will be followed by many, many more!
Just England and Wales now ....
... https://humanism.org.uk/…/first-legal-h umanist-marriages-i…/
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We love conducting ceremonies at this amazing venue which is one of only six UNESCO World Heritage sites in Scotland.
Scotland lead the world during the industrial revolution, and we now lead the world in Humanist ceremonies.
Our Celebrants will be there so why not come along and have a chat about your ceremony.
... We look forward to seeing you there!
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A very damning report on the damage that can be caused when any organisation, charitable or otherwise, cares more about its reputation than it does for the victims of abuse carried out by its own people.
Here at the CHA, our experience of working with bereaved families made us acutely aware of just how vulnerable some of the people we work with can be, especially during one of the most difficult times in their lives.
This is why we require all of our Celebrants to be members ...of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme.
While the PVG Scheme is administered by Disclosure Scotland, it offers a higher level of protection than even an Enhanced Disclosure check.
We are the only Humanist organisation in Scotland that requires this which means that if you engage a CHA Celebrant to conduct a ceremony for you, then you can be assured that they are someone who has been background checked to the highest level possible.
More information about the PVG Scheme can be found at https://www.mygov.scot/pvg-scheme/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45 013078
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Caledonian Humanist Association are delighted to be attending this event. Our lovely celebrants Stephen McKerr and Victoria Langridge will be more than happy to chat about all things wedding and to answer any questions you might have.

We've been working with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for some time now on the issue of Humanist Chaplains within the military.
Many people aren't aware that within the MoD and the wider Armed Forces, the interest in Humanism is growing steadily.
Hopefully, it won't be too long until the MoD agrees with us that there should be Humanist Chaplains serving in the military alongside their religious counterparts.
... In the meantime, here's an excellent blog from Roger Hutton, the MoD Humanist Champion.
https://civilservice.blog.gov.uk/…/…/ 22/the-humanist-factor/
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We wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who likes this page.
The more likes we have, the greater reach we have in spreading the message about the good work that we do.
If you want to take your interest to the next level, then head over to http://cha.scot/ceremonies/join-us/
... It's free and easy and you'll get one of these!
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Our latest group of Celebrants after completing their training day at South Lanarkshire Crematorium (and the training team hiding away in the background!).
Congratulations to them all for making it to the final stage.
They've proved that they all have the ability to be first class Celebrants within their local communities and we have no doubt they will be excellent ambassadors for the CHA!

Another massive thanks to everyone who has asked a CHA Celebrant to conduct a ceremony. You really are making a difference to the lives of others.
We were very touched to hear what the residents of Castleton Court had to say about our latest donation.
To find out more about the CHA, its Celebrants and what we do, please visit our website at http://cha.scot

We were approached by the Sunday Mail for our comments on their investigation.
We have long been concerned about the treatment of the bereaved, especially the non-religious by certain elements within the funeral industry.
We would welcome regulation of the funeral industry and of Celebrants in particular.
... We have already raised this issue with the Scottish Government and will continue to push for regulation to protect bereaved families at their most vulnerable.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/…/dead-en d-funeral-cowboys-in…
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We got married on Friday and Andy did our ceremony he was fantastic planned all stages with us he has also done a naming for us and was fantastic again really professional and well organised and we much appreciate everything he’s done for us so a massive thanks �

We got married last month and decide to use this method as we wanted a very quick and very simple ceremony, it was just perfect, nothing was any bother no matter how many questions I asked and Andy McSorley was extremely professional in his manner and outlook. He put my bride and myself at ease immediately and this ceremony was a secret which was well kept. Thank you so much and I highly recommend using this method if you want to tailor your ceremony to suit your needs.

My mum recently passed away and we wanted a Humanist service. Not having any experience of this we were unsure what to expect, but we need not have worried. Stephen McKerr was terrific, he was sympathetic, compassionate, helpful and really put us at our ease. My mum's service was beautiful and Stephen conveyed everything we wanted to say brilliantly. I would recommend Stephen to anyone.

We got married on Friday and Andy did our ceremony he was fantastic planned all stages with us he has also done a naming for us and was fantastic again really professional and well organised and we much appreciate everything he’s done for us so a massive thanks �

We got married last month and decide to use this method as we wanted a very quick and very simple ceremony, it was just perfect, nothing was any bother no matter how many questions I asked and Andy McSorley was extremely professional in his manner and outlook. He put my bride and myself at ease immediately and this ceremony was a secret which was well kept. Thank you so much and I highly recommend using this method if you want to tailor your ceremony to suit your needs.

My mum recently passed away and we wanted a Humanist service. Not having any experience of this we were unsure what to expect, but we need not have worried. Stephen McKerr was terrific, he was sympathetic, compassionate, helpful and really put us at our ease. My mum's service was beautiful and Stephen conveyed everything we wanted to say brilliantly. I would recommend Stephen to anyone.