We met at our new venue, the Chichester Inn, in our own bar room. There were quite a few apologies, so we gathered around the open fire for more of a chat.

It was suggested that we invite a local celebrant, known to some members, to give a talk. We are also awaiting a reply from the NUT regarding a speaker on "faith" schools and related matters.

After discovering that our venue, The Waterside Inn, has closed down since our last meeting, we eventually relocated to The Vestry. Future meetings will be held at The Fountain Inn, 29 Southgate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1ES.

We were introduced to six new members who all contributed interest to this relaxed meeting. One member described how his religious beliefs waned after studying philosophy at college. Other members described their isolation and rejection during childhood due to their atheism.

Several members described the dilemma of attending a Catholic church in order for their children to gain entry to the local Catholic school (the best in the area). Most members knew of similar experiences.

Some of the members are veteran Humanists, others are testing the water. What is vitalising are the varied viewpoints expressed. No dogmatic thinking here.

Our inaugural meeting of Chichester Humanists began with interesting introductions from the 10 Humanists present.

Two representatives of the Chichester University Atheist, Humanist and Agnostic society (UCSU AHA) were present and gave an account of the activities of their new group, which was formed in response to a strong Christian influence felt within the university. They have 56 members at present.