Humanists UK is pleased to announce the appointment of three new patrons from the fields of science education, music, and the arts. They are Sally Le Page, popular evolutionary biologist and YouTuber; Hannah Peel, artist, producer, and composer; and well known comedian, writer and podcaster, Catie Wilkins.
Sally Le Page is an evolutionary biologist and science educator best known for making educational science content on YouTube – for both her own channel Shed Science, and for collaborations with groups such as General Electric and Rooster Teeth. Due to its focus on making science fun and accessible, Shed Science is extremely popular with over 70,000 subscribers. In addition to this, Sally gives public lectures at places like QEDcon and the Royal Institution and was formerly the Creator in Residence for General Electric. Sally is also a campaigner for LGBT equality and queer visibility in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Hannah Peel is an artist, producer, and composer known primarily for her electronic, synthesiser-based music. It often includes classical scoring and sound design, with references to the links between science, nature, and music. Hannah has scored music for television, film, theatre, and dance, including Game of Thrones: The Last Watch. She has also collaborated with other artists including orchestrations and conducting for Paul Weller, and album with Faber Poet Will Burns, and is a member of psychogeography indie rock group The Magnetic North and the electronic group John Foxx and the Maths. In 2018, she was a featured guest radio presenter for five weeks on BBC 6 Music.
Catie Wilkins is a comedian, writer, podcaster, and children’s author. Starting her career in stand-up comedy in the 2000s – performing shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and appearing on ITV4’s Stand Up Hero, she is known for her dry, sarcastic, and deadpan comedy persona and her observational comedy. In 2018, she returned to comedy, co-presenting the podcast Drunk Women Solving Crime. Wilkins is also a popular children’s author, publishing her first book My Best Friend and Other Enemies in 2012 to great acclaim. She has since written a further three books for which the translation rights have been sold internationally. She has also written for the BBC, the Independent blog, and Standard Issue magazine.
Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson commented:
‘It’s an absolute pleasure to bring on board these three accomplished women as patrons of Humanists UK. Representing three diverse areas of achievement, they demonstrate not just the diversity our network of patrons has to offer, but how humanists contribute towards the advancement of society across the board, whether it be through their scientific, musical, or literary work.’
Notes
At Humanists UK, we want a tolerant world where rational thinking and kindness prevail. Our work helps people be happier and more fulfilled, and by bringing non-religious people together we help them develop their own views and an understanding of the world around them.
Humanists UK has over 170 patrons who support its work in various ways through their expertise and prominence in various fields. Existing patrons include significant figures from the spheres of science, philosophy, human rights activism, politics, the arts, and broadcasting. The President of Humanists UK is the anatomist, author, and broadcaster, Professor Alice Roberts. She is supported by Vice Presidents Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Professor A C Grayling, Shappi Khorsandi and Polly Toynbee. For a full list of patrons, see https://humanists.uk/about/our-people/patrons.