Rev. Robin
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hanford.me.uk
Rev. Robin
@hanford.me.uk
280 followers 240 following 110 posts
Unitarian Minister in Hinckley. Christian. Communist. PGDip in Theology from Oxford. Bi. Autistic. (He/Him). 🏳️‍🌈✝️ ☭ All views are my own.
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hanford.me.uk
A recent quiz told me that if I were an Anglican, I would be a Matthew Fox kind of Anglican, so I am now finally reading some Fox.

Have I picked the best starting point for gaining a general understanding of Fox’s theology?
A copy of ‘Original Blessing’ by Matthew Fox.
November 20, 2025 at 12:22 AM
hanford.me.uk
Now that everyone has had their opportunity to get their copy of the October issue of The Inquirer, I’m sharing the interview that Laura did with me in full about my attendance at a Stand Up To Racism organised counter demonstration.
On Saturday 9 August 2025, Rev. Robin Hanford, minister of Hinckley Unitarian chapel, joined a Stand Up to Racism counter-demo, where he experienced physical and verbal abuse from militant right-wing protestors. A spate of online threats followed, including from prominent far-right leaders. Despite this, Robin feels empowered to continue to stand up and be counted in an ever-polarised society. What made you attend the counter-demonstration? The week of the demo, I remember seeing local Facebook groups advertising an anti-immigration demo in a town near Hinckley, where I'm the minister. It played on the fears of local people, linked to an alleged sexual assault case that was weaponized against male asylum seekers. Fast-forward to Saturday, and part of me wanted to concentrate on writing my Sunday service. But eventually, the other part won out. It's all very well preaching to my congregation about how we should stand up for what's right, but it doesn't make much difference if I don't attempt to do that. So I thought, right, I'm going to go. What happened during the counter-demonstration? Unlike other counter-protests where the police keep both groups separate and distanced with a no-man's land in between, we had a scattering of police officers around us which meant that people from the main protest who were particularly aggrieved at our presence could get to us quite easily. There were about 1,000 people at the main demonstration, and 35 of us. Eventually, a decision was made by the police or the organisers of the counter-demo that we should move away The police led us from the front, with no protection behind us, which meant far-right activists could pick us off one by one. Somebody tried to swipe my legs out from under me. Someone else grabbed the lapels of my jacket. Then somebody seized the collar of my shirt and said they would take my clerical collar "through any means necessary" Someone wished death on me to my face, which was haunting. You were filmed by far-… for me, but for my family, my congregation, and those who care for me. While I'm glad I took the decision to go, it's not one l'd ever make flippantly. How have your congregation reacted? They've been very supportive and concerned for my safety and that of my partner, which I appreciate. It's led to some interesting conversations, too. While Unitarians know that ministers are free to act independently of their congregation, the general public doesn't. It can look like a minister speaks for the entire congregation, which is never the case. As a movement, that's something we need to have a discussion about. Many far-right extremists refer to themselves as patriots. Do you consider yourself to be a patriot? While I wouldn't describe myself as a patriot, there are things do that could be considered patriotic. I grew up in a family that put football flags on the car windows and cheered the team on. I'm pleased to inherit a cultural heritage that's long sought to look out for each other, going back to the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and to the Diggers and Ranters of the Commonwealth period. I'm proud of the radical English tradition. Patriotism is also about making sure everybody in your community and country is able to live well - something Unitarians have done for decades. Hinckley Unitarians were first and foremost in building local libraries and hospitals. It's important to distinguish between patriotism and nationalism, because the far right doesn't want there to be any difference. There's a political, nationalist move to unite working class communities who feel, correctly, that they've been left behind by wealthy millionaires and billionaires. Rather than stirring tension on a class basis, far-right British politics is taking an aggressive nationalist route that will lead to a very dangerous place if we're not careful. While it might seem convenient to retreat into a comfortable isolationist sphere, it won't be productive in the short or long term. We've seen the potential d…
November 1, 2025 at 5:15 PM
hanford.me.uk
Thanks to @pridepicsuk.bsky.social for covering the protest in Leicester yesterday! #transrightsarehumanrights
Robin holding a sign reading ‘I stand with trans’. Robin beside a trans-Pride flag speaking into a megaphone. Robin, besides a trans-Pride flag, looking towards the camera while holding a megaphone.
April 23, 2025 at 3:31 PM
hanford.me.uk
However, there is one piece of advice I've seen in this book that is quite unethical, and it is one that most people will be surprised that I object to: A-boards.

Specifically, the advice to put one “in the middle of the pavement… in public space.”
A page from the book with text as follows: 1. Buy or create an 'A-frame' noticeboard - one that can display posters on both sides and is self-supporting. 2 Create colourful, welcoming posters to go on both sides. If possible, use your church logo, photos of congregation members or other images. Include, in large letters, wording such as: 'The church is open for prayer and reflection’. 3 Find a good location for it. If your church opens straight onto the street, place the board immediately outside the front door, in the middle of the pavement. If your church has a churchyard, make sure the notice goes outside the entrance to your church's grounds - in other words, public space, not private space. If that entrance is on a cul-de-sac, or a quiet street, find the nearest main road and put it there - perhaps with an arrow showing the direction people need to take.
March 19, 2025 at 4:44 PM
hanford.me.uk
I picked up the new edition of ‘100 Ways To Get Your Church Noticed’ from my local Christian bookshop today where I am told it is selling well.

There is the very occasional hint that Pugmire writes form a conservative evangelical perspective. While I don't share that perspective…
The cover of the book which reads: 100 WAYS TO GET YOUR CHURCH NOTICED THIRD EDITION 'This book is stuffed with so many good ideas and so much common sense that if you're not already doing many of the things he suggests, you'll wonder why on earth not.' CHURCH TIMES NEIL PUGMIRE The book cover features a graphic of a church building in neon lights.
March 19, 2025 at 4:44 PM
hanford.me.uk
John Hick really hit the nail on the head here back in the 1977 Preface to ‘The Myth of God Incarnate’:

“‘Orthodoxy’ is a myth, which can and often does inhibit the creative thinking which Christianity sorely needs today.”
Picture of text from page ‘x’ of the book ‘The Myth of God Incarnate’ Text Reads: Many people, including both conservative believers and perhaps a still larger group of conservative unbelievers, will take exception to the thinking that is going on in this book. They will hold that Christianity consists and always has consisted in a certain definite set of beliefs, and that theologians who seek to modify or 'reinterpret' those beliefs are being disingenuous: it would be more honest of them frankly to abandon the faith as no longer tenable. To this it must be replied that modern scholarship has shown that the supposed unchanging set of beliefs is a mirage. Christianity was from the first very diverse, and has never ceased developing in its diversity. Today's conservatives, for example, are themselves diverse, and their positions are in most cases of quite recent origin. 'Orthodoxy' is a myth, which can and often does inhibit the creative thinking which Christianity sorely needs today. We therefore ask that the ideas and arguments in this book be judged on their merits rather than by their conformity to some previous stage of Christian development.
February 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
hanford.me.uk
There is no use crying over stolen milk, I suppose!

Three bottles were stolen just two minutes after they were delivered. I found one bottle, which was still full but minus its foil top, discarded at the end of the road. This leads me to think they didn’t take it simply because they were thirsty.
February 18, 2025 at 10:33 AM
hanford.me.uk
You may not like it, but this is the perfect steak dinner in my home. 😋
Steak with roast potatoes and festive sauce.
January 5, 2025 at 12:18 AM
hanford.me.uk
It is my third #ClergyMaltClub, and I'm still on the same bottle of Tamnavulin!

Christmas Eve service is done, and Christmas Day service is nearly entirely written. The ingredients for the all-important Parson’s Punch that is served afterwards are ready to go too!

Merry Christmas, everyone!
A selfie of Robin sitting in front of a Christmas tree in clerical dress. A glass of scotch in hand!
December 25, 2024 at 1:34 AM
hanford.me.uk
Choosing carols from your congregation’s carol sheet for the Carol Service can feel like one of the most complex decisions a Minister can make!
Contents of carol sheet: A thousand years have come and gone - 27 Around the crib all peoples throng - 32 Away in a manger, no crib for a bed - 18 Calm on the listening ears of night - 26 Christians awake, salute the happy morn - 1 Coventry Carol - 29 Deck the halls with boughs of holly - 25 Ding dong, merrily on high - 23 Good Christian men rejoice - 10 Good King Wenceslas looked out - 6 Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes - 5 Hark the herald angels sing - 13 Hark what anthem fills the heavens - 30 I heard the bells on Christmas day - 17 In the bleak mid-winter - 11 In the lonely midnight - 14 It came upon the midnight clear - 7 Joy to the world - 22 Long, long ago, in manger low - 16 Now the joyful Christmas morning - 3 O come all ye faithful - 19 O little town of Bethlehem - 15 O lovely voices of the sky - 31 Once in Royal David's city - 20 Our festival is here again - 24 People look east - 21 See amid the winter's snow - 28 Silent night, peaceful night - 4 The first Nowell - 9 Today be joy in every heart - 12 We three kings of Orient are - 8 While shepherds watched their flocks - 2
December 17, 2024 at 11:55 AM