Questival

For details about Questival 2011 please see the Questival website.

Questival was a weekend camping trip rganised by the AHS and Leeds Atheist Society, inspired by Camp Quest UK, and sponsored by the British Humanist Association. Unlike Camp Quest, which is aimed at children, Questival was for fully grown atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers and all those who embrace a naturalistic rather than supernatural world view. The event, whilst aimed mainly at students, was open to adults of all ages. The weekend featured Iszi Lawrence and Rebecca Watson, and the theme was... HAVING FUN!

Questival ran for the first time from August 13th to 15th at Dalesbridge in the Yorkshire Dales.

Things got off to a bad start on Friday with delayed trains, cars stuck in traffic and wet and windy weather. However we managed to put up tents and hold a BBQ in the rain, before heading to the bar, and from there things picked up.

On Saturday we had breakfast, played frisbee and then took in a two hour discussion on values covering all sorts of stuff such as where morality comes from, the nature of religion, utilitarianism, libertarianism, abortions, animal rights and child rights. After lunch we played rounders, and then in the afternoon we held a skeptical quiz with Thor to the Four pipping Shine Krishna Shine in the tie-breaker, whilst Tea Vee and 5 > 4 came a distant last.

After a second BBQ the quiz teams invented religions which were then presented (with much hilarity) to the rest of the Questivillains - fromagism (the worship of cheese), Norisism (the worship of Chuck Norris), the fairy queen's religion (truly liberating) and err dildoism.

This was followed by a great talk on, well, stupid things by Rebecca Watson and then a hilarious set by Iszi Lawrence, followed by a Q&A in which both ended up losing it completely. A trip to the bar was followed by late-night meteor gazing, as the Perseids sped across the sky.

On Sunday after everyone packed up their tents we went on an excursion to Malham Cove, having a picnic on the grassy bank by the stream at the foot of the cliff face before climbing up to the top, hobbling across the cracked limestone and looking out across the Yorkshire Dales.

Iszi, as seen in the Perrier Award winning The Passion of the Hodgson, is an 'upbeat' comedian 'with nicely improvised material' which sits well within her intelligent, witty and darkly satirical set. Her first hour show 'Matter of Tact' was Time Out recommended and London Lite's Comedy Pick, and she will be shortly debuting her second show 'Science Friction'. Radio credits include appearances on BBC Radio 1's The Milkrun, BBC radio Oxford's Breakfast show and BBC 7 as a BBC New Comedy Award semi-finalist, 2005. She has also written and performed for Resonance FM's The Ten Minute Sketch Show. Along with Simon Dunn, Iszi produces the weekly podcast, Sundays Supplement.

Rebecca leads a team of skeptical female activists at Skepchick.org, hosts the Curiosity Aroused podcast, co-hosts the weekly podcast The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, produces pin-up calendars of scientists and skeptics, and attempts to rock harder each year. She currently lives in London where she works as a freelance writer in order to fund her hardcore skepticism habit. There is currently an asteroid orbiting the sun with her name on it. She does nothing in moderation and hopes it shows. You can follow her every fascinating move on Twitter: @rebeccawatson.