The 2007 award for Distinguished Service to Humanism was presented to Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, at the IHEU General Assembly. The award recognizes his tireless work for secularism and humanism over many years, both in the United Kingdom and on the international stage.

The following citation was read at the ceremony in Turin, Italy.

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It gives me great pleasure to present the 2007 award for Distinguished Service to Humanism.

This year it goes to a man who has worked tirelessly for secularism and humanism over many years, both in his own country and on the international stage.

Almost single handedly, Keith Porteous Wood turned the National Secular Society into an effective tool to promote secularism in the UK. From a mere 400 members in 1997, the membership numbers have swelled today to over 4000.

He recruited politicians and journalists, coordinated with scientists and policy makers and travelled frequently to Brussels to push forward the secular/humanist agenda. He moved the organisation into the mainstream: from one which was associated in people's minds as a group that denounces religious faith into one that promotes equal treatment and which opposes religious privilege and special pleading.

The NSS's campaigns against Bishops in the UK Parliament; against Prime Minister Tony Blair's publicly funded Academies; and against the closed nature of BBC Radio 4's “Thought for the Day” are examples.

Keith Porteous Wood has made submissions to the UK House of Lords Committees. And in recent times he literally lived in the UK Parliament, when he took the lead to mount the opposition to the Bill against 'Incitement to Religious Hatred'. He organised a meeting in the premises of the Parliament itself and got even Rowan Atkinson – the 'Mr.Bean' actor - to oppose the Bill. The government was defeated by one vote.

Keith and his partner Terry Sanderson (who is now President of NSS) bring out the best weekly newsletter for secularists in the UK.

Over the years, Keith has been a great friend of IHEU and with his legal training and background, he has been consistently helpful with advice and practical assistance to us. When he understood that the NSS Board were not really inclined to agree to the idea that NSS join IHEU as a full fees paying member, he got them to make donations to IHEU to assist our specific activities, like the Dr. Shaikh Campaign and to join the Club 100.

Recently, Keith has represented the IHEU at the Council of Europe to great effect. We will hear about that work tomorrow.

But, today, I have great pleasure in awarding Keith Porteous Wood the 2007 award for Distinguished Service to Humanism.