Leon Atkin
Leon Atkin (1902–1976) was a Welsh Methodist and Congregationalist minister, human rights activist, and politician. Early life and education Atkin was born on 26 July 1902 in Spalding, Lincolnshire. His father was a gas manager and his family were Anglicans. He had six siblings. As a boy, he participated in activities at the Methodist chapel that was next door to the family home. In 1914, the family moved to Biddulph. Having become a Methodist, he began preaching as a boy. At 16, he joined the Labour Party. He attended the Handsworth Methodist College, Birmingham. Career In 1930, he accepted a position in Risca, Monmouthshire at St John's Church of Probationer Minister. Like Donald Soper, he held open-air meetings on a weekly basis and he drew people to his services, including unbelievers. Atkin embraced the Social Gospel and was an active voice concerning political and social issues affecting the community. He became increasingly involved in social issues two years later when he was moved to Bargoed. At the Methodist Central Hall, he provided a programs to assist unemployed men, including offering free meals, barber and shoe repair services, and lodging, the latter of which circumvented the governmental Means Test of the