Last week was a fantastically busy and SRP event filled week that I feel like I’m only just getting over!

My husband and I flew into London on Sunday morning, to be welcomed by glorious sunshine which we did not expect! We had a little mooch about Fitzrovia and had some delicious Singapore laksa for lunch which I’d been craving, then headed to the British Museum to see some of the exhibits. I had to text some of my fellow northern SRP council members about the weather, so they could pack accordingly and not come dressed for winter and then have to go out and buy some lighter clothes as may have happened in the past (naming no names Val!).

Monday I was invited to a lunch at the Science Media Centre for their Funders Event. The Science Media Centre is an independent press office that provides journalists with proper scientific information when science hits the headlines by calling upon its list of experts and has in the past asked SRP for help when the topic has been radiation related. They are also a registered charity, like us, and SRP is in the fortunate position of being able to donate annually to them to support their excellent work. 

The guest speaker at the lunch was Dame Angela McLean, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, who I have seen talk before briefly at The Big Bang Fair, but, after this event, I’m totally fangirling as she’s a really engaging speaker, explains science really clearly and well, and rocked up in a gold leather bomber jacket #CareerGoals

Tuesday evening was the Main Event of the week, the Patron’s Dinner, with our new patron Lord McNicol, hosted at the House of Lords. It was an excellent evening with good food, and great company. It was also really nice to have (nearly) all of Council together, informally, to catch up. Some great conversations around outreach and engagement were had. Big thanks to Lord McNicol and SRP President Jennifer Humphries for organising such a special evening.

Wednesday was the morning after the night before, where Council met up bright and early for our 300^th Council meeting! That’s incredible when you think about it, and such a great milestone for our Society that we have endured the years since that first meeting at Imperial College, University of London, on 8^th May 1963, when 64 men and 2 women became the Founder Members of “The Society for Radiological Protection, The United Kingdom Section of the Health Physics Society”. These days I’m glad to report that the gender divide is a little more balanced, both on Council and the Society as a whole.

In other news, the Call for Abstracts has gone out for the Annual Conference 13-15 May 2025 in Hull. Hull promises to be an exciting venue, not least because of its proximity to Leeds, but also as a new city we’ve never visited before and a new conference centre, as well as an exciting theme: Regenerating Radiation Protection – The Changing Face of Radiation Protection. Don’t miss your chance to present, get submitting! Deadline is Monday 28^th October 2024. Visit the conference webpage here to submit.  

As always you can get in touch via the following:

Engagement@srp-uk.org
Twitter: chai_khaneh
Instagram: @saragoli