This year's
Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting was held in Leeds and was a great
success. The papers and posters presented were of the usual high
quality and provoked intellectual debate. Professor Martin McKee gave a
fascinating and wide-ranging Cochrane Lecture on Cochrane and Communism.
Many thanks to Martin for this.
As this was a special occasion, the 50th meeting of the Society, all
retired honorary members were invited to attend. Fourteen of these
accepted and it was a great opportunity for them to catch up with old
friends and see how the society has progressed. [Photos] Professor Alwyn Smith,
a founder member of the society, spoke at the Civic Reception on the
topic of “the first half-century”. He discussed the formation of the
society, its early years, and the changes that have occurred during the
last 50 years. We hope to have a copy of the speech available on the
SSM website soon.
As usual, the social trips were popular, though this year perhaps provided a little
more excitement than usual. On the Thursday afternoon, Yorkshire was
hit by a mini-tornado, uprooting trees and smashing car windscreens.
Amongst those affected were the outdoor enthusiasts who opted for the
walking trip on Ilkley Moor, as they were caught in a huge thunder
storm, and most were soaked to the skin. Luckily, they all made it back
safely! Click
here for a humorous report on this along with photos of a few
drowned rats! Another group, those off to visit Harewood House, were
temporarily stranded there, as the main road back to Leeds was closed
due to a fallen tree. Fortunately, with express approval from the local
police, the coach transporting the conference delegates was allowed to
use the road even before it was officially opened, dodging strewn
branches and debris being cleared as they drove. All made it back in
time for a quick change and freshen-up before the conference dinner,
where fun was had by all, especially at the ceilidh afterwards.
Finally, huge thanks go to the organisers, especially Sarah Skinner, Mark Gilthorpe,
and Amy Downing. |