It seems only a very short time ago since the very successful annual conference of the BSG held at Plymouth in July, and my first Secretary’s report for Generations Review! I do hope you all had a good summer. We shall be welcoming our new members to the next Executive Committee meeting at Keele University in November, Cassie Phoenix as committee member, Naomi Woodspring and Debbie Cairns as ERA Co-Chairs, as well as our new Secretary-Elect, Mary Pat Sullivan of Brunel University and new Treasurer-Elect, Veronika Williams, also of Brunel University – I am very much looking forward to working with you, and all the committee members. This also seems like a good point at which to remind everyone that next year’s Annual Conference will be held at Keele University from 11th to 13th July 2012, so please make a note of these dates.

Several of us attended the launch of the first BSG/ILC-UK think piece by Simon Evans on Climate Change and Public Services at the House of Lords in July. This was a very interesting and important event in terms of our liaison with the ILC-UK and in promoting the sustainability agenda in the commissioning and delivery of services. We would very much like to continue these joint Think Pieces and hope you will consider offering one in the future.

You will have seen in one of the regular bulletins that the Averil Osborn Award Fund committee have invited applications for small grants from the fund for next year. Information on how to apply can be found on the BSG website at http://www.britishgerontology.org/about-bsg/averil-osborn.html. Please do pass this information to anyone you think might be interested in applying, the closing date for applications is 28 October 2011.

Finally, my thanks as always to Rachel Hazelwood, our BSG administrator, for her continuing hard work and commitment to BSG. I will close, as I did in July, with an invitation to you all to feel free to contact me with any comments, suggestions, and/or questions relating to the Society.

With best wishes
Sue Venn