SPRING 2019 AT FITZ EVENTS
The Easter vacation is always a popular time to hold a spring conference or meeting. It is a stunning season at Fitzwilliam College as the different architectural styles, complemented by the gardens, shrubbery and spring flowers, provide the perfect backdrop for any conference or event.
We were delighted to welcome back clients who have held annual events at Fitzwilliam College for many years.
The 4th annual UK Humanised Mouse Symposium was held at Fitzwilliam College on 21 to 22 March 2019, hosted by Fitzwilliam Fellow Dr Kourosh Saeb-Parsy. This meeting brings together academic and industrial groups that utilise animal models of the human immune system to conduct research in cancer, regenerative medicine, infection and transplantation. The meeting included presentations, workshop style discussions and break-out sessions. A highly enjoyable symposium dinner was held on the evening of 21 March. Following the success of this meeting, planning is already underway for the 2020 meeting, which will also be held in Fitzwilliam College.
Dr Kourosh Saeb-Parsy, Honorary Consultant Transplant Surgeon, Addenbrooke’s Hospital; University Lecturer, Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge and Fellow and Director of Studies in Clinical Medicine, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Once a year, the Education and Training Committee needs a day without pressure of time in order to discuss our strategic plan. We have found that Fitzwilliam College provides the perfect setting for an Away Day. The Trust Room is quiet, light and very comfortable - conducive to a considered exchange of views. The refreshments are just right, the service is friendly and unobtrusive, and we are altogether well looked after.
Christa Richmond, Director of Education, Middle Temple Treasury, London
Leicester Grammar School is an independent grammar school founded in 1981.
The Old Leicestrians (alumni of the School) held their first-ever Oxbridge Dinner at Fitzwilliam College on Saturday 9 February 2019. The dinner in the Old SCR was attended by 30 former pupils and staff. Amongst the group were four past and present members of Fitzwilliam: Ron Berry (Geography, 1969); Alison Shakespeare, née Lusby (Geography, 1990); Julian Griffin (English, 1990) and James Scudamore (Engineering, 2018).
The tables were all beautifully laid up and the staff went about their business professionally and discreetly. Everyone appreciated the good quality of the food. Fitzwilliam College has set a very good standard for the first Oxbridge Dinner and we are grateful for the efforts of all who made it such a success.
Ron Berry, Alumni Officer, Leicester Grammar School – Leicester
Michael Kenny, Professorial Fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Professor of Public Policy, and Director of the recently established Bennett Institute for Public Policy, delivered his inaugural lecture on 28 March 2019. Speaking to the question: “How should the UK govern itself in the time of Brexit?” he offered a historical analysis of the origins and character of the UK’s increasingly unbalanced and disparate constitutional system.
He suggested that some of the frustrations and discontents expressed in the vote to leave the EU had their origins in these developments. While a good deal of academic analysis and media commentary assumes that the biggest threats to Britain lie in its outer territories, Kenny emphasised the importance of the ideas and statecraft exercised within the UK’s political centre. He argued that Brexit is placing existing territorial relationships and understandings under enormous strain. The full version of his lecture was subsequently published by the Constitution Society in May 2019. The lecture was followed by an informal dinner at the College, attended by a number of his academic colleagues and several officials from UK government.
Professor Michael Kenny, Professor of Public Policy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
This year Parkinson’s UK is celebrating two major milestones and it will mark its 50th anniversary in the same year as the 10th Gretschen Amphlet Memorial Lecture. The latest lecture on Parkinson’s Research was held at Fitzwilliam College on 30 April. Using the excellent auditorium space, Parkinson’s UK hosted over 160 people looking at the progress in Parkinson’s treatments that have been seen over the last 10 years. The keynote speaker was Professor Roger Barker of Cambridge University – Neuroscience.
Parkinson’s UK is the UK’s leading charity supporting people affected by Parkinson’s. It invests more than £10 million a year into Parkinson’s research. To find out more, including details of other events, visit: https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/research
Katy Payne, Head of Events, Parkinson’s UK, London
