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2nd July 2009: An Archaeological Tour of Sutton Park
At 18.00 on Thursday 2nd July at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, we take a tour of Sutton’s Park archaeological sites and finds led by Dr Mike Hodder, Birmingham City Council’s Planning Archaeologist. Starting from The Boathouse Restaurant his tour will reveal the archaeological story from the Old Stone Ages, through later prehistoric, Roman and medieval times right up to the twentieth century.
Sutton Park is an exceptionally well-preserved historic landscape, and the national importance of its archaeological remains is reflected in the designation of most of it as a scheduled ancient monument. The Park originated as a deer park in the 12th century. Creation of the park and subsequent land uses resulted in good preservation of archaeological remains of prehistoric, Roman, medieval and later date, mainly as earthworks. The deer park also contained fishponds, and in addition to its recreational use the park has been used for animal grazing, as a woodland resource, for industries powered by water mills and for military training. Our walk will include one of the medieval fishponds, one of the 16th century coppice boundary banks, military practice trenches, medieval boundaries and an 18th century mill pond if time permits.
A supper will follow the tour at Boathouse Restaurant in Sutton Park, around 19.30.
Please book here early to be sure of a place.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING:
On Wednesday 22nd July 2009 the Lunar Society AGM and Review of the Year will be held in the Banqueting Suite of the Council House, Birmingham, followed by the Lord Mayor’s Reception.
Tea and Coffee will be available from 1800 onwards. Afterwards you will be able to meet our new Lord Mayor, Cllr Michael Wilkes, at the Lord Mayor’s Reception with wine and light refreshments
Members are encouraged to bring colleagues and friends who they think could contribute to the life and activities of the Society.
It is helpful (though not essential) to know the numbers of people who will come to the AGM, so if you would kindly inform us whether you will be coming or not, please do so by completing the form here.
Richard Bowker, CEO, National Express
On Monday 8th June 2009, Richard Bowker, the CEO of National Express (whose HQ is in Birmingham) led a dinner discussion on integrated public transport issues held at KPMG who kindly hosted the event and chaired by Lunar Society Vice Chairman Alan Wenban-Smith.
Richard has had a meteoric rise within the transport industry having started his career at London Underground followed by Virgin Rail and the Strategic Rail Authority. He spoke at the Dinner on the environmental and economic role of public transport in connecting communities, providing access to markets, creating social cohesion, offering value and reducing carbon emissions. You can download a summary of his talk and the discussion here.
Professor Ian Stewart: Annual Lecture 2009
Professor Ian Stewart, FRS gave the Society's 2009 Sixth Annual Lecture After Darwin's Watch on Monday, 23rd March 2009 at ThinkTank. Professor Ian Stewart spoke on the development of Darwin’s theory, as well as major discoveries since then and the latest ideas that are changing how today’s scientists think about evolution. The Birmingham Post article of the lecture can be read here
Sir David Arculus: Annual Dinner 2008
The Lunar Society's 2008 Annual Dinner on 18th November was in the Banqueting Suite of the Council House, Birmingham. Sir David Arculus spoke on the highly topical issue of regulation: Lifting the burden of regulation: Who regulates the regulators?
(l-r) the Society's Hon Treasurer Richard Harris, Chairman Deirdre Kelly, the Lady Mayoress and the Lord Mayor, Lady Anne and Sir David Arculus. For more photographs of the event, & the text of Sir David's speech, see here, and the Birmingham Post review of it is here.
Birmingham's response to climate change: How radical should it be?
Chaired by Lunarman Sir Michael Lyons, the panelists on this Question Time-style debate on 14th October 2008 in Town Hall were the former Chancellor Nigel Lawson, Michael Meacher MP, former OECD Chief Economist David Henderson, IPN Director Julian Morris, Executive Director of the European Environmental AgencyProfessor Jacqueline McGlade & Professor Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre.
The Birmingham Post review of the debate can be read here. A transcript of the full debate can be downloaded here.
Deirdre Kelly: Review of the year at the 2008 AGM
Deirdre Kelly gave extracts from her Review of the Year at the 2008 AGM at the Council House, Birmingham on 23rd July. Her Review ends with these words: "It is an exciting time for the Society. We have achieved a great deal in the last year, and will build on what we’ve done — by presenting a lively programme of meetings and events, encouraging relationships with other organisations, and recruiting individual men and women from all walks of life, people who are eager to meet the intellectual challenge of how best to contribute to the common good now and in the future. We look forward to involving you more!" The full text of the Review can be read here.
David Urquhart: 2008 Boulton & Watt Commemoration
The Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Revd David Urquhart gave the Society's 2008 Boulton & Watt Commemoration Lecture Reflections on 18 months in Birmingham at St Mary's Church, Handsworth, on 12th May. The text of his Lecture can be read here.
Sir Liam Donaldson: 2008 Annual Lecture
Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, gave the Society's 2008 Annual LectureThe Challenges for Medicine in the 21st Century to a capacity audience in the Leonard Deacon Lecture Theatre at the University of Birmingham Medical School on 5th March. The Birmingham Post report of his Lecture can be read here. Owing to confidentiality issues, the full text of his speech is not available on-line. However, a summary can be read here.
Trevor Phillips: 2007 Annual Dinner speech
Trevor Phillips, Chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, ended his Annual Dinner speech Knowledge, Difference and Inequality: The Potential for Combustion with these words:
"Birmingham will face the demands of dealing with difference earlier and more fully than most. I entreat you to put your considerable skills - your professionalism, your intellect, your enthusiasm - to working out here, in the one of the nation's great laboratories of diversity, how we should confront this 21st century challenge. This is no longer a local issue. It is global. You here, in this room, with your ingenuity and your energy could in the years ahead, become a beacon to the world."
The full text of his speech can be read here.
Professor Parkinson: 2007 Boulton & Watt Commemoration Lecture
Professor Michael Parkinson gave the Society's annual Boulton & Watt Commemoration Lecture: Where is Birmingham going in the 21st century?, chaired by the Society's Vice Chairman, Alan Wenban-Smith on 31 October 2007. Acknowledging the "brilliant first act" of Birmingham's renaissance in the 1980s and 90s, Professor Parkinson put this in the context of comparatively more successful cities in the 21st century, both in the UK and in Europe. Alan Wenban-Smith's summary of his Lecture can be read here, where pdfs of Professor Parkinson's presentation can be downloaded.
AGM: New Chair Professor Deirdre Kelly sets vision for the Society
At the 2007 AGM, the incoming Chair Professor Deirdre Kelly, set her vision for her two-year tenure of office, saying. "The Lunar Society is a unique society. It has been hugely successful and has talented and accomplished members. It is an enviable brand. We are able, through our neutral position to facilitate discussion and debate on many leading edge issues and concerns and influence the outcome."
The full text of her speech can be read here.
John Armitt's 2007 Annual Lecture
The Society's Fourth Annual Lecture Engineering the Future delivered by John Armitt at Matthew Boulton College last March can be downloaded from here. John Armitt has since retired from his position as Chief Executive of Network Rail to take up the position of Chairman of the EPSRC. From 1 September, he will also lead the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) as its Chair.
David Miliband's 2006 Annual Dinner Speech
David Miliband's Speech One Planet Living: Towards a 3D Energy Revolution made at the Annual Dinner in the autumn can be read here or downloaded as a pdf from here. Members will recall that, in a departure from his prepared speech, the Minister pledged his Department's support for the Lunar Society's challenging target for the region to be carbon neutral by 2030.
David Miliband left DEFRA to become Secretary of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office with Gordon Brown's premiership.