I am writing this after an incredible summer of sport with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. A number of our members supported the British Team and other Teams at the Games, and as a membership society we are proud not just of the incredibly hard work and dedication of the athletes performing at the pinnacle of their careers, but we are just as proud of the hard work and dedication of our members who support the athletes as a part of the team behind the team, much of which goes on behind the scenes and is never known. Whether working at international games, or looking after a recreational team, whether working in the NHS or in any of the other varied settings that our members do, BASEM is here to support you.
The key thing from me this month is a reminder that the 2024 BASEM Conference is very nearly upon us. The packed programme will deliver amazing sessions and content. We have some incredible national and international speakers lined up and, as always, the poster presentations give our members the opportunity to showcase their own works as well. There are still tickets are available, and if you haven’t booked, then I would urge you to look at the conference section of the website, and book now. https://basem.co.uk/basem-annual-conference-2024/
Come and join us in Coventry!
I have a couple of further updates for you as the BASEM Membership this month.
Dialogue between BASEM and FSEM continues towards forming a College. These by their very nature are detailed processes which take a long time. Throughout these steps we are following external advice as to the correct ways things need to be done. There have been no serious legal, financial, or reputational risks identified in the legal due diligence so far, with the final report nearing completion by our lawyers before being sent to Trustees for review. Additionally, as a part of this journey to form a College a call went out to find an independent Chair for the steering group to shepherd though the next steps; and BASEM and FSEM Trustees will be interviewing a candidate in the very near future. It is important that these incredibly important steps are done correctly and it is hoped that we will nearing the successful end of this journey by early 2025. We will of course be continuing to keep our members up to date with everything along the way, and remember you can find the updates and current position in a dedicated section of BASEM’s website https://basem.co.uk/proposed-college/
Another thing is to once again offer our thanks both corporately and personally to Dr Roger Hawkes who completed his office last month as Honorary President after his successful 2nd term. BASEM was made very much stronger by his guiding hand as a sounding board, mentor, and ambassador for a number of years. As previously advised, BASEM Trustees took the decision to pause appointment of a new President as we are most of the way through dialogue towards forming a brand new College organisation which will have a different structure, but will keep this decision under review depending on processes.
Whilst a main focus of these briefings this year has been on the journey towards a potential College, as this is a hugely important process for all of us as BASEM members, and for BASEM as a membership organisation, it is important to consider all the other activities that BASEM does to support its membership. BASEM continues to run our educational courses, both the BASEM Foundation skills course, and revision courses for various professional exams. BASEM also continues to offer a multitude of awards, which give support to members at different stages of their career for different aspects of professional development. If you haven’t had a look around the BASEM website for a while, then I would encourage you to do so as there is probably more going on that most of our members realise. https://basem.co.uk/
That’s all for me for now. I look forward to seeing many of you in Coventry at the 2024 Conference; remember to stop by the BASEM stand and say hello!
Prof. Patrick Wheeler
BASEM, Chair