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Institute of Animal Technology Bulletin G G G TAI the IAT Guide Dog Congress 2016 AS ET Ball Report G G G Branch News Situations Vacant Diary Dates Vol 51 No 10 October 2015
Bulletin Vol 51 No 10 October 2015 EDITOR Sarah Lane bulletineditor iat org uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Carole Wilson bulletinassistant iat org uk ADVERTISEMENT MANAGERS PRC Associates Ltd mail prcassoc co uk CONTENTS TAI the IAT Guide Dog Congress 2016 4 11 13 Three Minute Interview 14 15 John Bleby Obituary 17 23 Suppliers Register i xliv AS ET Ball Report Published monthly by the Institute of Animal Technology Registered Office 5 South Parade Summertown Oxford OX2 7JL 28 34 Branch News 35 45 ISSN 0263 2861 For enquiries other than Bulletin related contact IAT ADMINISTRATOR admin iat org uk or 0800 085 4380 Situations Vacant Final copy date for December Bulletin 1st November The opinions expressed in the Bulletin do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Institute 46 Diary Dates 47
4 October 2015 Bulletin TAI the IAT Guide Dog Each year at Congress the Branches organise a raffle with monies collected going to a nominated charity The 2015 chosen charity was Guide Dogs for the Blind to link in with the Kevin Dolan Memorial Lecture Changing Lives presented by Dr David Anderson and Terry Thorpe As the original nomination for this charity came from the West of Scotland W of S Branch they organised and ran the raffle Margaret Skeoch Branch Representative for W of S took on the responsibility of arranging this and threw herself into fund raising for Guide Dogs with abandon She even took part in a sponsored 4 day camping trip across Scotland in February with Guess the miles covered to help raise money alongside the raffle Thanks to her tireless efforts she raised a massive 2 400 which Council made up to 2 500 enabling us to actually name a guide dog puppy The following pages introduce you to TAI for those of you who still haven t worked it out that s IAT backwards Many thanks to Margaret for her tremendous efforts in raising so much money she has set the bar for future Congress raffles and well done to everyone who contributed to this great outcome Lynda Westall Branch Liaison Officer
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CUT OFF DATES ARE LOOMING FOR PAPER AND WORKSHOP TOPICS Submissions must be received by Friday 6th November and we want to hear your voice Maybe you are considering presenting a topic based on our theme education maybe you are studying Download this Invitation Booklet from the dedicated link at www iat org uk congress html compassion maybe you wish to discuss dedication maybe you have thoughts the contours of empathy involved in your day to day duties through e learning and have some interesting information for others on this on being in a large dedicated team or even a solo operation we all know that looking after animals is a 365 day vocation Paper and Workshop Presenters receive a free Congress subject to T Cs Submission forms available at Paper http www iatform org uk view php id 1972 Workshops http www iatform org uk view php id 10664 To discuss any aspect of Congress with the Congress Committee or if you have any questions email congress iat org uk Online Registration only for 2016
14 October 2015 Bulletin Three Minute Interview Name Theresa Langford Job title MRC LMB Cambridge Regional Advisor Named Information Officer and Member of Council Describe yourself in 3 words Conscientious tenacious reliable but not as boring as I sound I hope What is your earliest memory Trying to get my Mum s attention by biting her on the forearm she promptly bit me back It has proven to be a very effective deterrent When you were at school what or who did you want to be and why Anyone in anyway connected to horses I was somewhat obsessed in retrospect but ultimately and somewhat convolutedly it got me into Animal Technology thankfully What was the first music album you bought Possibly Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf but it was a long time ago and I was saving hard for my first motorbike If you could have dinner with one person who would that be and why Boudicca can you imagine the stories she could recount battling against the Romans What is the best advice you have been given Where there s a will there s a way What is your next goal in life Getting on with some of those Bucket List activities before I m too decrepit Specifically touring on my 1959 Norton street bike and more road racing our vintage Norton side car in Europe and maybe New Zealand see overleaf
Bulletin October 2015 15 If you could visit anywhere in the world where would you choose and why Probably New Zealand I ve been stunned by the scenery shown in various travelogues and there s a thriving classic racing scene there too What is your favourite quote or saying Onwards and upwards What is the most important thing your job has taught you You are the advocate for the animals always go the extra mile striving for continual improvement Cup of tea or stiff drink Tea Favourite colour The blue purple spectrum Favourite place Home Last book you read Wilt by Tom Sharpe I re read this book yet again and it is still hysterically funny Name something that annoys you The Shelf Filler mentality seen in some animal care staff in recent years who would be best deployed doing precisely that Printable most embarrassing moment Driving to work one morning in the usual moving queue of traffic when part way around a roundabout the gear stick came away in my hand and I had no option but stop instant chaos Mind you there were plenty of folks available to help push the car to one side once they realised what was happening I was not very popular Hobbies or interests Cats including volunteering for Cats Protection Ely Branch Anything animal related Motorcycles the Norton marque especially and actively participating in classic sidecar racing and road riding Getting together with friends Gardening reading culture arts etc
Bulletin October 2015 17 OBITUARY Professor John Bleby Hon FIAT TD JP DVetMed DLAS CBiol FSB MRCVS 1932 2015 W ith the passing away of John Bleby the veterinary profession has lost a most remarkable member John was born and grew up in Lowestoft where he attended Lowestoft Grammar School His father was a school headmaster who had served as an army officer throughout the First World War and was a survivor of the trenches One of John s proudest possessions was his father s service revolver which he inherited still with battlefield mud on the handle His mother a very compassionate lady owned and ran a nursery home for orphaned young children and babies with special needs Thus the family house was a large one with many children and three live in nurses When John was young his father gave him two pieces of advice you only get out of life what you put into it and do the world a good turn and you never know when it will do one for you John took both pieces of advice very much to heart and always tried to live according to these precepts On leaving school he joined the army in the Royal Corps of Signals for his compulsory two year National Service After his basic training he was selected for a possible commission and was posted to Mons Officer Cadet School one of
18 October 2015 Bulletin two officer cadet schools for national servicemen There he found himself under the command of Regimental Sergeant Major Brittain of the Coldstream Guards who was reputed to have the loudest voice in the British Army John volunteered for the Korean War but was posted to the south west of England While he was there the Lynton Lynmouth flood disaster occurred where 30 people lost their lives The army were called in to help with the relief work and John commanded his unit at the scene which John found very traumatic He twice took part in lining the route in Whitehall for a ceremonial procession the funeral of George VI and the coronation of Elizabeth II He entered the Royal Veterinary College RVC in October 1953 and during his whole time there he continued to be an active officer in the Territorial Army He became president of the Students Union he was also President of the Association of Veterinary Students of Great Britain and Ireland and was responsible for organising its annual congress in London with over 800 students attending It was typical of John that he not only took on the enormous job of arranging the congress but also invited the Minister of Agriculture to open the proceedings On graduating in 1961 he changed his army status from Captain in the RASC Territorial Army to Captain in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps RAVC Regular Army Reserve of Officers John worked for a spell in a large animal practice in Yorkshire before moving to a companion animal practice in Surbiton where he stayed for 2 years Following two years at Surbiton he was appointed Deputy Director of the Medical Research Council s MRC Laboratory Animals Centre LAC at Carshalton This was a particularly productive time for John Also while holding this post he was at various times FAO veterinary consultant to Iraq Egypt Lebanon Sudan Iran Pakistan and Mozambique WHO veterinary consultant to the National Institutes of Health in the USA and to the People s Republic of China veterinary consultant to the University of Hong Kong and visiting professor at the University of Pretoria South Africa Ministry of Overseas veterinary consultant to Kenya and chairman of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Working Party on Postgraduate Training in Laboratory Animal Science John sat on too many committees and councils during his career to list them all but they included the Research Defence Society the Institute of Animal Technology the Comparative Medicine Section of the Royal Society of Medicine the Royal Society of Health and the RVC He was a member of the British Veterinary Association BVA European and Overseas Committee and the British Psychological Society Standing Advisory Committee on Standards of Psychological Research and Training Involving Animals He was also a member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee serving as Vice Chairman of its
Bulletin October 2015 19 Science and Technology Group and being part of its delegation to China in 1991 He was President twice of the Central Veterinary Society CVS He was the society s representative on BVA Council and became the BVA s longest serving Council member The CVS instructed John to press the BVA Council to take up the cause of banning the practice of keeping sows in sow stalls He was successful and sow stalls are now a thing of the past at least in this country and in parts of the EU The CVS then instructed him in view of scientific advances to press BVA Council to support the phasing out of quarantine regulations for imported dogs and cats The proposal met with considerable resistance and John s persistence in this matter made him no friends in some quarters but such antagonism did not deter him because he always did what he thought was right We now have passports for pets With changes in legislation regarding laboratory animals it became necessary for a cadre of veterinary surgeons to be trained in this field John remained a member of the staff of the MRC but transferred to the RVC where he founded and organised a master s degree course in laboratory animal science
20 October 2015 Bulletin John was fortunate that he met and married Jayne his second wife who was a great support to him and who bore him a son William When the time came for John to retire on the grounds of age from the RVC and from the army he and Jayne started a company Surrey Diagnostics that measures the health profile of laboratory animals in research institutes and universities He enjoyed humour and convivial company He kept a private joke book so that he could amuse people with appropriate stories for whatever the occasion demanded He was a born leader He was compassionate articulate persistent brave resilient in the face of adversity kind and jolly good company He will be remembered by many people in different ways but he always stood out above the crowd John s sense of fun was evident when he purchased a red Rolls Royce car It was pre owned but it looked impressive and he fitted it with the number plate 999 VET John was a patriot For many years on Remembrance Sunday he took part in the parade in Whitehall and proudly marched past the Cenotaph wearing his medals on the left side of his chest and his father s World War I medals on the right as etiquette demands Throughout all these years he was a dedicated family man and was immensely proud of Jayne and of his children and despite his many activities he found time to be a much loved husband and father His final illness was prolonged but he was supported and nursed devotedly by Jayne to whom his friends are very grateful John s funeral service was held at a country church in Surrey at the end of July and the church was full His coffin was draped with the Union Flag and his military busby was placed on the coffin A guard of honour was formed by troopers from the Honourable Artillery Company and two buglers sounded the Last Post and Reveille Our sincere sympathies are extended to Jayne his children Samantha Georgina and William his sister Tessa and to his grandchildren Barrie Callaghan and Peter Lane Other contributions Paul Flecknell comments I met John on numerous occasions during my career but my strongest memory is of him always being the first with a question at every LASA LAVA or IAT scientific meeting which was quickly followed with a brief promotion of the MSc in Laboratory Animal Science that he established and ran at the RVC
Bulletin October 2015 21 Steve Barnett writes I was one of MSc students Paul referred to and I have a lot to be grateful to John for He made a positive contribution in so many ways IAT and lab animal science generally RCVS as a JP and a soldier to name a few I was once at a meeting of fellows of London Zoo it was when the zoo was short of funds and threatened with closure The meeting was a very bad tempered one traditionalists verses those who wanted to turn the zoo into Alton Towers Both sides had steam coming out of their ears Then right at the end John got up and within five minutes had the whole meeting laughing their heads off That sums up John for me he always left a room in a better mood than it was when he entered it Harry Donnelly writes The Laboratory Animals Centre started as the Laboratory Animals Bureau based at the RVC with the aim of improving the supply and quality of animals for medical research John followed Lane Petter as director after it moved to the MRC labs at Carshalton where they shared the building with the MRC Toxicology Unit and I think the contact with them very quickly helped to see things from the user s point of view Under his direction the LAC began the task of establishing the concept of the standardised defined laboratory animal There were several aspects to consider The establishment of the Accreditation Scheme for breeders a voluntary scheme which was intended to help breeders with advice on accommodation nutrition management environmental control and breeding systems The scheme involved regular inspections of the breeders premises to ensure compliance with minimum standards of husbandry housing and management Associated with this was a regular microbiological screening programme with its four star category system which evolved into the present FELASA scheme The Accreditation Scheme of course required technical and scientific research as there simply was little information available This was provided by a bacteriology lab parasitology lab and in time serology There was also a need to ensure proper nutrition and to examine the specific requirements of rodents and cats and dogs As well as research working parties involving scientists from the Centre and commercial suppliers were established John worked to establish the first SPF cat colony in the UK which formed the basis of his DVetMed Information was also needed on breeding systems and the development of inbred strains as more suitable models for research This required the development of genetic monitoring systems beginning with skin grafting and moving on to mandible analysis Further development of biochemical markers e g iso enzymes was contemplated but the MRC decided that the LAC was no longer needed
22 October 2015 Bulletin Research was additionally carried out on the effects on environmental factors such as temperature humidity sound and light levels on rodents with the intention of finding optimal levels to ensure good reproduction and more uniform response to experimental treatment As well as microbiological screening the LAC pioneered the development of what were then referred to as SPF rodents its own SPF unit was the converted stables used by the LGC Serum Institute to house horses for antiserum production This then led to the study of techniques for the sterilisation of food and bedding and hysterectomy techniques A further development of this resulted from collaboration with Trexler from the USA This was the establishment of an isolator unit used for the development of techniques the provision of microbiologically defined nuclei for new colonies and staff training We all had to do a stint in the unit A further interest was the training of all involved in research with animals I believe John was very active in encouraging the IAT in its training programmes he was also active in keeping researchers informed of the work of the LAC by encouraging the staff to publish the results of their research to attend scientific meetings and to become involved in LASA There was also training provided for potential licensees one course was called the LAST course This again was developed into the present system of licensee training including courses at the RVC More recently John was involved in establishing an MSc course at the RVC to meet the need for specialist training for the newly established NVS required by the change in legislation This perhaps was not as successful as hoped as alternative and probably less intensive training was available for UK vets The course was however popular with overseas students some of which I m still in contact with To help with the considerable cost of tuition John was active in fund raising mainly from the pharmaceutical industry and I know several students were only able to attend the course thanks to his efforts Although he could appear to be very much of an authoritarian he also cared very much about his staff If you got it wrong you knew it but if you were right he would back you to the hilt if anyone said you were wrong He also encouraged his staff to undergo any further training they were capable of Dawn Owen Auriole Hill David Shaw and Malcolm Gamble for example were all encouraged to complete part time external PhDs Alistair Thompson recounts one anecdote from John he had gone to a ScandLAS meeting as part of his spreading the LAC word around the globe and
Bulletin October 2015 23 one of the social events was in a sauna People had birch twigs and were beating each other before going outside and rolling in the snow In the spirit of the moment John asked the German chap next to him if he would like to be beaten with birch twigs to which the man replied imagine a strong German accent No zank you I prefer to flagellate myzelf A classic amusing story from a man that had so many levels that many people never got to see because they never knew him long enough He was like a pass the parcel parcel at a childrens party every time you peeled back a layer you found more and more layers inside A real gentleman in all senses of the word and an inspiration to many including myself To conclude John certainly lived by you only get out of life what you put into it and those of us who had the privilege of knowing him are grateful for it I would like to thank all the contributors and Dr Judy MacArthur Clark who provided me with the material to compile this piece Sarah Lane Bulletin Editor
24 October 2015 Bulletin IAT HERTS ESSEX BRANCH Friday 13th November Lucky for some Doors open at 6 30pm and the quiz starts at 7 00pm 9 00pm Location Ware Hertfordshire Prizes Raffle Buffet Teams of up to five 2 per person For tickets please contact hertsandessexsecretary hotmail co uk Kindly sponsored by Agenda and IPS
28 October 2015 Bulletin AS ET Charity Ball If you were unable to attend the AS ET Charity Ball on 5th September you missed a great evening Nearly 200 people made the event at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in London s West End and all of the feedback received so far has been very positive The evening started with a drinks reception which gave the opportunity to meet with friends and to take part in a Lemon Rolling game The aim of this game is to see who can get the lemons closest to the target Two prizes were on offer a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white The red wine was won by Anthony Jones and the white wine by Elaine Kirkum who generously donated the prize back and it was won by Andy Cunningham Each roll of the lemon cost a minimum of 2 and the game raised 63 for AS ET Guests arriving for the Reception At the Reception The dinner was held in the Hilton Ballroom three floors below street level David Spillane acted as Master of Ceremonies for the evening and he welcomed everybody on behalf of the Trustees and the AS ET Fund raising Group David got the evening off to a good start by promising to show the guests how to turn 10 into 250 The first stage in this was to ask everybody to put ten pounds into an envelope which was on the table Once this was done and collected he asked everybody to stand and take part in the Heads and Tails game Eventually only Norman Mortell was left standing which meant he had won the 250 but with
Bulletin October 2015 29 typical generosity he donated the 250 to AS ET The Heads and Tails game raised 1 500 for AS ET funds After an excellent dinner David conducted an auction of items that had been donated to AS ET The items were of two types pieces of art created and donated by our talented colleagues and tickets to popular sporting and other events Putting 10 in the envelopes Last few standing in the Heads and Tails game Heads and Tails winner Norman Mortell with MC David Spillane
30 October 2015 Bulletin Our thanks go to all of the people gave us the items Roger Francis Carving of a woodpecker Richard Gardner 2 scenes from Yorkshire Sarah Lucus Drawing of lions
Bulletin October 2015 31 Paul Sanders of Agenda donated two tickets to the rugby world cup semi final two tickets for Betfair Chase Day at Haydock Park two tickets for the British Masters Golf Tournament at Woburn a bottle of Talisker Storm Single Malt Scotch Whisky Elaine Kirkum donated four tickets to London Zoo Sandra Batty celebrating her successful bid for the rugby tickets These valuable donations together with the generosity of the bidders resulted in over 4 000 being raised for AS ET We were very pleased when the Chair of AS ET Trustees Professor Sir Richard Gardner agreed to give the after dinner speech He started by thanking the organisers of the ball and went on to tell some very amusing anecdotes
Bulletin October 2015 33 Dancing to the music of DJ Tony The evening concluded with either dancing to DJ Tony or talking with friends until 1am We must thank our MC David Spillane of Tecniplast who managed the evening with great skill and showed himself extremely proficient at separating our guests from their money in a painless manner A grand total of 5 600 was raised on the night David during the auction
34 October 2015 Bulletin Richard Gardner not only donated two of his much sought after watercolours to auction but gave an excellent after dinner speech Events like this do not come about by accident The AS ET Fund Raising group made up of Elaine Kirkum David Spillane Paul Sanders Lynda Westall Wayne Russell and Lewis Young suggested the Ball and worked for nine months planning it Elaine put in the major amount of work selecting the venue arranging the entertainment selling the tickets etc Without her effort the Ball probably would not have taken place Our thanks also go to Elaine s daughters Rocky and Rio who worked very hard getting the room ready and making the evening go smoothly Elaine even got her father involved and we are grateful to David Webster for making the boxes that formed the table centre pieces Stuart Lamming of Agenda also gave valuable assistance in the planning We are also grateful to a tune who sponsored the auction programme Lastly and most importantly we want to thank all those people who came the companies who booked tables the individuals who booked tickets and the people who could not come but sent a donation to AS ET instead Elaine Rio and Rocky All proceeds from the Ball will help AS ET to continue to advance education and promote excellence in the care and welfare of animals used in science Photographs from the Ball can be viewed at www as et org uk Steve Barnett Reporter and photographer
Bulletin October 2015 IAT Herts and Essex branch presents How can we teach an old dog new tricks The learning theory behind the practical click O n the 3rd of September the Herts and Essex branch welcomed Louise Bater from the Happiest Hounds training company She introduced the audience to the principles and theory behind animal training including operant conditioning classical conditioning and clicker training Louise s talk included debunking the dominance theory and dispelling common dog training myths She brought along her training companion Wilma who seemed to enjoy interacting with all the children and adults showing us what a clever dog she was Wilma was twisting and spinning and also pawed a good book or two We had an interesting moment when one of the children noticed a naughty word on the presentation bitch which Louise explained very well saying it was a female dog The audience asked lots of questions throughout the presentation but this could be to do with the chocolate Louise was giving out for each question 35
36 October 2015 Bulletin There was an interactive session where the adults gave suggestions of positive and negative reinforcement whilst the children had fun training Wilma on a skateboard I can safely say that everyone who came to this event took ideas back home to practice with their own pets my husband certainly did After the presentation everyone was looking forward to the BBQ which would have fed the 5000 As you can see from the photos the food was a big hit
Bulletin October 2015 37 This event was enjoyed by all and the feedback from individuals showed us that these are the kinds of events that all can enjoy whether you are from the animal industry or not old or young I would like to thank Louise from Happiest Hounds for an educational entertaining and interesting presentation and Wilma for her patience with all who attended Thanks also to Aston Pharma for sponsoring this event Please contact Louise Bater with any questions you have via info happiesthounds com or checkout their website www happiesthounds com for the services they provide Sam Izzard Chair Herts and Essex Branch A small prize will be awarded to the first keen eyed reader who spots the deliberate mistake with this issue Editor email me at bulletineditor iat org uk
On a fine night mid way through September 17 hormonally fuelled individuals competed to become the best go karting driver in the North West fortunately for us we did not have to worry about the event being cancelled due to fog unlike the Singapore Grand Prix we were inside The venue is made up of two different tracks at 300m and a 1000m we were fortunate to have the 1000m course this is made up on three levels including a flyover and the longest Monaco style tunnel anywhere in the country Long speed gathering straights 35 turns including everything from gentle sweeps to hairpins and chicanes The 200CC karts hit top speeds of 40mph so there was plenty of opportunities to open up the throttle and really let it rip We were told that the average speed per lap was 1 minute 10 seconds so this gave everyone a goal to aim for The event kicked off and everyone was in good humour with friendly banter being passed around from one person to another however as soon as Chris from the race track took us all into a conference room and put on the video outlining the rules conditions and H S this was when the mood changed the palms started to sweat butterflies in the tummy it then became clear from this briefing that anyone found to be driving erratically bumping into others would be black flagged and disqualified I half expected to hear Fleetwood Mac s The Chain blasting out from the loud speakers
Bulletin October 2015 39 We all were given helmets protective clothing and gloves then given our allotted car The first 8 laps were used as a guide to see who could achieve the fastest lap then from this you were placed on a starting grid with the fastest at the front then competing to become overall champion From the very first lap you could tell that some people had done their homework while others just wanted to try and bulldoze their way around the course or through other drivers looking at the number of collisions I was surprised that no one received a black flag what happened in Warrington stays in Warrington names will remain anonymous Congratulations must go to the podium winners 1st place Adam Baker Vet Tech 2nd place Martin Sharrock University of Manchester 3rd place Mark Keating Clinipath As we all made our way out of the venue and into our normal cars it did cross my mind whether after the night s events someone may be stopped for speeding on their way home I think I can speak for all who attended we had a great night and would like to say a big thank you to Team Sport Warrington for orchestrating marshalling the laps the venue go karts and the food pizza were bang on secondly I like to kindly thank our sponsors Tecniplast Ian Fielding and MMM Ian Milne for their generous support Graham Morrissey Treasurer North West Branch
Bulletin October 2015 41 Change of Date Venue IAT Inter branch Fishing Match Saturday November 14th 2015 Organised by the IAT West Middlesex Branch Draw 09 00 fish 10 30 15 30 The venue will be a Lake near Milton Keynes Venue details supplied on registering Fishing in teams of 3 or as individuals Cost is only 20 per person or 60 per team Including Peg and Pools fees The Event has been organised in aid of Help for Heroes Everyone is welcome regardless of ability For information or to enter please contact Wayne Europe allentowninc com Tel 07717533159 Or register on Facebook search IAT HFH charity event Sponsored By
Bulletin October 2015 43 University of Cambridge Stem Cell BSU Team Away Day 2015 F or the BSU team away day we like to try and come up with something different and unique each year but of course each year this becomes increasingly difficult not to overlap with an activity we have done before Two members of the team took it upon themselves to try and wow the team and found the novel idea of a Pedibus A Pedibus consists of 8 chairs 4 on each side with a driver at the front The idea is that it is to replicate cycling but as a team and on more than 2 wheels They are situated in different sites over London from which you choose one route that you would like to do around the capital The route we had chosen was over London Bridge passing through Borough Market and back When we arrived in London we weren t quite sure what to expect and we had assured everyone that hard physical exercise wasn t involved and it was suitable for everyone to try We rendezvoused at a local pub just around the corner from where our Pedibus awaited We received the call that the Pedibus was ready and so off we went We met Tom who was our driver He actually wasn t feeling too well but we were soon to change his mood and liven up London town for the short hour and a half that we had on the Pedibus The seats on the Pedibus replicated that of a bicycle which most of us soon came to realise was not going to be comfortable to sit on for the duration of the ride
Bulletin October 2015 45 Not all members of the team could cycle at one time therefore we used traffic lights as our chance to swap around so we could all get a chance to have a go don t worry we weren t going fast For some it was a relief to swap as cycling with 11 people on board was tough enough until we encountered hills Hills were our nemesis and there were plenty of them too many in fact We had members of the public waving at us taking photos of us Whereas on the other end of the scale we had angry double decker bus drivers and black cab drivers being stuck behind us sometimes for what felt like forever Yet we knuckled down to it as a team and got ourselves up the hills and through the route It was great seeing the sights of London and how happy it made passersby Most importantly it was good to see the Pedibus getting us all to work together as a team It was all over way too quickly and although at times it was hard grafting we could have kept on going and going I think it is safe to say the whole team ached not just from all their cycling but all of their laughing too It was such a great experience and one I think we will all cherish We would recommend it to other teams you will absolutely love it Now the hard part is trying to find an even better team away day for 2016 A big thank you to IPS and IMPEX for providing sponsorship for such an enjoyable day Hannah Jones Biomedical Technician
Bulletin October 2015 DIARY Dates 21 October AS ET Special Lecture Harnessing Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine How far have we got Central London Details from contact as et org uk 13 November Herts Essex Branch Quiz Night Hertfordshire Details from hertsandessexsecretary hotmail co uk See page 24 23 October RSPCA UFAW 22nd Rodent and Rabbit Welfare Group Meeting North East England Details from research animals rspca org uk 14 November change of date and venue IAT Inter Branch Fishing Match West Middlesex Branch Details from europe allentowninc com See page 41 5 November London Branch Catch Up The Marlborough Arms London Details from j holby ucl ac uk 18 November Cambridge Huntingdon Norfolk Suffolk Branch Joint Autumn Symposium Cambridge Details to follow 6 November Closing date for Congress 2016 Call for Papers See page 23 25 27 November LASA Winter Meeting South of England Details from info lasa co uk 6 November Closing date for Congress 2016 Call for Workshops See page 25 Cover photo New IAT App 47