Welcome to Leeds

2012 will be remembered for many anniversaries - the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, the 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the British Olympics, and of course the Ruby anniversary of the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes.

It is a special year for paediatrics in Leeds too, as we officially opened the Leeds Children's Hospital in the spring, and we are proud to be hosting this prestigious meeting in Yorkshire's capital city. We have planned a diverse, informative and entertaining programme of events in the city which brought the world the likes of Peter O'Toole, Alan Bennett, Jane Tomlinson andHarry Ramsden (of fish and chips fame!).

There is a little change from our traditional programme this year. We will start the CME meeting as usual on day one, the topics covered this year concentrating on pituitary and thyroid disorders. The following day the endocrine programme will focus on themes of genes, gender identity and, in the spirit of Olympic year, the impact of sport on health and disease. There will, as always, be opportunities for oral and poster presentation of new research, and a parallel endocrine nurse specialist session, but in response to feedback from our members, we are this year holding a single, fully integrated diabetes day with speakers from all disciplines - nursing, psychology and dietetics as well as paediatric and adult medicine-rather than parallel medical and nursing sessions. We have a list of nationally and internationally renowned speakers, and we aim to deliver a first class programme with talks to please all diabetes professionals, closing the meeting with a keynote lecture from one of the most renowned British diabetologists of our time.

Leodensians are justly proud of our venue for the fortieth meeting of the BSPED-the Leeds Town Hall. This stunning hybrid of classical Greek and baroque styles built by Charles Broderick between 1853 and 1858 houses a world famous organ, and is centrally located within walking distance of many of Leeds' historical and cultural landmarks. Take the time to explore the nearby City Museum, Henry Moore Institute, Leeds Cathedral, or wander around the city markets. If you have the opportunity to stay on a few days, you could travel further afield and visit the famous Yorkshire Sculpture Park, or the exciting new Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield; explore the beautiful and historic city of York or simply catch a film at the Leeds International Film Festival, which is showing many new releases at the Town Hall itself.

The conference dinner will be held at an offsite venue just a short walk from the Town Hall and within easy walking of the city centre hotels. A highlight of the evening will be a short after dinner talk on the history and origins of the BSPED, delivered by one of the stalwarts of our Society…but you will need to attend to find out more!

We are sure you will enjoy what we hope will be a stimulating and educational anniversary meeting of our Society and we look forward to welcoming you to Leeds in November.

Sabah Alvi

Talat Mushtaq