Club Activities
Senior Fellows Club activities and involvement in the College
Walking Group
The Club has a very active walking group of over 100 members which arranges monthly, weekday walks from March to November. These are led by members of the group and are of minimal or moderate difficulty, typically of around seven miles and with ascents of no more than 400 metres.
Usually 10-15 members participate at any one time, friends are welcome, and a few members of the Senior Fellows Club of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh often join the outing.
Social Events
Annual Guest Lunch
Our popular Guest Lunch (which is held in March) is an opportunity for members to bring their partners and other guests to share in our activities and the splendours of the College Buildings. The lunch is followed by musical entertainment.
The Guest Lunch also an Arts, Crafts & Collectors Exhibition allowing our talented members or their partners to exhibit their crafts and other activities. Fascinating personal collections also feature and these have ranged from First World War Postcards to Delft Tiles. Recently published Senior Fellow’ Authors also show their works at the Lunch.
Annual Joint Lunch with the RCSE
Each year the Senior Fellow Club's from both the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh come together for a joint lecture and lunch. This event alternates venue between the RCPE and RCSE. This year it was held at the RCSE and the guest lecturer was Mr John Guy who delivered a talk on 'Building a flying replica of a WW1 fighter'. We had around 30 of our members attend this joint event.
The photo to the right shows the Chair and Secretaries from both Senior Fellows' Clubs.
Summer Outing
Each year we have a summer outing. In June 2026 over 20 members attended a lecture, lunch and a guided tour at the Dundee V&A and RRS Discovery.
Previously the group has visited a variety of sites, including the Zoo, New Lanark, the Burrell Collection, Paxton House; Falkland Palace; Dumfries House; Abbotsford House; the chilling, nuclear war Secret Bunker in Fife; Mellerstain House; the Riverside Museum in Glasgow and the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Each outing usually includes lunch, a guided tour, and time to explore the location at your own pace.
Trainee Prizes
The Senior Fellows’ Club supports postgraduate training with annual quality improvement and audit prizes. The highest scoring abstract from a resident doctor and a medical student are selected to deliver an oral presentation at the RCPE’s Medical Trainee Conference. Other entrants are given the opportunity to display a poster at the event. Members of the Senior Fellows will be invited to score these abstracts and certificates will be provided to all abstracts presented to evidence this achievement.
The SFC club previously sponsored the College Journal Prize and Case of the Quarter Prize. Some of the previous winners of the prizes are pictured below receiving their certificates from Senior Fellow Committee member, Dr Ron Fergusson.
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The Club is managed by a committee of six, each of whom is in office for three years, who are elected at the Annual General Meeting and serve for a period of three years. The Committee receives a great deal of warm administrative support from the College.
Membership
- Professor Nick Bateman - Chair
- Dr John Wilson - Honorary Secretary
- Dr Roger Smith - Honorary Treasurer
- Dr Ronald Fergusson
- Dr Jacqueline Mok
- Ms Lindy Tedford
On our initiative, there is a reciprocity with the Senior Fellows Clubs, or equivalent, of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the Royal College of Physicians of London, whereby a retired Fellow or Collegiate Member of one College will be welcomed as a member by the Senior Fellows Club of another should he or she come to live in that other’s area. We would also welcome any retired Fellow or Collegiate Member of the RCPCH or RCPI who comes to live here.
We can also attend each other’s talks, and the members of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh's Senior Fellows Club are additionally welcomed at ours - and vice versa.
