Fellowship news and events

President's Lecture: panellists push for nature restoration and rewilding

RSA House welcomed HRH The Princess Royal on 13 June for the annual President’s Lecture and Dinner, which this year involved an expert panel discussing ‘nature stewardship’.

The Princess Royal, who has been RSA President since 2011, introduced events in the Great Room, along with outgoing RSA Chairman Tim Eyles. More than 80 guests attended the dinner, with RSA Director of Design and Innovation Dr Joanna Choukeir chairing the panel.

The Princess Royal told attendees: “I would very much like to thank all the current members of staff and Fellows for the incredible amount of work that they do to continue and to grow the RSA’s impact and its value to society in this country and, more importantly, around the world.”

She said that the RSA’s Design for Life mission fitted well with a discussion on nature stewardship and also with environmental sustainability — an issue that her father, the Duke of Edinburgh, had championed throughout his more than five decades as RSA President.

Panellists then explored what can be done to address rewilding, bringing urban spaces back to life and making them vital hubs for local communities.

Kabir Kaul, a conservationist, wildlife writer and RSA young Fellow, spoke passionately about reversing biodiversity loss in London.

“Most people live in cities, and it is important that we make nature and biodiversity relevant to most people,” he said. “But often nature and cities are at a juxtaposition. We need to remove that concept and make sure that nature is accessible to everyone.”

Caitlin Turner, marine biologist and policy officer at the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, spoke about the need to raise awareness of the effects of pollution and over-exploitation on our oceans. She highlighted the work of the Youth Ocean Network and Young Sea Changers Scotland.

“Young people are currently due to inherit a future that they are having very little say in. But they have a vision for a more sustainable, equitable and just future for us all. We can achieve that future, but only if youth voices are included,” she said.

Chief Executive of Rewilding Britain, Rebecca Wrigley, highlighted why rewilding is a key solution both environmentally and economically. “Nature’s restoration and rewilding across 30% of Britain is not just the right thing to do, it’s the most productive use of the land and sea,” she said.

Sir Partha Dasgupta, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge, suggested that to make environmental progress we must “alter our language” with regard to economics as we have become “programmed” to think of wellbeing only in GDP terms.

“I would like to see governments, particularly treasuries, hire ecologists,” he said. “Natural capital is an asset, but treasuries don’t have any representation of that kind of asset.”

_{^{Above: Tim Eyles (right) chats with Andy Haldane.}}

"Debt of gratitude” owed to RSA Chair

Tim Eyles OBE has been thanked for his “outstanding leadership” as he prepares to step down after completing his second term as Chair of the RSA’s Board of Trustees.

RSA Chief Executive Andy Haldane said: “I would like to thank Tim Eyles for his outstanding leadership and wise stewardship of the RSA and its international Fellowship since 2018.

“We at the RSA owe Tim an enormous debt of gratitude for all he has done to transform the organisation for the better over the last six years, not least throughout the pandemic and the immense challenges it presented.”

The appointment of the new RSA chair will be confirmed at the AGM on 10 October, and there will be an extended interview in the next issue of the Journal.

Unlocking potential through Prosperous Places

The RSA has launched Prosperous Places, a Design for Life initiative that addresses the different ambitions and challenges of places across the UK and beyond.

Prosperous Places includes a series of interventions that bring together economic, social and natural perspectives on local growth opportunities. Working with local leaders and residents, the goal is to unlock the potential of places.

Tom Stratton, RSA Chief of Staff, said: “Everyone deserves to live in a vibrant community, with opportunities to thrive in a flourishing natural environment. However, many do not.

“We are therefore delighted to announce Prosperous Places to help respond to the unique ambitions and challenges of places, at a time when regional growth is at the top of the agenda.”

The interventions comprising Prosperous Places are:

• Local Prosperity Plans
• Innovation Corridors
• Playful Green Planet
• RSA Spark
• Regions of Learning
• Connected Places.

They build on the RSA’s previous work on Creative Corridors, Cities of Learning and the UK Urban Futures Commission.

Pay Fellowship Forward to launch in October

We are pleased to announce plans for a scheme that will allow anyone to apply for RSA Fellowship regardless of their financial circumstances.

The Pay Fellowship Forward scheme is due to be launched in October and will be funded by donations from Fellows. Applicants to the scheme will complete an application form which will then be reviewed by a Fellow-led panel.

Our Fellowship is at its best when a range of different voices, talents and lived experiences are represented. Someone’s financial circumstances should not be a barrier to joining, but we know that not everyone is currently able to afford to pay.

To help us achieve our mission and enrich our community, we want to increase the socioeconomic diversity of the Fellowship. This links closely to our Social Connections intervention, which is underpinned by research suggesting cross-class connections can improve social mobility.

To support or donate to this exciting new initiative before our official launch, please email fellowship@rsa.org.uk. Donations of all sizes are welcome.

The launch of Pay Fellowship Forward will coincide with the 250th anniversary celebration of RSA House.

Alex Newton is Head of Fellowship Development and Services at the RSA.

_{^{Above: Dr Aakeen Parikh of Minazi Consulting (left) and women in Rwanda assembling pads (right).}}

Catalyst Award winner’s quest to end period poverty

Over 500 million women cannot afford or do not have access to period products. Even fewer live where waste management systems can process the traditional plastic-based period products that dominate the sanitary product space, resulting in plastic waste entering and irreparably damaging local ecology.

Seeing these crises, Dr Aakeen Parikh and her partners set out to develop a period product that could be made with local materials, by local women, and that did no harm to the local environment. Their solution was a reusable period pad made with banana fibre.

In spring 2023, Aakeen was awarded an RSA Catalyst Award for the work of her organisation, Minazi Consulting, in producing menstrual pads made with upcycled agricultural waste from banana plantations. The award enabled the construction of a production facility at a banana plantation in Nyanza, Rwanda to scale small-batch production.

Working with their implementation partner, Dufatanye Organization, the project empowers local communities by distributing low-cost, locally produced and ecologically friendly period products to women and girls, while raising awareness about menstrual hygiene.

According to one of the first users of the pads: “Some of us had to choose between buying pads from the market or buying other needs for home. Now, with the money we used to [spend on] pads at the market, we can buy necessities for home.”

Since being awarded the funding, Aakeen’s team have produced the first iteration of reusable pads and, in May 2024, Minazi and Dufatanye launched a local menstrual health awareness campaign. Volunteers distributed over 500 pads to women and girls in need. Awareness seminars were held at schools and community centres, and more than 1,000 people attended a campaign event.

Aakeen, an RSA Fellow, said: “We are deeply proud of the progress we have made, which would not have been possible without the Catalyst funding, but there is a lot more to do.”

In the next phase, they will install fabric production facilities, increase capacity and conduct further outreach. The project has the potential to overcome period poverty in a sustainable and regenerative way that allows production in the places with greatest need.

By partnering with local enterprising women and growing global period product availability, their work will empower millions of women and girls around the world.

Devlyn Lalonde is Senior Global Manager at the RSA.

RSA House bar to open

Once home to the Adelphi Tavern, RSA House will launch Muse at the RSA this autumn, a stylish new bar with a contemporary twist. Located on the ground floor, the bar is a collaborative project between the RSA, hospitality partner Company of Cooks and rewilding specialist Idyll Drinks. The bar will have the feel of a private members’ club, while being open and accessible to all. Look out for more details soon.

New additions to Fellowship Council

Three Fellows — Julie Samuels, Michael Dunlop and Jordan Meade — have been appointed to the Fellowship Council following resignations due to relocation and work commitments.

Julie is now a Fellowship councillor for the Central area, Jordan for the South East and Michael for Ireland and Northern Ireland. They succeed Matthias Hilner, Claire Doran and Tony Sheehan.

The recruitment process was conducted in partnership with existing Fellowship councillors and approved by the Nominations and Governance Panel.

The new Fellowship councillors began their duties in June and attended their first meeting of the Fellowship Council later that month.

Obituary

Derek Birdsall: guru of graphic design and typography

The larger-than-life graphic designer, typographer and Royal Designer for Industry (RDI), who has died aged 89, was one of the pioneers of British graphic design. Famous for his exquisite typography and book and magazine designs, Derek Birdsall designed the Church of England’s Common Worship prayer book in 2000 and the Royal Mail stamps celebrating the RSA’s 250th anniversary in 2004.

He was born in 1934 in Knottingley, near Pontefract in Yorkshire, where his appetite for art and calligraphy developed. His creative path was formed at Wakefield College of Art and later, in 1952, at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. Here, he began developing his typography and book design skills.

Following national service, in 1957, Derek took up the offer of a part-time job at printer Balding and Mansell. This appealed because it allowed him to build up freelance work on his days off — and he quickly had a regular flow of work from various sources.

He took up teaching one evening a week at the London School of Printing (LSP) and more part-time lecturing at Maidstone College of Art. A little later, Tom Eckersley, RDI, Head of Design, suggested Derek apply for a three-day-a-week lectureship at LSP. He got the job, and many students fell under the spell of his exacting approach to typography and printing.

Derek went from strength to strength and set up BDMW Associates in 1960 with a ‘supergroup’ of designers (George Daulby, George Mayhew and Peter Wildbur). Their output reflected a fusion of the precision of Swiss graphics and American wit. The group eventually disbanded, and Derek set up his own practice in Covent Garden. In 1967, he joined forces with Derek Forsyth, who had been the Advertising Director of Pirelli, to start Omnific, a hybrid design consultancy that also handled advertising.

But Derek missed the hands-on involvement of the creative process and, after two years, he and Forsyth parted company. Alan Fletcher and Colin Forbes approached Derek with a view to him joining their consultancy, but he was determined to plough his own furrow. Derek continued working in Covent Garden under the Omnific banner, where he was a master of book design, typography, magazine design and book covers.

Those who worked for him will recall Derek’s routine of always being with a roll-up, drinking at the local at lunchtime, and napping in the afternoon. I last saw Derek in 2018 at his home overlooking the sea in Broadstairs in Kent, where he’d gone to live after his unexpected retirement. He told me he’d had enough of solving other people’s problems.

Derek leaves a wealth of wonderful work, including his timeless book Notes on Book Design, demonstrating his exacting view of graphic design. He was a no-nonsense figure with a gruff, tobacco-laden voice that retained its Yorkshire accent until the end.

We will miss him. RIP.

Mike Dempsey, Royal Designer for Industry.

_{^{Above: John Fairley drawing his winning logo and the final result.}}

“Eureka moment” sees Fellow’s design selected as World Games logo

A design created by RSA Fellow John Fairley has been selected from more than 3,500 submissions to be the logo of the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China.

John’s design is a symmetrical geometric image that includes iconic Chinese symbols representing the giant panda, the hibiscus flower and the Chinese knot. Chengdu, part of Sichuan province, is famous for its giant pandas, and the hibiscus is the flower of the city.

“I am truly honoured that my design will represent the World Games 2025, promoting unity, inclusiveness and diversity on a global stage,” John told the Journal.

He explained how he began the design process by experimenting with circles and triangles to create the facial features of a giant panda. “It was a real Eureka moment. I took that panda shape and then repeated it in a circle for the final design. I love shapes that repeat.”

The World Games take place every four years and include sports not contested in the Olympic Games, such as squash, lacrosse and karate. Five thousand participants from more than 100 countries are expected to take part from 7 to 17 August next year. 

John’s design was one of 3,562 logo ideas received following a request for submissions. His was selected as one of five final contenders, which were then subject to a public vote.

“My design came out victorious with 55,000 clicks. I was completely flabbergasted considering how many entries there had been, and excited to see my emblem on the global sporting stage.”

John Fairley has been a Fellow for almost two decades and is currently based in Australia.