Monday 4 April, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

A buffet (cold) dinner will be served free of cost (please indicate in the registration form whether you will be able to attend). The gallery will be open to NAM and UKSP attendees all evening. This event is sponsored by the University of Birmingham.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, declared 'Gallery of the Year' by the Good Britain Guide 2004, contains one of the finest small collections of paintings, sculpture and prints in the UK, including works of Botticelli, Holbein, Rubens, Rembrandt, Turner, Whistler, Manet, Degas, Monet, van Gogh, Rodin, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse, Magritte, and Schiele.

Wednesday 6 April, 7.30 p.m.

Attendees are required to pay for this at the time of submitting the registration form. There will be live music to accompany this event.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens, established in 1832, has some of the most exquisite and beautifully landscaped formal gardens in Britain. This unique Victorian setting also hosts remarkable indoor glasshouses like the Tropical House and the Cactus House. The banquet suites are used to grand occasions: among recent events was the dinner of the G8 summit in 1998.

"Big Bang" by Simon Singh

Thursday 7 April, 6.30 p.m.

Attendance will be restricted to advance ticket holders, since space is limited. A limited number of (free) tickets will be distributed at the registration desk at the Reception on Monday.

Thinktank is Birmingham's science museum, with emphasis on interactive exhibits, and its specialist galleries feature innovative technologies of the past, present and future. Simon Singh is a bestselling author, journalist and educator, whose books include Big Bang, The Code Book and Fermat's last theorem.

"When telescopes go bad" by Fred Watson, Anglo-Australian Observatory

Physics Poynting S02, School of Physics and Astronomy
Tuesday 5 April, 7.00 p.m.

In anticipation of the telescope's 400th birthday, in this entertaining and fully-illustrated talk, Fred Watson looks back at some of the world's worst and best telescopes, and asks what makes a productive astronomical instrument. Fred Watson is Astronomer-in-Charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Australia, where he is well-known for his award-winning astronomy segments on ABC radio. His book "Stargazer - the life and times of the telescope" was published in 2004, and will be released in the UK in September.

More information can be found here.

Tuesday 5 April, 7.30 p.m.

Birmingham is famed for its plentiful supply of balti and curry houses, and this will be a chance for the UKSP crowd to sample the delights offered by a nearby restaurant (within easy walking distance of the conference venue). Numbers will be limited to somewhere between 80 and 90; as such we apologise for having to give priority to UKSP delegates.

Payment will be made on the night.

The quest to find the real stars in UK astronomy.

There will be a five-a-side football tournament (mixed teams allowed) - held on Tuesday 5 April 2005 between 6.00pm and 9.00pm.

Tournament fixtures list
Tournament rules

Please contact Jesper Rasmussen or Nicola Brassington for further details.