Most scientists probably consider NMR to be king of the spectroscopic jungle but ESR is a close sibling and shares the royal mystique. After a period of mature stasis the technique has entered a time zone of virile evolution. New instruments have been developed that radically enlarge the frequency range, new chemical tools have been designed to enhance applications, and revolutionary new techniques like magnetic force microscopy and PEDRI imaging are challenging the EPR community. These developments have taken place on the world stage but in the UK the National EPR and ENDOR Centres have played a major role in catalysing progress. The ESR Group can look forward to an exciting and stimulating year ahead. In a different context, John Fischer declared that "What this country needs is radicals". Most modern ESR practitioners would whole-heartedly endorse that view.

Membership of the ESR Group currently stands at about 100. All scientists who are members of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and have an interest in ESR/EPR spectroscopy, are invited and urged to tick the ESR Group box on their membership renewal forms.The cost is only £2 per annum! Membership carries entitlement to reduced registration fees at ESR Group annual conferences.

The 34^th Group Meeting took place against a backdrop of polished wooden elegance at Bristol University’s Wills Hall. Participants were treated to a heady scientific melange. Proteins and enzymes figured high on the menu. The secrets of their folding and bending were laid bare by several spin label and transition metal probes. Particular proteins involved in photosynthesis, as well as mimics, enlarged the choice of entrees; although health warnings about potential damage by free radicals were also sounded. Appetisers like zeolites, transition metal complexes and surfaces bespoke the timeless fascination of catalysis. The bill of fare was garnished by glamorous EPR images of flawed as well as perfect diamonds. Dr Dieter Schmalbein of Bruker Analytik invited us to imagine the road to maturity passing through three stages, from dependence, via independence to interdependence as he eloquently introduced Prof. Jurgen Hüttermann, Universität des Saarlandes, the recipient of the Bruker Prize for 2001. The social programme was remarkable for the exciting audio-visual impact of a masterly display of Morris dancing