Since launching our Special Interest Groups, a WS Society membership benefit available to all members, we have introduced five groups.

Art, led by Valerie Paterson WS, have met twice since launch. During their first meeting, they were joined by guest Adebanji Alade, President of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. This month they held a Meet and Greet the Artist with Peter Graham ROI RSW, at The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour Annual Exhibition. To register your interest in joining the Art SIG, and to keep up to date with future meetings, please contact membership@wssociety.co.uk.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) SIG have their first meeting on Thursday 6 February, via Zoom, at 12:30 – 13:30. This SIG is led by by Fiona Killen, who is a solicitor specialising in Information Law and Privacy, and who is currently a Visiting Researcher (AI: Governance, Ethics and Accountability) at the University of Strathclyde.  The purpose of the AI SIG will be discussed, along with emerging legal issues of mutual interest in AI. There is still time to register!

Book Club has met twice to discuss Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris and Ian Rankin’s A Heart Full of Headstones. Led by Caroline Doherty WS, the next Book Club meeting is to be held on Tuesday 25 February, 17:30 – 18:30, to discuss The Importance of Being Seven, by Alexander McCall Smith. Register to attend this meeting here.

Future books include:

• The Last Witch of Scotland by Phillip Paris

• Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

• The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

• The group is also looking at returning to works by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Sylvia Plath; Thomas Hardy and Albert Camus.

Charity and Third Sector SIG, led by Sarah Brown WS, held their inaugural meeting last November. The next meeting is on Thursday 20 February, 12:30 – 13:30. New members are very welcome and will be joined by a member of the team at OSCR, to discuss upcoming changes to charity law. Click here to sign up.

History SIG benefitted from the launch of a new season of Thursday evening talks on history at the Signet Library, taking part throughout January. Speakers included Dr Kit Baston, Richard Blake WS and Professor Chloë Kennedy. The History SIG is led by James Hamilton, Research Principal at the WS Society. To register your interest, and to keep up to date with future meetings, please contact membership@wssociety.co.uk.

Each SIG is open to all categories of members, from student to employed to retired. No level of experience or expertise is required. Joining a SIG is free and included within your WS membership. If you have any questions or ideas for SIGs, please contact Sarah Leask (sleask@wssociety.co.uk).