You’re invited: Professor Simon Wessely to deliver inaugural Scar Free Foundation Annual Lecture
Please join us for Prof Wessley's lecture 'Facing forward and backward: the visible and invisible cost of trauma' on Tuesday 21 October 2025
29 September 2025
We are delighted to announce a landmark event in The Scar Free Foundation’s calendar: the Inaugural Scar Free Annual Lecture, taking place on Tuesday 21 October.
Our very first lecture will be delivered by none other than Professor Sir Simon Wessely, world-renowned psychiatrist and epidemiologist, whose pioneering work has shaped our understanding of mental health.
Drawing on his extensive career, Professor Wessely will explore ‘the visible and invisible cost of trauma’, a subject at the very heart of our mission and one that resonates deeply with the Scar Free community.
This lecture marks the beginning of what will become an annual series, bringing together remarkable voices from across science, medicine, and social change. Each year, we’ll invite leading thinkers to spark new conversations, share fresh perspectives, and inspire us all.
Great lectures don’t just inform – they connect us, challenge us, and leave us seeing the world differently. We’re honoured Professor Wessely will launch this tradition with what promises to be a thought-provoking and memorable evening.
We hope you’ll join us, alongside Scar Free supporters old and new, for this very special occasion.
Book your free ticket here: Scar Free Eventbrite
🗓️ Tuesday 21 October
📍 Apothecaries’ Lane, Blackfriars Lane, London, EC4V 6ER
⏰ 6.30pm arrival, 7pm lecture, 8pm drinks reception
News and views
Trauma, healing, and history: we reflect on the first-ever Scar Free Foundation Annual Lecture
An evening exploring trauma’s hidden costs, and how reconstruction has changed for the better, led by expert psychiatrist Prof Simon Wessely
Find out more
SafeTea relaunched following rise in hot drink burns among children
New SafeTea campaign to mark National Burns Awareness Day 2025 aims to reinvigorate awareness, prevention, and first aid after worrying data from Children’s Burns Trust and the International Burn Injury Database
Find out more
Scar Free Royal Patron and Chief Investigator SPARC further support for conflict-related sexual violence survivors
HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh and Professor Iain Whitaker OBE are back at Panzi Hospital to advance work on the SPARC project, supporting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence 📸 Aaron Chown, Chief Royal Photographer at PA
Find out more