The public lectures are held in memory of Alison Chesney and Eddie Killoran, who both died within 6 months of one another, in 2006. Both were well known and respected figures in the drugs field over many years and are still much missed by family, friends and colleagues alike. Following their untimely deaths a number of their friends and former colleagues began discussions to determine what might be a fitting way to remember them. Their families supported the idea of an annual memorial lecture, at which they and the work they undertook might be celebrated by those who knew them and also brought to a wider audience.