The Bernard and Joan Marshall Awards of the British Society for Cardiovascular Research (BSCR) were introduced in 2010. The Society was founded in 1973 by Professor David Hearse of the Rayne Institute, St Thomas’ Hospital, London, and was initially called the Cardiac Muscle Research Group. At that time, the British Cardiac Society did not admit basic scientists and Professor Hearse felt that Britain needed a forum in which researchers could exchange ideas and present their results. The BSCR continues with its main aim being to provide a forum for scientists to discuss their research and, in particular, to provide a platform for students and early post-docs to present their work. To facilitate this, the society organises two main meetings a year. The Spring Meeting forms part of the annual conference of the British Cardiovascular Society (as the British Cardiac Society now is) and is organised with the British Atherosclerosis Society to provide the basic science wing of that conference. The Autumn Meeting is more of a themed meeting and includes a session dedicated to the Bernard and Joan Marshall Awards.

Bernard and Joan Marshall were the uncle and aunt of Professor David Hearse and they followed his work with great interest. Bernard Marshall served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and then worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for many years, rising to a senior level by his retirement. Bernard set up the Tenant Farmer’s Association, becoming its first Director General, and was an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Agricultural Strategy at the University of Reading. In …