Honorary president: Judith Butcher Honorary vice-president: David Crystal OBE

Key dates in SfEP history

As the Society for Editors and Proofreaders reaches its 21st birthday, we look back across the decades to see how we got this far.

Year	Event
1988	Society is founded as the Society of Freelance Editors and Proofreaders (SFEP).
	26 November: Inaugural meeting.
	1 December: First committee meeting.
	First edition of Newsletter is published.
1989	1 March: First members' meeting.
	Four one-day training courses are held.
	Eight local groups are set up.
	First AGM is held and constitution is adopted.
1990	First conference takes place (conferences have been held annually ever since).
	First rates-of-pay survey is conducted.
	First directory is printed and published and distributed free to publishers.
	Training subcommittee is established.
1991	Society begins sharing premises informally with the Society of Indexers at 38 Richmond Road, London.
1993	Whitcombe Training Fund is established in memory of Society's founder, Norma Whitcombe.
	Society employs its first administrator (jointly with Society of Indexers).
	Society uses 38 Richmond Road as an official address.
1994	Accreditation and Registration Board is set up.
1995	Code of Practice is first published.
1996	New constitution and regulations are adopted, introducing distinction between members and associates.
	First internet mailing lists are established.
	'Registration by test exemption' is introduced.
	On-screen editing course is introduced.
	Society moves to Mermaid House, 1 Mermaid Court, London, continuing to share with Society of Indexers.
1997	Newsletter is renamed CopyRight.
1999	SfEPLine (email discussion group) is set up on Yahoo! Groups.
	National meeting in York discusses membership structure.
	Society of Indexers moves its office to Sheffield. SfEP remains at Mermaid Court.
1999–2000	Working party reviews membership structure.
2001	New constitution and regulations include new membership structure and admission criteria. Those who joined before 1996 automatically become full members.
	Society is renamed the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP).
2002	Society moves to Riverbank House, 1 Putney Bridge Approach, Fulham, London.
	Number of newsletter issues is reduced from ten to six per year.
	Society relaunches with new logo.
	Qualifications are related to new membership tiers.
	Accreditation in proofreading becomes available. Registration by test exemption is withdrawn.
	SfEPLegal and SfEPMedical (email discussion groups) are set up.
	Dorothy Mitchell Smith Memorial Fund is established.
2003	Directory entries are restricted to members only.
	Editorship of CopyRight becomes paid position.
	Society is incorporated as Society for Editors and Proofreaders Ltd, a non-profit-distributing organisation. Articles of association and by-laws are drawn up.
	Council is formed from general committee. Committee members become directors.
2003–04	Technical basis of website is upgraded.
2004	First one-day conference for corporate associates is held.
	CopyRight is redesigned and renamed Editing Matters. Subscriptions become available to non-members.
	Five-year plan is drawn up.
2005	Revised Code of Practice is published.
2006	Printed version of directory is distributed for last time.
	Graphic design of website is revamped.
	First SfEP Guide – Val Rice's Starting Out: Setting up a small business – is published.
2007	Professional Development Board is established.
2008	First executive secretary, Justina Amenu, is appointed.
	Society moves to Erico House, Putney, London.
	City & Guilds Licentiateship in Editorial Skills, created jointly with SfEP, is introduced.
2009	Society responds to Skillset's draft strategy for publishing industry.
	Strategy document is drawn up – a two-year plan to be reviewed annually.
	Conference celebrates Society's 21st birthday.

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