50 years of the 1970 British Cohort Study: 50 stories in 50 weeks

This April the 1970 British Cohort Study and our study participants turned 50!

To commemorate this huge milestone we’re celebrating BCS70’s contribution to science and society by publishing 50 stories over 50 weeks on the CLS website and on social media.

Over the coming year we’ll be traversing five decades of British life, speaking to study participants about their memories of taking part, showcasing the impact of BCS70’s research findings, and highlighting fascinating features of the survey design and study data. In a podcast series, we’ll go behind the scenes to discover what it’s really like to work on a cohort study, and chat to leading academics to find out about their groundbreaking research using BCS70.

We’re also looking forward to unveiling brand new research findings from the Age 46 Sweep and telling you more about the future of the study.

Follow the BCS70 50 stories campaign using the hashtag #BCS7050stories on Twitter, and on the CLS website.

Read the stories

1970s: the early years

It’s April 1970. Simon and Garfunkel have topped the UK charts with A Bridge Over Troubled Water, the Beatles’ split has hit the headlines, and the crew of Apollo 13 are preparing for lift off.

Meanwhile, in hospitals and homes up and down the country, thousands of new babies, all born within a week of each other, are being recruited to what will become one of the longest running and most important studies of its kind – the 1970 British Cohort Study.