Richard at IRRV Scottish Conference

Richard gave the official welcome to the 2014 IRRV Scottish Conference at Crieff Hydro Hotel, which took place on 3rd and 4th September.   

Very well-attended with over 300 attendees, the feedback to speakers and topics was excellent.

See some photographs below :

Scottish Conference main hall

Richard with Scottish Association President Les Robertson

Scottish Performance Awards Village

IRRV Council meeting

Last week I chaired my last Council meeting as President.

I have enjoyed chairing Council a great deal and feel it has been a successful year.    

At the last meeting we said our farewells to three very long standing Council members, Tom Dixon, Carol Cutler and Richard Guy. The three of them have done a huge amount for IRRV over the years and we should be very grateful. 

Council wished them well and thanked them. 

Richard Guy has been “father” of Council - that is to say the longest standing member. That dubious honour will fall to me after Conference. 

South Eastern Association Annual Dinner

Last Friday was the annual dinner of the South Eastern Association. This was a well attended event held in a wonderful location right next to the sea at Birchington in Kent.

The Restaurant was actually about as close to the sea as you could get and although it was a cloudy evening we were treated to grey seas and a “red sky at night”.    The food was excellent and a good time was had by all. 

The event was supported by Chris Rundle as a sole generous sponsor. The evening concluded with a raffle and I won my first prize of my Presidential year.

Richard's July update!

Richard at the Past Presidents' Lunch

It has been another very busy time.    Last Friday was the lunch for Past Presidents and Honorary members and there was a very good turn out.    We went to a small restaurant near HQ and had a very enjoyable time.    This is one of the nicest events of the Presidential year.   Many of those who came are of advancing years but there pleasure in meeting up again is evident.   5 could not make the journey because of not being very well and I have written to each of them and sent a card.

Then on Saturday was the annual dinner dance of the Yorkshire Association .   This was held in a hotel very near Emmerdale - whatever that is.     I was very pleased to award a Certificate of Service to John Clark to recognise all the time he has put in over the years for the Institute.    He somewhat took me by surprise by pointing out that he worked for me for 5 years when I was Director of Finance at Richmond.    He was obviously very good because I don’t remember him at all. 

On Tuesday evening this week was the CIPFA Dinner which I went to for the Institute as well as a CIPFA Council member.    It was held at the Hurlingham Club in Fulham.    42 acres of carefully manicured lawns, lawn tennis courts, croquet lawns etc. all completely surrounded by the houses and flats of Fulham.    On their website they encourage applications for membership but point out there is a 25 year waiting list – so I don’t think I will bother. The event was an excellent one with magnificent food and one relatively short speech. 

Sadly, the year has only another 3 months to go.

Richard's latest Presidential Update ...

April and May is the busiest time in the Presidential Year.   There is an interesting mix of annual dinners, Annual General Meetings and a number of Presidential receptions of kindred bodies.

One of the high points of being President is to visit the various Associations and getting a very genuine welcome.   It is very difficult to think of high points because every event is very different and there are always interesting and new things happening.

The receptions of kindred bodies are very different in their content.   The Institute of Taxation includes an annual lecture, the Taxation Technicians was a very lively evening with a live performer and songs from the shows, The VAT practitioners' reception was held in a beautiful part of Lincolns Inn.

My own presidential Lunch was held at the Goring Hotel, a privately owned and truly magnificent hotel in Victoria which has for me great memories of happy events in the past. It was a great occasion and seems to have been enjoyed by the guests.

The Association Annual Dinners are most enjoyable occasions and a chance to meet old friends.  Even though largely formal they all have a different character. There was also a splendid formal lunch given by AAT which was in the magnificent surroundings of a City Livery Hall. 

I also managed to visit the General Assembly of Tegova in Oslo.  This was very enjoyable and I saw how highly respected Roger Messenger is amongst his European Counterparts and how well he has done for the Institute with European Valuers. Oslo was possibly the most expensive city I have visited ever but it was a very enjoyable trip notwithstanding. 

I have also spoken in Glasgow for the Scottish Association and at one or two National Events which have been very well attended.

My year is now three quarters over but there are still a number of events to come and I look forward to seeing more of you in the near future.

Richard is keynote speaker at Scottish Revenues Symposium

Richard was key note speaker earlier today at a highly successful Scottish Revenues Symposium in Glasgow :

You can download Richard's slides and those of other speakers here.

April update from the President

Richard's latest updates :

28 March 2014 -

I travelled to Wigan and then a short taxi ride to the Haydock Thistle for the Lancashire and Cheshire Association Dinner Dance. The last time I was in Haydock was to be in the winner’s enclosure with my horse at Haydock Park Racecourse. 

We had a very enjoyable evening and I was well looked after by my hosts. The event was very well supported. 

I left before breakfast Sunday to get home before lunch.   It is a pity the clocks went forward and an hour was lost!

2 April 2014 -

Tonight was the Dinner of the Thames Valley and Wessex Associations.   It was a full house of 80 for an informal dinner in the magnificent surroundings of Wokefield Park in Berkshire.    A very impressive place, the main mansion is a truly magnificent old building.    Although evening dress it was an event without formality.    I left at the end of dinner and once I had discovered that our table had lost the quiz and I hadn’t won the 6 foot high teddy bear in the raffle.  The remaining participants settled down to a concert by an Elvis tribute.

3 April 2014 -

I managed to get to two receptions this evening.

The first was the VAT Practitioners Group. They held their annual President’s reception in the magnificent setting of the Old Hall in Lincolns Inn.    This is the oldest part of Lincolns Inn and is panelled with stained glass windows and magnificent portraits of judges.   It figured in the opening of Dickens' Bleak House as it was where the case of Jarndyce v Jarndyce was heard.    The Hall was built in 1485. I arrived early and was made very welcome.    As soon as the President’s speech was over I made my apologies and scuttled over Waterloo Bridge to the British Film Institute and the President's Reception of the Association of Taxation Technicians.   I arrived there just in time for the President’s speech and then stayed to hear the entertainment which was Joe Stilgoe playing the piano and singing music from the films.    A thoroughly enjoyable evening.

4 April 2014 -

This was the occasion of my President’s Lunch for kindred institutes and associations.   21 of us met at the Goring Hotel for an excellent meal and very good company.    Guests came from the Upper Tribunal, CIPFA, various Treasurers Associations, RICS, RSA, Institutes of Taxation, Internal Auditors and IT, IPTI and others.    A very good mix and the opportunity to return hospitality shown by other bodies during the year.  The setting was very good but it was a shame the weather was not good enough to allow extensive use of the garden.   The President of the Institute of Clerk of Works was very excited to find that we and his Institute were formed in March 1882 and was wanting to know which day so we could establish the senior Institute!