We have finally been able to hold our Centenary Dinner towards the end of our 102nd institute year and it was great to be able to meet in person to celebrate both the anniversary and the achievements of several of our members.

As we now enter our 103rd year, I am conscious that recycling and sustainability are key buzzwords in today’s society – and quite rightly so. Reading Institute have taken this on board by recycling a number of Past Presidents, the latest being myself. This is not necessarily sustainable in the longer term and one of the key aims for my Presidential year is to boost engagement and try to grow our Council to assist in succession planning.

We are re-launching our Next Gen programme to provide activities, both social and educational, of particular interest to our members aged under 35.

As a Past President of the former Oxford Institute I am conscious that our geographical patch is very wide, and it may not be feasible for members from further afield to get to Reading for events. We will look to have some of our programme in the Oxford area and potentially in other centres if there is sufficient demand. We are also looking into ways to make our educational programme available on a hybrid basis to allow those who want to attend in person to do so whilst not excluding those for whom travel may not be feasible.