Remarks by New Chairman Ladies and Gentleman, It is both an honour and privilege to be elected as your Chairman today during the week in which the 30th anniversary of the death of Sir John Betjeman. David Pattison has clearly done an excellent job and will be a very hard act to follow. And I am immensely grateful that he has agreed to be my Deputy during the next year. I shall value his wise counsel. I would like to begin by singling out two individuals, both present, without whom I would not be here atall. The first is the Society’s founder, Philippa Davies. I spotted her announcement about the formation of the Society when I was at school and she responded, as you would all expect, both promptly and enthusiastically. She also supported the formation of the Oxford Betjeman Society, during which time I met Bevis Hillier. Bevis came to address our branch on more than one occasion with his characteristic learning and humour and has remained a friend ever since. I feel like rather an arriviste. Since Oxford I have not had much to do with the Society. It was when Bevis floated the idea and our outgoing Chair, David Pattison, made contact, that I felt remarkably unprepared and uninformed! Fortunately, during the past few months I have attended both the excellent lecture by Susie Harris and the recent meeting on Betjeman and Ireland. I have also made contact with others who share this interest – including Mike Reid who is here today. Many of your will recall the musical settings he composed of Betjeman’s poetry, which led to a chart topper by David Essex. The Society has achieved a great deal in its 26 years and I am hopeful that it has a great future ahead. Although our membership is in slow decline, I do not think that this is irreversible and I shall play my part in turning that round. As our twitter following exceed our membership, that should be an opportunity to increase our membership as well. It is clear from twitter that John Betjeman remains as popular and relevant to the 21st century as he was to the century he inhabited. This Society has a vital role to play in ensuring that his legacy remains alive and is celebrated in schools, colleges and amongst the wider public, both in the UK and internationally. Our website has recently been redesigned and refreshed and will be increasingly important in advancing our work. As will improving our communication with current and future members. I look forward to meeting some of you today and at future meetings. Many thanks once again for your support and for entrusting me with this honour.

Edward Wild, May 2014