Hello all,

At the last few meetings of FISHEN and at the inaugural meeting of FISH, I
raised the issue of a new convenor for the forum. English Heritage has taken
on this role for a number of years now and I was very keen that another
organization should be given the opportunity to act as convenor. Given that
FISH will be formally launched at the mda conference in September and it is
now embarking on its new agenda, this seems like the most appropriate time
to hand over responsibility.

I am delighted to announce that, following my last request, Nigel Pratt has
agreed to become our new convenor. Nigel has been an active member of the
group, on behalf of The National Trust and now Essex County Council, for
almost three years, and has made a very valuable contribution to our work. I
had hoped to hand over responsibility in Edinburgh but, as I may not be able
to attend this meeting, Nigel has agreed to act as convenor. Nigel will also
be chairing the FISH 'N CHIPS session at the mda conference in September.

I am immensely proud of FISHEN's achievements and extremely pleased that the
vision of the group to extend its geographical scope, both through its
attending membership and its discussions and e-conferences, has been
realised. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members, past
and present, for their commitment to the forum and enthusiasm for its work.
Without this, we would never have succeeded in establishing FISH as such a
dynamic forum or of delivering resources such as MIDAS and INSCRIPTION. I
would also like to take the opportunity to thank Ed for his excellent work
as our co-ordinator. You will be relieved to know that he will be continuing
in this role!

Finally, I would like to wish Nigel every success in his new role and hope
that he enjoys it as much as I have over the last few years. Although I will
no longer be an attending member of FISH, I intend to remain an active
corresponding member and look forward to participating in the work programme
of the forum.

Best wishes

Gillian Grayson
Forum Convenor
Forum for Information Standards in Heritage