AS YOU KNOW, the South East Region has not been active for some years, but I am pleased to tell you that we are arranging a re-launch event at the Painters and Stainers Hall which is based in the City of London. The Event will be held on 15^thFebruary between 12pm and 3.30pm so do please put this in your calendars.

For those of you who haven’t been there before, it’s a fantastic venue and a really beautiful building. Details of the re-launch have not yet been finalised but I am in the process of approaching the manufacturers to ask them to attend and see what they can do to support the local members of the PDA South East Region.

I know that for many of us in the South East Region, we had a very quiet start to 2010. I believe I can speak for the majority of us when I say that it seemed like most budget holders were holding back on starting or committing to projects until after the election. Now the new Government is in place, I have definitely started to see more activity, albeit a bit late particularly for those External Cyclical Decorating Programmes.

I am fortunate to have an office less than a mile away from the Olympics and I see every passing day that the development is proceeding at a rate of knots (that’s the view from my office). Unfortunately, being a stone’s throw from the Olympics doesn’t guarantee you any work on the site and I am still not sure if there are any PDA members actually working on the site. If you know of any perhaps you could let me know.

At Topcoat we have attended most meetings and seminars with the Olympic authority to try and procure work, but to no avail. I have spoken with people in the surrounding area in Leyton and Stratford and everybody mentions the Government’s idea was to use as much local labour as possible to regenerate the area. However, as yet I have yet to meet one person who knows a local person or Company that is working on site.

On a happier note the new Government seems to be moving fairly quickly and the projection is for growth. I will be sending out details of the re-launch very shortly and am really looking forward to meeting local members and finding out how they feel the PDA can support them. We must remember that the South East Region is the second biggest in the PDA but, due to lack of support over the years, it was suspended. It is now our intention to revitalise the Region and really put us back on the map but, to do this, we need your support and attendance at every event. You will hear from me again soon regarding the event and I really hope you will be able to attend.

Steve Purdy

South East Regional President of the PDA