Sadly, I have to report that Peter Sayers, our Vice Chair, died unexpectedly on Wednesday 22 May.
Peter was a stalwart of the Civic Society. He was an active member who loyally supported all events, campaigns and activities, from talks to litter picks. He had been a Trustee since 2019 and was twice Chair of the Planning Forum.
His was an impressive professional CV, built on both arts and sciences. A former university Dean and Principal of two art colleges, he had a long career as a filmmaker and photographer with numerous published works both in the UK and worldwide. His motorised model theatre set was exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pompidou Centre Paris, V&A London and is now in the Dansmuseet in Stockholm.
But he was also a Ministerial-appointed Commissioner on the Human Genetics Commission, chaired the Telecommunications Advisory Panel at OFTEL for five years and was chair of Communications for Business, a statutory UK advisory panel on telecommunications for small businesses. He was also an NHS board member responsible for audit control and chairing appeals for medicines not normally funded.
He was an inveterate networker with a great instinct for opportunity. He read people intelligently and his gentle but determined nature made him an effective bridge-builder.
Peter was a true gentleman and we have lost a dear friend.
We hope to be able to share details of his funeral in due course but in the meantime, we send our deepest condolences to his family.
Andrew Booton, Chair