End of Year Blog by Lionel (23 December 2015)

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2015 was terra firma’s 30^th birthday and as such we had a great celebration mid-year, taking all the crew to Amsterdam for a study tour. It also gave us the excuse to reflect and create our strapline of 30 years, 30 countries and 30 people, which was pretty much where we were at in May, though staff numbers have increased since then as the Dubai office has expanded.

It has been a good year on the work front and, in spite of the unsettled world which we inhabit, it has been an enjoyable and busy year, again returning record turnovers and expansion in all offices. As well as over 120 current projects in the UK office, we have been working overseas both near (Jersey and Gibraltar) and far (China) from UK offices, while Alshamsi terra firma continue to stride the Gulf region and terra firma LT their home region (in fact clocking up 5 continuous kilometres across the city of Vilnius with current projects). People have been buzzing between the offices and no one more so than Jamie Liversedge who has been making monthly visits to Vilnius up to Christmas, as well as assisting us here and in Dubai. David Kelly has also done a stint in Dubai and leaves us for their office early next year.

It is good to report that Isla Denton-Thompson, the first of our current 8 graduates on the Pathway to Chartership, passed her exam this year. We are also thrilled that her dad, Merrick, is to become the Institute’s President next year. We have continued liaison with the Landscape Institute and hosted their education officer, Poppy Smith, recently in order to brainstorm ways we can all better present the profession in schools and colleges, addressing the fall off in attracting graduates to the profession (an extraordinary problem to have, you would think, given the profession’s near 100% employment record and its fashionable combination of design and environment).

Projects continue to be at all scales and in every sector but one that particularly caught the news recently was the Muslim Burial Ground Peace Garden that was opened in Woking by the Duke of Wessex in November. It has been the subject of a recent BBC documentary that will be shown on BBC1 Sunday 3^rd January at 1.15 pm should it be of interest;

http://www.woking.gov.uk/news?item=0000567287CA.C0A801BA.0000199B.0006

Speaking of films, we are in the final stages of having a small 3 minute film clip made of our work at terra firma and all being well, we should be able to post this on youtube and link to it early in the new year. It is looking good.

Meanwhile our annual calendars have gone out to our friends, clients and colleagues but if you have not received one but would like to, please let us know, as we always keep a couple of dozen surplus for that reason.