As co-founder in 1983 with Jo Clarke of the Berkshire Breeders Club, I am honoured to have been elected Chairman of the Berkshire Pig Breeders Club. Following the long and outstanding service given by our late Chairman, John Mason, will not be easy but I will do my best for the membership and the Berkshire breed. I am particularly fortunate to be supported by such a strong and experienced Committee.

Our new President David Webb, who has had more years than I can count serving the Club as Secretary (& formerly Treasurer), will be on hand to help, as will Dave Shaw, our Vice Chairman. Dave, together with his wife Maureen, are old hands in the Berkshire Breed and will actively represent the breed in the North. Sharon Barnfield, one of our most successful breeders in the show-ring is taking over as Secretary. After a very long stint of producing the Club newsletter she hopes to continue to run the Clubs stand and merchandising. I am very glad that Jo Wykes-Sneyd, who also represents the breed at the BPA and does the bloodline survey, is able to continue as Membership Secretary as well as the demanding job of Editor for the Club's innovative Website. The finances of the Club remain in the incredibly safe and astute hands of Christine Coe, who has also taken on the mantle of Newsletter Editor. With a full time job and a large Berkshire herd of pigs to look after, I am not quite sure how she and Kevin manage it all. But we should all be very glad that they do!

The Club is fortunate in having the support and sponsorship of the PG Wodehouse Society. This has already produced some very good positive publicity for the breed and I hope that our association with them will be long and fruitful. I would also like to put on record our gratitude to our another of our sponsors ,The Lambourn Valley Cider Company, who give the Club a percentage raised at various events their company attend throughout the year. For a list of forthcoming Events please see their website: www.lambournvalleycider.co.uk/events.htm, and any Club member who is able to attend should make themselves known to Roy Bailey and pass our thanks on in person.

This year's Show schedules are already out. For a complete list of Major Shows & Judges with classes for Berkshires please look at the BPA Website www.britishpigs.org.uk. A list of the smaller one day shows has been compiled by Miranda Squire of the Middle White Pig Breeders Club and will hopefully be included in the newsletter. For members new to showing the BPA is holding a workshop covering this subject as well as many other topics on 8* April, near the Bath and West Showground. (For more information see www.britishpigs.org.uk.)

The Club is hoping to have a meeting and get together of members at the Great Yorkshire Show in July where we are also planning to stage an exhibition of all the Berkshire boar lines. If you are planning to show Berkshires at Yorkshire and/or able to attend on llm July please let Vice Chairman, Dave Shaw know: kiplin.herd@V21net.co.uk or 01748 811745. I very much look forward to seeing as many members as possible at this great show, and I hope we will all be cheering some Berkshires on in the Final of the Pig of the Year the following day.

If you can't make the Great Yorksihire then can I suggest you put Sunday 17th September in your diary and come to Newbury show for the final of our Champion of Champions Competition, sponsored by the PG Wodehouse Society, which will be judged by Chris Penrice. One way or another I would very much like to meet as many members as possible in the coming months.


Viki Mills, Chairman.

You can contact Viki at Gillhouse Farm, Zeal Monachorum, Crediton, Devon, EX17 6LE, by e-mail using vikimills@googlemail.com or by telephone on 01363 82465 or 07843 301903.