CHAIRS’ CORN
CHAIRS’ CORNER | BTS &BT
BTS & BTSYM
CHAIRS’ CORNER Updates from the Chairs of British Tunnelling Society and BTS Young Members (BTSYM) Congratulations go to Dr Keith Bowers, who received
the James Clark Medal at the BTS June evening meeting. Keith is extremely well known in the industry and is a deserved winner. Steve Parker gave an excellent address on Keith’s achievements, prior to presentation of the medal. Keith was Head of Tunnels for London Underground for many years, and now is Project Director for tunnels on Lower Thames Crossing. At the BTS Dinner this year, in late May, we included
slides on those from our tunnelling industry who had passed away in the last year. Sadly, Douglas Parkes is now added to that list, who died at the age of 94. Douglas was twice Chair of the BTS Committee and had a long and distinguished career in tunnelling. Bill Grose represented the BTS at Douglas’s funeral. A big thanks to all those who helped to organise this
year’s Annual Dinner, held once again at The Brewery. Feedback has been extremely positive, everyone really enjoying the opportunity to meet up with past, present, and future colleagues. I was very pleased to share the Chair’s table with
BTS CHAIR: JOHN CORCORAN Hello everyone and welcome to the latest update on what the British Tunnelling Society (BTS) Committee, and its Chair, have been involved in since the last update, and what future events are planned. I will start by welcoming our three new BTS
Committee members, Mark Leggett, Arabel Vilas, and Jon Austin. Seven candidates applied and selection was decided by Society member votes. They will remain on Committee for a minimum three-year term. Every year, three new members join the Committee, and three leave. I encourage all of you to consider joining. We want to truly reflect the range of people in our industry. It is very rewarding, offering a chance to make new friends, and have your voice heard. For me, Committee members should reflect our
tunnelling industry, with its increasing diversity. That includes operatives, supervisors, contractors, designers, and clients, together with the many associated professionals required to utilise underground space for infrastructure.
Sid Kaul and Chris Prince, the winner and runner-up of this year’s Harding Prize Competition. Also on our table was Annie May Goodman, the winner of the BTS Young Members’ (BTSYM) Doug Allenby medal. And, of course, Divik, who did his usual great work in sorting out all the table bookings and seating. It was lovely to see John Scholey appear on the
screen. He recorded his video a few days before the Dinner. It was typical John style, and I really hope he will be able to attend in person at our next Dinner, booked at the Brewery for 8 May 2026. I recently visited John and Liz at their house in Tunbridge Wells. He is undergoing treatment for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma with regular stays at Maidstone Hospital where he undergoes chemotherapy, then a ‘virtual ward’ at home, and he is also under the care of Kings College Hospital. John, as you’d expect, remains in very good spirits. The Committee currently has nine elected members,
who are allocated to the various sub-committees to best channel their efforts to support the Society members. John Kinnear chairs the BTS Evening Presentations subcommittee. We are always on the lookout for interesting topics, ideally a blend of design and lessons from construction. We are, after all, a
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