Ruth Reed (back right) assisted on the Ask the Architect stand at the Bath and West Homebuilding and Renovating Show on 17 November

Ruth Reed assisted on the Ask the Architect stand at the Bath and West Homebuilding and Renovating Show on 17 November, meeting many members of the public with specific problems obtaining planning consent in the countryside as well as those who required more detailed help from an architect. Jon Watkins of RIBA Southwest said that it was the first time a past-president had represented the RIBA at the show. Ruth said ‘It was great to be back at the coal-face with some tricky architectural problems and some interesting and challenging planning issues. Clearly the self-build scene in Wales and the Southwest is very lively at the moment’.