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The South West of England is a vast area. With 23 829 sq kms stretching from Tewkesbury to Bournemouth to the Isles of Scilly, it is the largest RICS UK region - even larger than the nation of Wales.

Moreover,  it is twice as far from Bristol to Penzance than it is from Bristol to London and it is quicker to get to Scotland from Tewkesbury than it is to get from Tewkesbury to Penzance.

From a population of circa 4.9m, there are around 8 000 members in the region (including those members in the part of the previous Wessex branch that is within the South West RDA boundary).

The uniformity conferred by the term 'region' masks some extreme economic variations of fortune within the South West. Think of Swindon and the Honda factory in Wiltshire - also 'Silicon Gorge' between there and the metropolis of Bristol - and then the prosperous coastal fringe around the Unitary Authorities of Bournemouth and Poole.

Journeying further west, you would note the ever increasing dependence on agriculture and seasonal tourism, the deleterious effects of the 'peace dividend', and the closed tin mines in Cornwall.

Another statistic: unemployment in Wiltshire is around half the national average, whereas in Cornwall suffers from twice the rate.

Against this background the fortunes of the members are fairly mixed, as one might imagine - but it would be a mistake to generalise and claim that as one goes further west things deteriorate for chartered surveyors.

The profession in the South West covers such a broad range of activity over such a large area that business performance will vary throughout.

The Board is discovering ways to raise the profile of the profession within the region, as well as making it a more attractive destination for the most able graduates.

The increased democratisation of RICS, both centrally and regionally, obviously places more of a responsibility on the members to 'come to the party' - and it is important that more members consider getting involved - in particular with the Regional Board and the Local Associations.

Others may wish to become involved on a more 'central' basis. RICS South West can give you advice on this.

The South West Regional Board is becoming an influential body within the region; becoming involved and contributing, whether in the SWRB or in another capacity, will pay dividends.

RICS South West staff contacts