On 1st September 1995 Mayfair Office opened its doors for the first time. Back then we had just six initial member firms. Twenty years later we have 110 UK member firms and a further 44 firms spread over the USA, Canada, Barbados, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain and Greece.

I should like to thank all of you for your tremendous support and confidence over these two past decades. It has been an amazing experience to play a role in your success and development whilst writing our own story. Our own success is, of course due, in no small measure to the drive, skills and determination of Susan and Nettie, and latterly of Kirsty.

It has not all been a bed of roses. The Great Recession, starting in 2008, was the most testing time I have had in my forty-five years in this industry. And that included three other recessions and the three-day-week.

There have been other great challenges. We have embraced and grown alongside the internet - we established our own website as long ago as 1996. The internet, over all other developments, has had the most dramatic effect over estate agency and continues to do so.

We will continue to meet those challenges in the years ahead and endeavour to grow our influence across the world. But we will never ever forget that, at heart, we are still your own office and team in London.