From October 1999 until May 2006* I was the Membership Secretary of this august body, which I joined in January 1991 following redundancy when the Engineering Industry Training Board was closed down by the Government.

The ITBPA is a pressure group of more than 1500 pensioners and former employees of the 29 Industry Training Boards which were created by the Industrial Training Act of 1964.

Although not recognised as such, the ITBPA makes representations to the Trustees of the ITB Pension Funds (of which there are two) about matters of concern to our members.

My job as Membership Secretary was to maintain the computerised records of the Association, to collect the annual subscriptions and, twice a year, to print mailing labels so that we could communicate with our members who live as far afield as Australia, the United States and Spain.

The job made me a member of the 12 strong Executive Committee which meets three times a year, usually in central London. So I got a day out in the big city and the chance to meet former colleagues - usually in the 'Jolly Gardener' near Euston station before the meeting!

The ITBPA has its own web site.

* My term of office was supposed to end a year earlier, but they couldn't find a replacement!