Hello my name is Valerie Davidson (VAL); I have been active in the cat fancy since 1995 though I have loved cats even longer than that. Over the years I have shown and registered with GCCF, FIFe , CFA and TICA being a member of TICA since 2002. I have attended almost all of the UK shows since they started five years ago. Starting my own club TickedTICA in 2006 and serving as club president since, we have run several shows each year including the first Scottish show. As a show manager and licensed entry/master clerk I am familiar with the show and registration rules as well as the current issues our clubs are facing! I can often be found circulating at shows speaking to exhibitors, I love meeting new people and talking about TICA to anyone who wants to know.

TICA has expanded very quickly here in the UK and I believe we will grow more before finding our natural level. It is my intention to support growth in the less central areas while continuing to give current exhibitors the local shows they now enjoy. I am currently advising a new Scottish club, Walsh club, a new West Country club that will serve the south west areas and a group of Irish (Northern and Southern) exhibitors that intend to start holding small unified shows once the UK has some home grown judges to make it financially viable.  I have been in contact with several breeders in Iceland - they currently have several small FIFe shows a year but with the current financial problems I think it will be sometime before we can take TICA shows over to them, but that would be my aim,  after all wherever you are you’re in TICA's world. Our region should contain all the British Isles and I think we all want to see the Channel Islands returned to us, if that is what members want I will work towards that goal.

I believe that the regional website should incorporate links to meeting agenda's and minutes of recently held meetings as they can be difficult for members to find on the main TICA site. My real job is in the City of London, I work for Fund Managers working in the Risk Assessment department, publishing International financial disclosures. If elected I would aim to hold the office with the same level of transparency as I practice in my professional life, canvassing members options through the region website & message boards but also in person by regularly attending shows. Ensuring that when attending board meetings I would be the voice and be the conduit of the members.

In order to develop and grow as a new region we need to support new people that are thinking of taking up judging (some transferring from GCCF) and our upcoming trainee judges this will supplement the international pool of licensed TICA judges.

In 2009 TICA made us our own region; let’s see what we can do with it!