Welcome to the Bicentenary

The Bicentenary is here and it is thrilling to see the worldwide interest it is generating. I am sure you will join with me in thanking the Dickens2012 team and Film London who have done such a truly terrific job with their small dedicated staff. Their hard work is well demonstrated by the media explosion of all things Dickensian. Indeed there is so much to see and read, I hope you are able to keep up with it all. I would be very surprised if there are any newspapers at the moment that do not mention Charles Dickens in some way. I can’t imagine what coverage there will be as we approach 7 February!

I am also aware that all the Fellowship Branches have been working very hard producing a calendar of events throughout the forthcoming year. But I gather that this exciting information is not always getting out to the whole audience, and it would be good to try and ensure that there is a central diary of everything. With that in mind I would be very grateful if all branches could forward their 20112 programmes to Joan Dicks, phone 020 7242 8575, joan@dickshg.freeserve.co.uk. The bicentenary is a unique opportunity to try and engage with new audiences, some of whom may be hearing about Dickens for the first time, and I ask you all to spread the word as far and wide as possible in our vicinity.

In the meantime, I wish all Dickensians a happy and stimulating New Year.

Mark Charles Dickens

President of the International Dickens Fellowship

Head of the Dickens Family