Very sad to hear that Tom Ryland, the Chairman of the Hammersmith Society, has died.

Melanie Whitlock, the Vice Chairman of the Society has written to members to say:

“It is with great sadness that I have to report the news of the death of our Chairman, Tom Ryland RIBA.  Tom died peacefully on 9th March in Hammersmith Hospital.

It is hard to imagine the Hammersmith Society without Tom.  He had been on the Committee for many years, and Vice Chairman for some twelve years, before becoming Chairman nearly three years ago – a role to which he brought his knowledge as an architect, a lively interest in local affairs and a belief that it was always possible to do things better. His wisdom, and his calm, balanced approach to planning issues were an immense asset to the community. Working with Tom was always a pleasure. He was unflappable, interested, sociable, kind, and had a wonderful quiet sense of humour. He had a great gift for getting people on his side, and committee meetings with him at the helm were enjoyable affairs. He will be hugely missed by the very many people across the wide range of activities he gave his time to. We extend our thoughts and all our sympathy to his wife Liz and all his family.

A more detailed appreciation of Tom’s contribution to the Society will be included in our April Newsletter.

A service of thanksgiving will be held on 21 April at 12.00 at St Peter’s Church, W6 9BE. Donations in Tom’s memory may be made to The Blood Fund, which supports the Haematology Department at Hammersmith Hospital: http://www.imperialcharity.org.uk/the-blood-fund.”