The Worshipful Company of Fletchers is led by the Master aided by a Court of Assistants and the Clerk. Dr Roger Watson was installed on 17th April 2018.
Roger left school at 16 informally engaged to be married and the proud possessor of only 5 dodgy GCEs.
Since then he has worked inter alia on building sites, down coalmines, in abattoirs, both Houses of Parliament, in industry, in academe, local government and for himself as an independent environmental professional.
Married aged 21, he soon realised that his educational achievement shortfall was not a recipe for maintaining the lady of his dreams, so set about remedying this sorry state.
He now holds several higher Science degrees, together with post grad qualifications in air pollution control, management, nuclear biological and chemical warfare impact moderation, radiobiology, meteorology, health and safety enforcement and environmental health; together with a degree in the Arts.
During his career he has held several senior appointments in the Environmental Control field, all of which included responsibility for the investigation of many tragic high-profile disease outbreaks.
Roger was the Director of Environment for the Port and City of London, responsible for an extremely diverse portfolio, before sadly retiring from full time work as a consequence of an encounter with a sick parrot.
His current research interests include the control of Legionnella bacteria (co-authoring the national legislative codes of practice) and the control of zoonotic disease, a subject upon which (despite being in his eighth decade) he is still in demand as a lecturer at medical schools, both in the UK and abroad.
Deeply committed to Youth Development he has had an active participation in the Scout Movement for over 50 years.
In his “spare time” he is a qualified RYA sailing instructor, specialising in introducing young people to sailing. He plays the fiddle in a ceilidh band and is a Methodist worship leader.
He and his childhood sweetheart June, have enjoyed almost half a century of marriage and they have two children and three grandchildren.