Well, gosh!
Something of a flurry of replies just when I thought the thread would breathe its last...
To those who've PM'd: Thanks, and I'll try to get in touch with you when I can (just off to the boat for the weekend - hope you'll excuse me).
Most expressions of interest have bee from people outside the South-East, but perhaps there are ways around the logistics...
I would hope to offer both some additional confidence and some help in developing skills, to anyone I might fly with, and I'll get in touch with the Canadian website people too, as it sounds like a good idea to expand their geographical boundaries.
So, thanks again for reading and responding,
Pip pip,
Kit