The London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) is hosted and run by the UK Met Office and as part of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) International Airways Volcano Watch (IAVW) is one of 9 VAACs worldwide. The London VAAC has responsibility for volcanic eruptions originating in the north-eastern corner of the North Atlantic which of course includes Iceland and its selection of active volcanoes. The impacts of the recent Icelandic volcanic eruptions have accelerated the further development of the Met Office atmospheric dispersion and transport model (NAME) and of new volcanic ash observational science. The accurate measurement of the eruptive plume at and near the volcano, fundamental to definition of the eruptive source parameter for model initialisation, still represents the largest source of model error. At the same time, evolving user and forecast output verification requirements demand ever more sophisticated volcanic ash monitoring and measurement capabilities. This submission looks to summarises the various initiatives and collaborative activities being undertaken by the Met Office to address these challenges and to provide an update on the significant progress that has been made in these areas over the last couple of years.