Well, it is the end of my year as Master and so this is my final Blog.
We installed Peter Hall as our 27th Master at the Installation Court on HQS Wellington along with the Wardens and new Court Assistants.
It has been a privilege to be Master. Christine and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It has been a busy year attending over 120 events.
I mentioned at the end of my last Blog that we would be entering a team in the Marketors' Livery Golf Day. It was a great day but our golf was not up to the standard to win any prizes. Malcolm Butchers did, however, win the 18 hole putting competition so well done Malcolm!
Some of you will know that the Livery Masters form an Association for the year in which they are Master. Our Association for the year 2014/15 is called the Magna Masters for obvious reasons. I will continue to keep the Water Conservators in the forefront as I will be in charge of the Golf Society.
Some of you will also know that I have taken on the task to produce our Company History 2000 to 2015. I would welcome any contributions from members with any historical information. I don't mind what format it is in. I have set the target to publish the history in the next year.
Tomorrow I will be chairing our Annual Lecture at the Octagon, Queen Mary University London I hope to see many of you there.
I am handing over the Company in a sound financial position and our reputation in the City is very strong. It only remains for wish Peter every success in his year as Master and to thank you all for your support.
Regards
Roger
Deputy Master
Wednesday 1 July 2015
Thursday 25 June 2015
Master's Blog 10
Well I'm nearly at the end of what has been a very enjoyable year as Master. Yesterday I had my last City events. It was a full day starting with breakfast at The Haberdashers Hall with other Livery Company Masters and Clerks. I was joined by the Master (Elect). We then set off to Guildhall for Common Hall where liverymen elect the new Sheriffs. The Masters of the various Livery Companies process in and out. It is a very enjoyable event and I would encourage all liverymen to attend next year. There will of course be the election of the Lord Mayor in September.
After Common Hall I had a curry lunch with the Master Mariners on HQS Wellington. In the afternoon I was back at Guildhall for the Armed Forces Flag Day and then in the evening I was one of two passengers on board our cutter Water forget-me-not in the Admiral of the Port Race. There were two divisions with seven cutters in each division. Division 1 is for men and Division 2 is for women and mixed crews. The race is from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Boating Base in Pimlico.
Our cutter led Division 2 from the start and finished first, taking the rose bowl trophy. An excellent performance as usual. Well done ladies!
In between the Salisbury weekend and yesterday's events I been busy attending the Carmen's lunch on 3rd June and the Livery Committee Dinner on 8th June. On 9th June Christine and I attended the Plumbers' Company 650th Anniversary service at the Temple Church with a reception in Temple Gardens afterwards. A bit cold but very enjoyable all the same. On 15th June I was at Runnymede for the Magna Carta Foundation of Liberty Runnymeded 800 commemoration event attended by the Her Majesty The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Princess Royal and HRH The Duke of Cambridge as well as the Prime Minister and other senior government officials from UK and Overseas. We were entertained by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth, children's dance groups and choirs. A splendid day well organised and very memorable.
On 23rd June I attended the Guild of Human Resource Professionals Installation Ceremony.
I have the Marketors' Livery Golf Day at Verulam GC on 29 June where we have a Water Conservators team entered.
It will then be the Installation of Peter Hall as Master, and the Wardens on 1 July followed by our 2015 Annual Lecture on 2 July at The Octagon, Queen Mary University, Mile End Campus. If you haven't already registered please do.
After Common Hall I had a curry lunch with the Master Mariners on HQS Wellington. In the afternoon I was back at Guildhall for the Armed Forces Flag Day and then in the evening I was one of two passengers on board our cutter Water forget-me-not in the Admiral of the Port Race. There were two divisions with seven cutters in each division. Division 1 is for men and Division 2 is for women and mixed crews. The race is from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Boating Base in Pimlico.
Our cutter led Division 2 from the start and finished first, taking the rose bowl trophy. An excellent performance as usual. Well done ladies!
In between the Salisbury weekend and yesterday's events I been busy attending the Carmen's lunch on 3rd June and the Livery Committee Dinner on 8th June. On 9th June Christine and I attended the Plumbers' Company 650th Anniversary service at the Temple Church with a reception in Temple Gardens afterwards. A bit cold but very enjoyable all the same. On 15th June I was at Runnymede for the Magna Carta Foundation of Liberty Runnymeded 800 commemoration event attended by the Her Majesty The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Princess Royal and HRH The Duke of Cambridge as well as the Prime Minister and other senior government officials from UK and Overseas. We were entertained by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth, children's dance groups and choirs. A splendid day well organised and very memorable.
On 23rd June I attended the Guild of Human Resource Professionals Installation Ceremony.
I have the Marketors' Livery Golf Day at Verulam GC on 29 June where we have a Water Conservators team entered.
It will then be the Installation of Peter Hall as Master, and the Wardens on 1 July followed by our 2015 Annual Lecture on 2 July at The Octagon, Queen Mary University, Mile End Campus. If you haven't already registered please do.
Sunday 24 May 2015
Master's Blog 9
We've just returned from a great Master's weekend in Salisbury. The weekend was organised splendidly by Nigel and Stella Mattravers. Salisbury is a terrific City with plenty to do and see. We stayed in the Red Lion hotel where we had a dinner on Friday. We had a guided tour of the Cathedral on Saturday morning. Our guide, Arthur, was a friend of Nigel's and a qualified cathedral guide. At 87 he was both entertaining and very knowledgeable. A copy of Magna Carta was available to view. On Saturday after a pre theatre dinner we saw "Jeeves and Wooster". What a great show, very, very funny. If you get a chance to see it I would thoroughly recommend it!
My last blog was just before the Election Court and lunch at Cutlers Hall. We now have our team elected for next year. Congratulations to Richard Waller on being elected Walbrook Warden. Allan Cook, chairman of Atkins, was a good after lunch speaker. At the Court meeting we signed a new affiliation agreement with 66 Works Group, Royal Engineers. At the lunch we presented a cheque to Treloar for £1000 collected at the Myddelton lunch. Our collection after the Election lunch raised £1000 for ABF The Soldiers Charity.
On 16 April I attended the Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch in aid of ABF The Soldiers Charity with the Fleet Warden, Keith Tozzi. I was able to present the Lord Mayor with our cheque from the Election lunch. The next day I went to the Chartered Surveyors' lunch at Apothecaries Hall. The following week was the Fuellers' Election Court Lunch at Stationers Hall and the Lightermen and Watermen's St Georges day lunch at Waterman's Hall.
On 28th April I attended the City of London Corporation's Transport and Sustainability Forum as I have done previously. We heard about the "Close the Door" campaign which aims to reduce energy and air pollution in shops by getting them to close their doors. Research shows that closing the door reduces airborne pollution in shops by a third. There was also a presentation by the Corporation's new Responsible Procurement Officer. I offered the services of our livery company to advise on environmental criteria which may be included in contracts being let by the Corporation. Other items covered included the Walk to Work week, air quality action days, the green roof workshop and the biodiversity Action Plan.. This forum will in future be called the "Sustainable City Forum".
At the end of April I attended the Young Freeman's Civic Lunch at Charterhouse and the Air Pilots' Annual Cobham lecture in the evening where we heard about the exploits of Alex Henshaw who was Chief Production Test Pilot during the war. He tested some 3,000 Spitfires and the occasional Lancaster.
On 1st May I went to hear the verdict of the Trial of the Pyx and lunch at Goldsmiths Hall. The history of the Trial of the Pyx dates from the 12th century. It is the ceremony which checks the UK coins produced by the Royal Mint are within the limits of metallic composition, weight and size. The speaker at the lunch is usually the Chancellor of the Exchequer but he was otherwise engaged, something to do with the Election! His place was taken by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
On 6th May there was the World Traders lecture and on the 9th May the 100+ Club lunch at the Information Technologists Hall. This is attended by livery companies which are 100+ in order of precedence.
The Sons of Clergy Festival in St Pauls was on 12th May. This is an annual service which celebrates the work of the Sons and Friends of the Clergy, the leading grant-making charity helping Anglican clergy and their families in times of need. The Lord Mayor processed alongside the Bishop of London with the Sheriffs, the Swordbearer, the Sergeant-at-Arms and the City Marshall in attendance. As is now traditional the choir of St Pauls Cathedral was joined by choirs from 2 other cathedrals, this year Manchester and Portsmouth Cathedrals. The preacher was The Dean of York the Very Reverend Vivienne Fault.
The next day I was at the Chartered Accountants True and Fair lecture and then at the Distillers lecture the following evening where we debated whether the whisky industry is innovative enough. I was surprised how many new blends and flavours are now on the market The vote at the end was generally "Yes", I think! After the debate we tasted some of the new whiskies with various blends and flavours. I have to say I think I prefer the traditional single malt whiskies!
On the 15th May Christine and I were guests of the Master Launderer at their Ladies banquet in Mansion House. I'd like to think that some day we will have a dinner in Mansion House but we'd need to increase our numbers substantially to fill the Egyptian Room and to make this viable financially.
On Saturday 16th it was the Tudor Pull. This is a great event which starts at Hampton Court where I, as Master of the Water Conservators, handed over our Stela, which is a piece of medieval elm water pipe, to the duty officer at Hampton Court who in turn handed it to the Queen's Bargemaster to take down the Thames to the Tower of London on the "Gloriana" the Queen's row barge. Setting off from Hampton Court on the Gloriana Christine and I with the Beadle and his wife were accompanied by a number of livery cutters and a following cruiser with two of the Wardens, their wives and other members of the Company on board. They followed us down river to Richmond where we stopped for refreshments. At Richmond I transferred into our cutter Water-Forget-me-not. I was then rowed the 20 odd miles down to the Tower by four of our women rowers . They did an absolutely splendid job. At the Tower we adjourned for well earned drinks.
On the Monday and Tuesday we had the Master's committee and the charity meetings respectively.
On Wednesday Christine and I attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace along with other livery Masters and a few thousand others! This was a great privilege especially walking in through the front gates and the front door of the Palace and then on into the garden. The weather was very kind to us and we got within a few feet of the Queen and Prince Philip but needless to say they didn't talk to us.
On Thursday I, along with Richard Waller, David Port and Malcolm Butchers represented the Company in the livery golf day at Walton Heath playing for the Prince Arthur Cup. This was 36 holes of foursomes. Golfers amongst you will know this is a tough format but made more challenging by playing against par! We had a credible result in the middle section of the field. Well done to the team.
Whilst I've been doing all this Christine has been attending a good number of functions with me when the opportunity arose. She has also had a private lunch at Mansion House at the invitation of the Lady Mayoress with12 other Mistresses. Other events she has attended on her own include lunch at the RAF Club, Plaisterers' Hall and a River Lunch as guest of the Watermens' Mistress before joining me for the Sons of Clergy service at St Pauls.
That brings me back to where I started. I'm now moving swiftly to my last month as Master with still a number of events to attend.
My last blog was just before the Election Court and lunch at Cutlers Hall. We now have our team elected for next year. Congratulations to Richard Waller on being elected Walbrook Warden. Allan Cook, chairman of Atkins, was a good after lunch speaker. At the Court meeting we signed a new affiliation agreement with 66 Works Group, Royal Engineers. At the lunch we presented a cheque to Treloar for £1000 collected at the Myddelton lunch. Our collection after the Election lunch raised £1000 for ABF The Soldiers Charity.
On 16 April I attended the Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch in aid of ABF The Soldiers Charity with the Fleet Warden, Keith Tozzi. I was able to present the Lord Mayor with our cheque from the Election lunch. The next day I went to the Chartered Surveyors' lunch at Apothecaries Hall. The following week was the Fuellers' Election Court Lunch at Stationers Hall and the Lightermen and Watermen's St Georges day lunch at Waterman's Hall.
On 28th April I attended the City of London Corporation's Transport and Sustainability Forum as I have done previously. We heard about the "Close the Door" campaign which aims to reduce energy and air pollution in shops by getting them to close their doors. Research shows that closing the door reduces airborne pollution in shops by a third. There was also a presentation by the Corporation's new Responsible Procurement Officer. I offered the services of our livery company to advise on environmental criteria which may be included in contracts being let by the Corporation. Other items covered included the Walk to Work week, air quality action days, the green roof workshop and the biodiversity Action Plan.. This forum will in future be called the "Sustainable City Forum".
At the end of April I attended the Young Freeman's Civic Lunch at Charterhouse and the Air Pilots' Annual Cobham lecture in the evening where we heard about the exploits of Alex Henshaw who was Chief Production Test Pilot during the war. He tested some 3,000 Spitfires and the occasional Lancaster.
On 1st May I went to hear the verdict of the Trial of the Pyx and lunch at Goldsmiths Hall. The history of the Trial of the Pyx dates from the 12th century. It is the ceremony which checks the UK coins produced by the Royal Mint are within the limits of metallic composition, weight and size. The speaker at the lunch is usually the Chancellor of the Exchequer but he was otherwise engaged, something to do with the Election! His place was taken by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
On 6th May there was the World Traders lecture and on the 9th May the 100+ Club lunch at the Information Technologists Hall. This is attended by livery companies which are 100+ in order of precedence.
The Sons of Clergy Festival in St Pauls was on 12th May. This is an annual service which celebrates the work of the Sons and Friends of the Clergy, the leading grant-making charity helping Anglican clergy and their families in times of need. The Lord Mayor processed alongside the Bishop of London with the Sheriffs, the Swordbearer, the Sergeant-at-Arms and the City Marshall in attendance. As is now traditional the choir of St Pauls Cathedral was joined by choirs from 2 other cathedrals, this year Manchester and Portsmouth Cathedrals. The preacher was The Dean of York the Very Reverend Vivienne Fault.
The next day I was at the Chartered Accountants True and Fair lecture and then at the Distillers lecture the following evening where we debated whether the whisky industry is innovative enough. I was surprised how many new blends and flavours are now on the market The vote at the end was generally "Yes", I think! After the debate we tasted some of the new whiskies with various blends and flavours. I have to say I think I prefer the traditional single malt whiskies!
On the 15th May Christine and I were guests of the Master Launderer at their Ladies banquet in Mansion House. I'd like to think that some day we will have a dinner in Mansion House but we'd need to increase our numbers substantially to fill the Egyptian Room and to make this viable financially.
On Saturday 16th it was the Tudor Pull. This is a great event which starts at Hampton Court where I, as Master of the Water Conservators, handed over our Stela, which is a piece of medieval elm water pipe, to the duty officer at Hampton Court who in turn handed it to the Queen's Bargemaster to take down the Thames to the Tower of London on the "Gloriana" the Queen's row barge. Setting off from Hampton Court on the Gloriana Christine and I with the Beadle and his wife were accompanied by a number of livery cutters and a following cruiser with two of the Wardens, their wives and other members of the Company on board. They followed us down river to Richmond where we stopped for refreshments. At Richmond I transferred into our cutter Water-Forget-me-not. I was then rowed the 20 odd miles down to the Tower by four of our women rowers . They did an absolutely splendid job. At the Tower we adjourned for well earned drinks.
On the Monday and Tuesday we had the Master's committee and the charity meetings respectively.
On Wednesday Christine and I attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace along with other livery Masters and a few thousand others! This was a great privilege especially walking in through the front gates and the front door of the Palace and then on into the garden. The weather was very kind to us and we got within a few feet of the Queen and Prince Philip but needless to say they didn't talk to us.
On Thursday I, along with Richard Waller, David Port and Malcolm Butchers represented the Company in the livery golf day at Walton Heath playing for the Prince Arthur Cup. This was 36 holes of foursomes. Golfers amongst you will know this is a tough format but made more challenging by playing against par! We had a credible result in the middle section of the field. Well done to the team.
Whilst I've been doing all this Christine has been attending a good number of functions with me when the opportunity arose. She has also had a private lunch at Mansion House at the invitation of the Lady Mayoress with12 other Mistresses. Other events she has attended on her own include lunch at the RAF Club, Plaisterers' Hall and a River Lunch as guest of the Watermens' Mistress before joining me for the Sons of Clergy service at St Pauls.
That brings me back to where I started. I'm now moving swiftly to my last month as Master with still a number of events to attend.
Tuesday 31 March 2015
Master's blog 8
I mentioned in my last blog the events we had coming up - The Fuellers Royal Charter Banquet and the Masters, Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff dinner in Mansion House.
The Fuellers Royal Charter banquet on 16th March was a really great event in Guildhall with the Earl of Wessex present. The Master Fueller said he would ensure the Company looked after this charter as in 1667 the Royal Charter granted by James 1 had to be surrendered.
On 18th March I went to the Chartered Secretaries Rivers Lecture in Saddlers Hall. The speaker was Peter Montagnon, an Associate Director of the Institute of Business Ethics. He presented his case on the current position of business ethics and the interplay of regulation in business today.
On 19th March Christine and I attended the dinner in Mansion House for Masters, Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff. This was another lively affair with the expected pomp and ceremony.
The following morning we were in St Pauls for the United Guilds Service with the Wardens, Clerk and other company members along with all other livery companies and City officials. Some of our members then went to lunch in Guildhall with the Hackney Carriage Drivers and the Bowyers. This was the first time we have joined them and we all agreed we would repeat again next year. We noted at the lunch that this year is the 40th consecutive year our Clerk, Ralph Riley has attended the United Guilds Service. What an achievement!
On 23rd March I went to the Sustainable City Awards in Mansion House. Members of our Company with the Launderers were judges for the Resource Conservation category. It's amazing to hear what small companies are doing in the field of sustainability.
On 24th March I went to the Chartered Architects Milo lecture where Sir Terry Farrell was the guest speaker. He gave an overview of his national review of architecture and the built environment.
On the 26th March I was one of four guests invited by Sheriff Andrew Parmley to have lunch in the Old Bailey with the judges. It was very interesting to hear the cases they were hearing and to be invited as guests to sit in on one of their cases after lunch.
I'm now looking forward to our Election Court and lunch on 9th April. This will be my last formal Company lunch as Master.
We are now on an Easter break so I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Easter.
The Fuellers Royal Charter banquet on 16th March was a really great event in Guildhall with the Earl of Wessex present. The Master Fueller said he would ensure the Company looked after this charter as in 1667 the Royal Charter granted by James 1 had to be surrendered.
On 18th March I went to the Chartered Secretaries Rivers Lecture in Saddlers Hall. The speaker was Peter Montagnon, an Associate Director of the Institute of Business Ethics. He presented his case on the current position of business ethics and the interplay of regulation in business today.
On 19th March Christine and I attended the dinner in Mansion House for Masters, Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff. This was another lively affair with the expected pomp and ceremony.
The following morning we were in St Pauls for the United Guilds Service with the Wardens, Clerk and other company members along with all other livery companies and City officials. Some of our members then went to lunch in Guildhall with the Hackney Carriage Drivers and the Bowyers. This was the first time we have joined them and we all agreed we would repeat again next year. We noted at the lunch that this year is the 40th consecutive year our Clerk, Ralph Riley has attended the United Guilds Service. What an achievement!
On 23rd March I went to the Sustainable City Awards in Mansion House. Members of our Company with the Launderers were judges for the Resource Conservation category. It's amazing to hear what small companies are doing in the field of sustainability.
On 24th March I went to the Chartered Architects Milo lecture where Sir Terry Farrell was the guest speaker. He gave an overview of his national review of architecture and the built environment.
On the 26th March I was one of four guests invited by Sheriff Andrew Parmley to have lunch in the Old Bailey with the judges. It was very interesting to hear the cases they were hearing and to be invited as guests to sit in on one of their cases after lunch.
I'm now looking forward to our Election Court and lunch on 9th April. This will be my last formal Company lunch as Master.
We are now on an Easter break so I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Easter.
Thursday 12 March 2015
Master's Blog 7
In my last blog I forgot to mention that after our Myddelton lunch I attended the City of London Guides annual lecture and evensong in the Temple Church. The speaker was the Master of the Temple The Revd. Robin Griffith-Jones. He was a great speaker and talked about the history of the Temple Church, the Magna Carta and the link to the filming of the DaVinci Code, very entertaining!
On the 12th February I attended the Constructors Livery and Awards Dinner in Drapers Hall. A splendid evening and great to hear of the achievements of the award winners.
Then away for an excellent 2 weeks in Antigua. The only break I've allowed myself during my year!
Whilst I was away I was kept up to date with what was going on and didn't our team do really well in the inter livery Pancake races! Mike had a great win for the best novelty costume! We now know he likes dressing up! Congratulations to Peter, Carolyn and Mark for representing our Company so well!
The day after I got back I went to the WET10 debate which was a great success. Congratulations to Roger Hewitt and Barry Dennis, as joint Chairmen of the WET10, and the other organisers for the excellent evening.
On 4th March I went to the Firefighters' Massey Shaw banquet. A terrific evening with Murray Craig, Clerk to the Chamberlain's Court, as the speaker. He entertained us with stories of the great and the good he has admitted as Freemen of the City of London.
This was followed the next day by the Hackney Carriage Drivers Spring Court dinner in Vintners Hall.
We had the Modern Livery Companies dinner on Monday hosted by the Lightmongers at Cutlers Hall. Modern livery companies are those that were granted livery from 1926 onwards. The Honourable Company of Master Mariners being the first since the Carmen received their livery in 1848.
Yesterday I was at the Master Mariners Court Luncheon on board HQS Wellington and then at the Plumbers annual lecture and dinner in the evening, celebrating their 650th anniversary and National Plumbing Day.
This evening we have our Company visit to the College of Arms which I'm really looking forward to.
Next Monday Christine and I will be with the Fuellers celebrating the grant of their Royal Charter by HRH the Earl of Wessex. On the 19th we have the Masters and Prime Wardens banquet in Man sion House hosted by the Lord Mayor with the United Guilds Service on the 20th March. I hope to see a number of you there.
On the 12th February I attended the Constructors Livery and Awards Dinner in Drapers Hall. A splendid evening and great to hear of the achievements of the award winners.
Then away for an excellent 2 weeks in Antigua. The only break I've allowed myself during my year!
Whilst I was away I was kept up to date with what was going on and didn't our team do really well in the inter livery Pancake races! Mike had a great win for the best novelty costume! We now know he likes dressing up! Congratulations to Peter, Carolyn and Mark for representing our Company so well!
The day after I got back I went to the WET10 debate which was a great success. Congratulations to Roger Hewitt and Barry Dennis, as joint Chairmen of the WET10, and the other organisers for the excellent evening.
On 4th March I went to the Firefighters' Massey Shaw banquet. A terrific evening with Murray Craig, Clerk to the Chamberlain's Court, as the speaker. He entertained us with stories of the great and the good he has admitted as Freemen of the City of London.
This was followed the next day by the Hackney Carriage Drivers Spring Court dinner in Vintners Hall.
We had the Modern Livery Companies dinner on Monday hosted by the Lightmongers at Cutlers Hall. Modern livery companies are those that were granted livery from 1926 onwards. The Honourable Company of Master Mariners being the first since the Carmen received their livery in 1848.
Yesterday I was at the Master Mariners Court Luncheon on board HQS Wellington and then at the Plumbers annual lecture and dinner in the evening, celebrating their 650th anniversary and National Plumbing Day.
This evening we have our Company visit to the College of Arms which I'm really looking forward to.
Next Monday Christine and I will be with the Fuellers celebrating the grant of their Royal Charter by HRH the Earl of Wessex. On the 19th we have the Masters and Prime Wardens banquet in Man sion House hosted by the Lord Mayor with the United Guilds Service on the 20th March. I hope to see a number of you there.
Friday 6 February 2015
Master's Blog 6
Well here we are in 2015 and over half way through my year. January is traditionally a quiet time for the livery companies but having said that there have been a number of things going on.
On 7th Jan we had a Master's committee meeting where with the Wardens I discussed issues which we will address going forward.
On 9th Jan the Clerk and I attended the City New Year service at St Michael's Cornhill. For over half a century, this service has been a prime fixture for senior figures in civic and business spheres to meet and welcome the challenges and events of the coming year. The Governor of the Bank of England read the 1st lesson.
Then on the 10th Jan my 9 year old granddaughter was invited to the Lord Mayor's Childrens' Party at Mansion House. There was an age limit of 6 to 9 but there was still over 500 children entertained. Parents and in my case grandparents had to keep to the sidelines. What a splendid affair and the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress really joined in the activities with the children. An experience my granddaughter won't forget.
As some of you know Sheriff Alderman Andrew Parmley is an Hon. Liveryman of our Company and to celebrate and commemorate his election as Sheriff on behalf of the Company I presented him with a bound copy of our book "Reflections on Water". He was delighted to receive this at a ceremony in his offices at the Old Bailey when I was accompanied by the Wardens and the Clerk.
The Company through the Water Conservation Trust is expanding our schools programme and so on 28th January the Thames Warden, Peter Hall and I met with Alison Truphet to talk about our education activities and the Livery Schools Link. We will be taking this relationship forward in the coming months.
On 7th Jan we had a Master's committee meeting where with the Wardens I discussed issues which we will address going forward.
On 9th Jan the Clerk and I attended the City New Year service at St Michael's Cornhill. For over half a century, this service has been a prime fixture for senior figures in civic and business spheres to meet and welcome the challenges and events of the coming year. The Governor of the Bank of England read the 1st lesson.
Then on the 10th Jan my 9 year old granddaughter was invited to the Lord Mayor's Childrens' Party at Mansion House. There was an age limit of 6 to 9 but there was still over 500 children entertained. Parents and in my case grandparents had to keep to the sidelines. What a splendid affair and the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress really joined in the activities with the children. An experience my granddaughter won't forget.
As some of you know Sheriff Alderman Andrew Parmley is an Hon. Liveryman of our Company and to celebrate and commemorate his election as Sheriff on behalf of the Company I presented him with a bound copy of our book "Reflections on Water". He was delighted to receive this at a ceremony in his offices at the Old Bailey when I was accompanied by the Wardens and the Clerk.
The Company through the Water Conservation Trust is expanding our schools programme and so on 28th January the Thames Warden, Peter Hall and I met with Alison Truphet to talk about our education activities and the Livery Schools Link. We will be taking this relationship forward in the coming months.
Now into February. We had our Myddelton Lunch on 2 Feb attended by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress along with two visiting Masters and over 120 members and their guests. This event at Trinity House was a sell-out. We had a cracking good meal and the Lord Mayor's address was very complimentary to our company and recognised the important role we have to play in the future with climate change and population growth. Several guests said how much they enjoyed the occasion and how welcoming and friendly members of our Company were.
We presented a cheque for £1000 from the WCT to the Lord Mayor for his charity appeal. We also had a retiring collection which raised over £1000 for Treloar Trust. This provides education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training to young people with physical disabilities.
I'm now looking forward to our holiday in Antigua for the last 2 weeks in Feb. It's the only holiday during my year as I wanted to give my time to my duties and enjoying being Master.
Just a couple of upcoming events to remind you of -
On Shrove Tuesday morning,17th February, we will be entering our team in the inter-livery Pancake Race. Peter Hall, kindly standing in for me, Mike Williamson, Mark Lane and Carolyn Roberts would really appreciate your support in Guildhall Yard.
We presented a cheque for £1000 from the WCT to the Lord Mayor for his charity appeal. We also had a retiring collection which raised over £1000 for Treloar Trust. This provides education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training to young people with physical disabilities.
I'm now looking forward to our holiday in Antigua for the last 2 weeks in Feb. It's the only holiday during my year as I wanted to give my time to my duties and enjoying being Master.
Just a couple of upcoming events to remind you of -
On Shrove Tuesday morning,17th February, we will be entering our team in the inter-livery Pancake Race. Peter Hall, kindly standing in for me, Mike Williamson, Mark Lane and Carolyn Roberts would really appreciate your support in Guildhall Yard.
On 2nd March we have the WET10 livery companies' City Water debate - When will London Flood?
The speakers are - Dr Paul Leinster, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency
and Prof David Balmforth, President of the
Institution of Civil Engineers. This promises to be a very lively debate
especially following last year's floods!
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