A Message from the Master: One Month On…..and All Is Well!

In my first month, I have been part of some significant events which have given me further insight into the workings of the Livery and the City Corporation.

I have attended a number of discussions, including the Annual Livery Group Climate Change Conference, the Coffee Colloquia Resource Efficiency and Productivity and The Ralph Anderson Memorial lecture Polymers are good for You– The Progress of Polymer Science. These were a great reminder of my technical past and I met a few people I hadn’t seen for over 10 years.

I was a guest of Sheriff David Chalk at The Old Bailey and had the pleasure of lunch with a number of High Court judges to discuss their typical working day. This also reminded me of the Work of The Sheriff’s and Recorder’s Fund, which is run out of The Old Bailey and supports ex-offenders with small grants to get back on their feet. More than 40% are likely to re-offend, so this programme is working hard to reduce this number. Our Charitable Trust makes an annual donation to the fund on behalf of the Constructors.

I represented the Company at the opening of the Remembrance Garden at St Paul’s Cathedral, a poignant ceremony which highlights the commitment of many livery members including Past Master Vicky Russell, who organised this so well. If you are walking past St Paul’s in the next few weeks, do take a look at the crosses planted there in memory of those who died for us.

The Silent Ceremony, where the Lord Mayor elect formally pledges his commitment to his new role, is a fine example of ceremony and tradition delivered seamlessly by the hundreds of people in the background who were involved in making this happen.

This was followed by the Lord Mayor’s Show, which was truly a fantastic celebration of the Lord Mayor’s accession for the Company and The City. My consort and I (I love saying that) were up early on Saturday to climb aboard the Constructors’ Wagon with the Wardens and 30+ representatives from our sponsors and organising committee, without whose support we couldn’t have taken part. It was a party all around, and we finished off with a customary slap-up feed at The Lord Raglan. A big thank you to Mike T, Rianne, Juna, Stewart and the rest of the committee for the many weeks of effort to make this such a fantastic occasion, especially to Rianne’s son Vinnie, who became Safety Sam for the day he was a real draw from the crowd!

In my speech at Common Hall, I highlighted the thousands of hours that are given by more than 50 Committee members involved in managing and delivering a significant part of our operations and social calendar each year. If you would like to help in any way, even for a short amount of time, please let me know. Our Company is ‘for our members by our members’ -I’m reminded of this every time I am lucky enough to represent the Constructors.

So, what next?

Then we are entering the festive season, with our Xmas lunch on the 2nd December (which currently has a waiting list, I’m afraid) and our Carol Service on the 5th December at St Lawrence Jewry. Please come and join us if you are free.

Debs, Master Constructor