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The Master’s Year

EDITORIAL

This is the 2018 issue of “The Constructor”, the annual Journal The Worshipful Company of Constructors is very grateful to a
of the Worshipful Company of Constructors. number of construction related companies who donate
After several years of the smaller A5 size of the Journal the money to support our activities and our Charitable Fund. In
Company has decided that we should revert to the former A4 return, we are very pleased to provide the companies with
size as this enables the pictures to be larger and for us to advertising space in our annual journal.
have greater benefit from advertising. The Editor would be This year we are particularly pleased to include
pleased to hear your views on which format suits you best. advertisements from Admiral Group Limited, Butler & Young,
th
I hope that you will find this 40 issue of The Constructor both Delta Membranes Limited, Excel Group and Wilkins Kennedy,
interesting and informative. who have generously promised support for the Company and
This year marks 100 years since the end of the First World the Master during 2018-19.
War and the foundation of the Royal Air Force. We are In particular, this sponsorship supports our biennial Charity
extremely proud of our Military associations, so it seems Gala Dinner, which this year will be held in the Long Room at
appropriate that some of the articles in this edition focus on Lord’s Cricket Ground in September 2019 and hopes to raise
these subjects. As a Company we also try to be fully inclusive £50,000 for the Company and its charitable efforts.
of all without regard to their origin or preferences. An We would also welcome articles for the next issue. If you wish
increasing number of our Members, both male and female, to communicate with the Editor, please contact
come from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, so we have thejournal@virginmedia.com.
asked one of our newer and younger members to contribute Roger Lilley - Editor
her personal view of the construction industry.

A Message from the Master

The newly elected Master, Michael Parrett, gives his thoughts on the year ahead

‘Dear Fellow members of the Company
It is truly a privilege and an honour to have been elected as the 42 Master of this Worshipful
nd
Company. There is no other Livery company in the City that so represents its title, with such an
eclectic mix of people who work or have worked in the Construction Industry and the wider
related professions. Our company membership is therefore truly reflective upon the people
profile of those actively engaged in the wider built environment. We pride ourselves in being
totally committed to equality of opportunity for all irrespective of race, colour, gender or
sexual orientation and we particularly welcome applications from all people especially where
they may be under-represented in the Company. Our average age, which has been getting
younger and younger over the years, means that we have at our core some of the most
dynamic young talent representing our industry and with an on-going commitment to take in
more apprentices and younger yeomanry members (under age 35) the trend of attracting future movers and shakers will no
doubt continue for many years to come. This of course is balanced against our growing number of Freeman and Livery
members, many of whom have already gained many years of experience and achieved the highest levels of seniority and
influence.
This year my principal theme will be ‘International relations’. I will also encourage the on-going process of review that
maintains the company and its charity on a firm footing for the future in meeting our short, medium and long term aims and
objectives by continuing to build a strong company and a strong charity fund.
This year also marks our biennial fundraising event and I am aiming to raise an ambitious £50,000 for our charitable trust to
increase our sphere of influence in supporting scholarships, helping young offenders back into work and supporting youth to
take up apprenticeships in the construction industry and building on mentoring through the ‘Livery Schools Link’ scheme ,
amongst a host of other initiatives deserving of our support. We would particularly welcome hearing from those members
willing to get involved and whose companies would consider supporting us financially through corporate sponsorship
towards our charity gala dinner to be held in the iconic Long Room at Lords Cricket Ground in September 2019.
A number of our members are already assisting me to help design and build a new church building in Newcastle, which we
are aiming to be the first net zero carbon, sustainable ecclesiastical building of its kind in the UK. Particular thanks must go
to our members; Architect, Garry Thomas and Doug Kerr at Elementa.
My wife Jessica and sons Gavin and Jonathan (Yeoman member) are very much looking forward to supporting this year and
helping to bring yet more cultural diversity to a year whose main theme is International relations.
In this regard we have arranged for an overseas Masters weekend to Hong Kong which will be attended by senior figures
from the British Consulate, we are also grateful for the invaluable help and support of our members Ruth Bailey and Clinton
Leeks OBE and the chambers of Sir Oswald Cheung in Hong Kong. We hope you will be able to join us for a memorable
weekend 12-14th April 2019 when we will visit a heritage project on Hong Kong island and take a boat trip to the island of
Ap Chau. If you are unable to make Hong Kong, Jessica will be planning an event here in the UK around the Chinese New
Year and we will also have a second Master’s weekend in Cambridge during the summer. We sincerely hope therefore that

Page 4 | The Journal of the Worshipful Company of Constructors | Autumn 2018