Dear Member,

I am writing this post immediately following the December court meeting (17th) which is our last event before the holiday break.

The run-up to Christmas is always extremely busy, and being Master is no exception. There have been a range of lunches, dinners, and receptions held across the City, and of course several carol services. These have all been most enjoyable.

I would like to mention three external events and four internal Apothecary occasions.

A particular highlight was being invited to attend the first Royal Army Medical Service (RAMS) presentation and awards day, held at Sandhurst. The morning comprised a series of presentations about the newly formed service, with a special focus on the deployment of medics with the army Rangers, followed by demonstrations of the use of virtual reality headsets for use in both training and recruitment. In the afternoon, it was a pleasure and a privilege to attend the awards ceremony for medical services, along with the Nurses Company, the Cuttlers and the Environmental Cleaners.

It is very evident how much, particularly at the current challenging time, Livery affiliations and support for our armed forces are appreciated. We need to think about what further support we can offer.

The other external events I would highlight were a series of meetings following on from London Life Sciences Week. It is encouraging to see how initiatives over the last two years are bearing fruit.

Separately, during the masterships of Julia Neild, Jane Anderson, and myself, we joined Julia for a meeting at Mansion House to launch the programme to eradicate HIV/AIDS from London by 2035. This objective has since been brought forward to 2030, and if achieved, London will be the first city in the world to have eradicated HIV/AIDS as part of the global sustainability programme. It was therefore especially pleasing to attend several events on World AIDS Day (1st December) to help promote this public health initiative and to increase screening and detection within the community.

On 8th December, we held our wonderful carol service at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe. There was a record attendance, with many choosing to sit in the gallery of the church. We were exceptionally fortunate that Sir Andrew Parmley again agreed to play the organ for us. The Archdeacon of London, Luke Miller, and my Chaplain, the Reverend Roger Bristow, led the service. The carols were sung with great gusto, assisted by the Thames Chamber Choir. Luke Miller gave a very powerful spontaneous address at the end of the service on the theme of Gaudete — rejoice.

The Court then processed back to the Hall, during which time the heavy rain fortunately held off. We then enjoyed an excellent dinner.

A huge thank you to Martin Waldron and the Livery team for organising both the service and the dinner. Watch highlights of the Carol Service here.

The following evening saw the Young Apothecaries’ Dinner in the Hall, attended by almost 120 members of our Society, all under the age of 35 (except for the Clerk and the Master!). Talking with our apprentices and young apothecaries, both before and after the dinner, is always most impressive.

Charlotte Perry gave a wonderful speech, and I would like to thank her and her committee for all the work they do.

There are few, if any, other City Livery Companies that have such an enthusiastic group of young members. We need to do more to support them.

It was also a pleasure to join the History Fellows Group, led by Lee Coppack, for their Christmas meeting, at which we were all asked to present a favourite medical history book or film. This brought to a conclusion a very successful year for the Fellowship, which has had very high levels of attendance, both in person and via the virtual link. This is a part of our Society family which does not get enough attention.

Last Thursday and Saturday, Jane Anderson was featured on BBC Radio 4 in a recent conversation with Martha Kearney. Jane spoke about the fascinating history of the Chelsea Physic Garden and its strong links with the Society of Apothecaries, as well as human health and planetary health, and how deeply interconnected they are. If you missed it, you can listen here.

Finally, yesterday we held our last Court meeting of the calendar year. It was very pleasing to note that the Society is in excellent shape, thanks to everyone’s hard work.

I was pleased to update the Court on a series of initiatives and new events planned for the New Year, which will be announced shortly. There is also an excellent programme of events for 2026 from the Livery Committee.

A major item of work this year has been a revision of our Standing Orders and Statutes. This has been led by the Senior Warden, Peader O’Mordha, and I am delighted that we have completed this task somewhat ahead of schedule. It has been a major undertaking, and I would like to record my personal thanks to Peader. This news is hot off the press and you will hear more in the New Year.

Finally, I would like to record a huge thank you to Fiona Wilcox for all that she has done, and especially the support she has given to me since becoming Junior Warden in August. Fiona has been asked to take on increased public service commitments next year, and as a result, has withdrawn from being Junior Warden. Fiona will remain on the Court and will resume her progression towards becoming Master when the time is right for her.

As a result, the Court elected Prof John Schofield as the new Junior Warden. We are very lucky to have such an experienced person (who has already given so much service to the Society) who could step forward.

John, a huge thank you from me and all the members.

Finally, I can report that work began last Friday on the renovation of the toilets and the changing facilities. Everyone will welcome this final phase of our restoration programme.

It only remains for me to wish you, your families, and loved ones a very happy Christmas and New Year.

I have also recorded a short Christmas message, which you can watch here.

David