Dear member,

I was aware from my previous roles and experience that November was a busy month in the City, but I had not realised just how full the diary would be.

Key elements I would like to highlight in this blog include: the farewell to the Lord Mayor, Alastair King, and the installation and welcome to the new Lady Mayor, Dame Sue Langley; Remembrance Week in the City; the Venison Feast in York; the Saint Cecilia Day service in Westminster Abbey; the awards ceremonies for our diplomates; London Life Science Week; and other important Society events. As you are all aware, our Society has four key activities – namely supporting our craft and profession, our role in the governance of the City, support and fellowship for all our members, and charity work. All four been in evidence this month.

City Facing Role

As Master, I was invited to take part in the Thanksgiving service for the outgoing Lord Mayor, which was held at St Stephen Walbrook. All the Livery Masters attended the most moving silent ceremony when Dame Sue Langley was installed as the Lady Mayor at Guildhall. This year many members of the Society were involved in the Lady Mayor’s show.

The Junior Warden and I walked with the senior livery in the procession. The weather was fantastic, and the crowds watching were much greater than in previous years. A new feature this year was that children and young people watching the show wanted to high-five anyone in robes. Fiona and I proved to be very good at this, and we were featured several times on the BBC transmission. This follows the Apothecaries being featured on BBC Countryfile during the Sheep Drive, so this autumn we have certainly made our mark.

It was also a privilege to be part of the procession in Westminster Abbey for the Saint Cecilia’s Day Service. This service featured the combined choirs of the Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Westminster Cathedral. It was followed by a lunch to raise funds for young musicians, and then the Masters travelled by tube to Mansion House for the speech by the new Lady Mayor, in which Sue Langley set out her programme and challenges to the livery for the mayoral year.

Remembrance

It was a privilege and an honour to represent the Society at the St Paul’s Cathedral Garden of Remembrance ceremony, where each Livery Company lays a cross. Then, on Remembrance Sunday, I joined other Masters for the service led by the Dean, after which we processed to the Royal Exchange for the wreath-laying ceremony in march past with the Lady Mayor before returning to Guildhall. The Dean, in a powerful sermon, highlighted the importance of the cycles of life, bringing together remembrance, hope and joy.

This year the Sheriffs organised a City-wide poppy collection for the Royal British Legion. The livery companies were each allocated a station – ours, naturally, was Blackfriars Station – where, with the help of staff from local offices, we collected over £35k. The total collected across the City was £1.45 million. A big thank you to those who joined me for the collection.

During the day, the Draper’s Company hosted a conference for the Livery Masters on future enhancements to the Military Covenant (which we have already signed). Several recipients of support, and their families, spoke to us – very moving .

London Science Week

Members will be aware of the leading role the Society has played in taking forward the life science initiative promoting the City. In recent months we have handed this work on to the London Chamber of Commerce and London Health Partners. I was asked to chair several meetings and speak at others during this week, showcasing the unique environment that the City and wider London have to offer these important growth sectors.

The week attracted several thousand experts to London, with the theme “London: the City where Health meets Wealth.” It is expected that London Life Science Week will become an annual event and grow further. It was excellent to see many of our livery involved in this initiative.

Links across the City

Some might think that the role of the Master is simply to attend lunches and dinners – to eat and drink for the Society!! In truth, while there indeed many such wonderful events, they help to establish friendships, collaborations and a rich sharing of ideas. There are also many invitations to lectures and discussion groups on matters of profound societal importance. The Livery remains highly impactful and relevant, and this contemporary relevance is increasing.

Home events (Education and Fellowship)

November was equally busy within our own society. I have already mentioned that for two weeks in a row, we were featured by BBC television. We held the Friends’ AGM and lecture, and we had a record attendance for our two award ceremonies at which our diplomates were presented. There was a wonderful atmosphere at both events.

Similarly, we are attracting record numbers to our double-header lectures, with 75 people joining for the Osler and the Selwyn lectures, both of which were most stimulating. A new venture last month was a five-week course on Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine for students at Barts Hospital. The feedback from the students was extremely positive, and we will be looking to build on this course. Congratulations to the Dean and the team who made this such a success.

We continue to attract many new Apprentices and Yeomen. It was a great pleasure to install another very active group during the month. It was also wonderful to see the hall full to capacity for our Autumn Livery Dinner, with Henrietta Hughes proposing the toast to the guests and the reply being given in a very powerful and insightful speech by her husband, Mark. It was also a privilege to join two members of the Society for their Freedom ceremonies at the Chamberlain’s Court.

Our affiliated Royal Navy ship, HMS Somerset, continues on very active service, and many of you may have seen several reports of her activities in the North Sea in the press during the last month. I continue to keep in regular contact with the affiliation officer on board HMS Somerset.

Charity

So, no mention of charity work so far. Have we given up on this? Most definitely not. A lot has been happening behind the scenes.

We had a very productive meeting of the 400 Committee, during which we decided on the Elective Awards and the Apothecary Prize. The standard of the reports was extremely high; reading them was both fascinating and stimulating, and selecting the winners was very challenging.

There are several ideas for raising new funds for our charitable work, and these are at an advanced stage, so watch for more details shortly.

Time for Anything Else?
Was there time for anything else in the Master’s life? The answer this month is: not too much! But there were some happy family occasions, plus watching the final autumn England rugby match against Argentina at Twickenham, and watching Bromley Town as they moved to 3rd place in the Second Division. I also listened to rather too much of the first Test Match from Perth – what a rollercoaster two days. We also managed to fit in the film Choral, well worth watching.

So in conclusion, another very good month for the Society, during which we continued onwards and upwards.

A Funny Saying During the Month

This has to be the comment from a young girl to her mother during the Lady Mayor’s Show. The senior livery were reassembling for the return procession, carrying their banners. The young girl said: “Look mummy, there is a strike and people have got placards! They are asking for more gloves, more cooks, more playing cards, more wheels and more bakers!!!”

And finally a comment from my four-year-old grandson on a visit to the hall: “Papa, do you know that some of your paintings have a crown above them? I think they are all Kings and Queens. Is that right?”

Subsequently, on questioning members of our Society – across a wide range of seniority – I found that my grandson may have been more observant than many of them ( you!).