The outstanding highlight of April must be the wonderful Master’s Fundraising Ball, held at the Guildhall on 17th April, with over 430 Liverymen and guests enjoying a spectacular evening in one of London’s most iconic venues.
While combining great food and wine with top class entertainment, an exciting innovative raffle, a Live Auction and Heads and Tails, as an icebreaker, is a good recipe for success, the camaraderie and fellowship of Liverymen and guests topped the lot with a never to be forgotten, unique atmosphere at the event.
The amount raised for Livery funds is being ratified, but, as I write, we hope that close to £100,000 has been raised for WCB funds.
This is a magnificent performance and my sincere thanks to the organising team, led by Warden Amanda Buitelaar, who worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to make the night such a wonderful occasion. Thanks too to Carla and the WCB team for ensuring everything went well…and to the 20 Fleshers of Aberdeen who made the special trip and thought it was “fantastic, something none of us will forget.”
It’s a night I’m certainly going to remember for a very long time!
I’m pleased to say, at the April court lunch, we were able to present Bridget Morgan with the 2026 Gary Baker award. Scott Hamer, Head of Security at St Paul’s, also regaled us with tales from his childhood, working in his father’s Butcher’s Shop in Bolton and some amusing reminiscences of his role as a Royal Protection Officer. I’m pleased to say feedback in the pub afterwards was very good…always a good sign.
As I was coming down from the “high” of the Master’s Ball, it was quickly back to the real world…hosting, speaking, and presenting the Platinum Award at the terrific Q Guilds Smithfield Awards Ceremony at Butchers’ Hall, and then introducing delegates to the 25th AIMS Conference at the Hall.
In welcoming delegates to Butchers’ Hall, I was able to tell the audience that I’d been a guest speaker at the inaugural AIMS Conference 25 years earlier, as Director General of the MLC in Milton Keynes…but said that I thought the calibre of speakers...or of at least one speaker…had improved significantly since that time!
Organisers of both events told me how much they valued being able to host their events at Butchers’ Hall, and the positive feedback they’d both received on the day. I was really thrilled to receive such comments, Butchers’ Hall is, after all, the home of the Meat Industry and we must do our utmost to make sure it stays that way.
On Saturday 25th I attended the annual ANZAC DAY ceremony at the Cenotaph, followed by a Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, courtesy of the Australian and New Zealand High Commissions.
The laying of wreaths, led by HRH Princess of Wales, is in honour of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who lost their lives at Gallipoli in 1915.
A moving and very poignant occasion which I was honoured to attend on behalf of WCB.
