THE MERCHANT TAYLORS’ COMPANY MAGAZINE MERCHANT TAYLORS’ HALL, 30 THREADNEEDLE STREET, LONDON EC2R 8JB

DIARY OF EVENTS 2014/2015

The following is a list of future events to be held during the 2014-2015 Mastership. Further details will be sent to you in your mailing from the Hall by post and email.

8th November Lord Mayor’s Show

11th November Dinner for Court, Livery and Ladies & Military Affiliates’ Awards Presentation

14th December Carol Service at Merchant Taylors’ School

17th December Bindings & Admissions

17th December Vernon’s Anniversary Service

21st January 2015 Quiz Night

4th February Dinner for the Lord Mayor & Sheriffs

13th February Membership Lunch

24th February A Tribute to our Fallen - an evening of music and poetry

2nd March Concert by Merchant Taylors’ and St John’s Schools

10th March Freemen’s Reception

16th March Golden Shears Competition Catwalk Show

20th March United Guilds Service

30th March Wylford’s Anniversary Service

15th April Bindings & Admissions

15th May Membership Lunch

27th May LFF Fundraising Dinner featuring The Cure Parkinson’s Trust

16th June Election Service & Barbecue Supper

24th June Election of Sheriffs (Lunch for Court and Livery)

7th July Livery Dinner

9th July Company Golf Day

If you would like more information on any of the above please contact Kym Ash at kash@merchant-taylors.co.uk or on 020 7450 4448

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AUTUMN 2014

Front cover:

The statue on the front cover is called Messagio D’Amore – how lovely. She is displayed in the corridor between the Court Room and the Library.

2014 AUTUMN ISSUE01 Message from the Master02 Comment

Clerk’s notes

03 Membership The Way to Membership

Master & Wardens New Liverymen Apprentices and Freemen

09 Our History Sir William Craven

10 Education Committee

10 Staff Diana Watson Rob Beeney

12 CharitiesCure Parkinson’s Trust The Charities Committee Spitalfields Music FareShare Time and Talents On Course Foundation Pathway Nominated charities

18 SchoolsMerchant Taylors’ School, Northwood Merchant Taylors’ School, Crosby St John’s Wallingford School The King’s School, Macclesfield Wolverhampton Grammar School

24 Military AffiliatesRNAS Yeovilton Second Mine Countermeasures Squadron

28 Events

34 Sports

38 Obituary

Please send in your contributions (or feedback) for the next issue of Number 30, to: number30@merchant-taylors.co.uk

A Tribute to our FallenFebruary 2015

We are celebrating the memory of fallen Merchant Taylors with a full‑scale commemorative concert at the Hall on Tuesday 24th February next year.During this very special concert, a plaque will be unveiled to commemorate our fallen brethren.It is an opportunity for all Members of the Company to come together with our friends to honour and celebrate the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.The evening will feature:

Music and poetry from the First World War played and read by children from our schoolsA professional string quartet playing By Footpath and Stile by Gerald FinziThe world premiere of a specially composed choral piece for Inner Voices by Simon BassA welcome reception and two‑course meal with wine

The £25 ticket price includes a guest. We hope this will enable as many Members as possible to attend.

Further details will follow but for advance enquiries please contact the membership office on 020 7450 4448.

I am proud and honoured to have been elected Master of

this great Company. I have no doubt that it will be an exciting year for me and I intend to keep humour to the fore while maintaining our traditions, and striving to achieve the targets set out in the five year plan.

I have three themes for my year: remembrance, contribution and progression – or the past, the present and the future.

Remembrance is so important in this 100th year

anniversary since the start of WW1. We are holding a ‘Tribute to our Fallen’ commemorative concert at the Hall on 24th February 2015 with music and poetry. Pupils from our schools will be taking part and during the evening we will be unveiling a war memorial plaque to honour those Members who died in the service of their country.

Contribution – with support and involvement from our Members we will remain strong and contribution may be in money or time. Time is invaluable and unrecoupable. Please remember that the mentoring of the young is very important.

Progression – planning for succession is vital and we must ensure that there is always a living vision for the future. This includes growing the wealth of the Company and expanding the knowledge base of the Membership.

Our new website and database will ensure that all Members are informed on Company affairs and planned social occasions. Your Livery Committee is planning a second entertainment evening this year with special emphasis on our young Members. If you do have some ideas please contact Giles Murphy, the vice-chairman. The quiz night last year was such a success that we are holding another on 21st January so let us try and fill the Hall!

Our sports section grows each year and it is very good to see teams competing in cricket, golf, sailing and shooting. I have even heard the possibility of skiing; so do let Kym Ash (kash@merchant-taylors.co.uk) know if you would like to join a team.

We value your tremendous support and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at our various events at the Hall during the year.

MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER

The Master – Peter Watkins

REMEMBRANCE, CONTRIBUTION AND PROGRESSION

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Membership of the Merchant Taylors’

Company is via the Freedom in to which there are three routes: via Patrimony, Servitude or Redemption.

Patrimony requires that one of your parents was Free of the Company at the time of your birth.

Servitude is a system of Apprenticeship that used only to be available to those under the age of 21, but Court has directed that two changes be made to the Company’s Apprentices scheme. The 14 to 21 years old clause has served well for hundreds of years, but as a modern City apprentice would probably start his first job after university, the upper age limit for a Merchant Taylors’ Apprentice has been raised to 25 (ie before their 26th birthday). Those bound at the upper age (over 21) will be required to serve an Apprenticeship until at least age 28 before being eligible for the Freedom of Merchant Taylors’ Company. However, the City of London has not changed its criteria, and so these older apprentices at a later point will need to be made Free of the Company by Redemption rather

than Servitude, in order to meet the ancient needs of Guildhall, before being granted the Freedom of the City of London.

The third route is by Redemption. This is not widely used and the Company would want to be satisfied that a candidate would bring certain qualities to the Company which it deems to be of value to it. Further, it is necessary for such a candidate to be sponsored by Members of Court or Livery.

From Freedom to LiveryOnce they have spent two years as a Freeman and reached the age of 30, Freemen must apply for the Livery through the membership office. There is no system of invitation. An application form needs to be completed and returned by 31st January each year, and then the Admissions Committee interviews all applicants in the April. At interview, candidates are expected to present themselves for a friendly discussion with committee members, armed only with a reasonable knowledge of the Company and a record of equally reasonable attendance at Company events. Successful

applicants will be invited to be admitted to the Livery at a meeting of Court prior to the annual midsummer Livery Dinner.

For further information on any of the above please email kash@merchant-taylors.co.uk.

Company FinesFines for admission to the Freedom are standard for all at £250 plus at least 10% in addition as a first donation to the Livery and Freemen’s Fund (LFF), the exact donation to be guided by sponsors. The fine on joining the Livery is additional to an appropriate donation to the LFF. The Company’s fines are as follows:

Apprenticeship – £60Freedom – £250Admission to the Livery – £1,000Admission to Court – £2,300

elcome to this edition of Number 30 which I

hope you will read and enjoy. This is the 14th edition; the first was launched in Spring 2008. As I wrote this I found myself wondering what the Company actually thought about it back then, and to remind myself of its development I leaved through all those previous editions.

My own conclusion is that each edition has been full of good content, relevant to the time of publication, and on the face of things not much needs changing. However the new website has now gone live, and at the Hall we are consistently updating it and maintaining it more effectively than before, meaning that it will soon become the Company’s immediate point of reference.

Number 30 will keep itself useful more as a physical record, and a point of reference for those matters that change less frequently – including useful standing information for Members.

That all-embracing shift towards up to date IT systems and related working practices in the Hall – announced in the Spring 2014 edition in both the Master and Clerk’s notes – continues apace. Many Members of the Company have helpfully advised on their own very difficult experiences in these fields, so it is good to know we are not alone! It takes time, patience and understanding to make such a leap forward, but it will all have been worth it if the Company feels it reaps the benefits. I would like to thank all the staff members in each department of the Hall who have worked so hard, often in an entirely new and unfamiliar environment, to assist in making this big project work. Well done.

Every corner of the Company’s operations is working flat out to sustain or better our already high standards in charitable giving, education and hospitality (the

Catering Company fed and watered 37,000 guests last year!) So with another very successful summer works period of Hall maintenance under our belt, the autumn Number 30 can look forward eagerly to another busy year.

Perhaps most importantly, after an extraordinarily long time which was entirely out of proportion to the size of the project, we are at the end of the beginning of the almshouse project. Inordinate time had to be spent in convincing the government’s social housing regulator that our almshouse programme was not going to de-rail the entire social housing fabric of Britain as we know it, and now we really are almost ready to go with the redevelopment. Phew.

And finally… do please report back on any experience you have with the new website, and the associated membership database. This launch is version 1.1 and you are all very much ‘early adopters’ whose experience will be fed back to the system.

Rear Admiral Nick Harris CB MBE

FROM THE CLERK’S DESK

THE WAY TO MEMBERSHIP JOINING THE FREEDOM OF THE COMPANY

COMMENT MEMBERSHIP

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Peter played most sports – rugby at OMT was his passion, as well as cricket, squash and tennis, but he now sticks to golf! He has been married to Tessa for 34 years and they have two children; Edward who is 31 and is the director of music at the West London Free School, and Emma, who is 29 and is the operations director at a boutique social media agency.

Johny Armstrong First Upper WardenJohny joined the Livery in 1990, was elected to Court in 2002 and served as Master in 2008/2009. He is on the Investment Committee, the Military Affiliates Group, Merchant Taylors’ Educational Trust, and is chair

of the governors at St John’s Prep School. After a successful career in banking he is now an independent financial consultant. He lives in West Sussex and is married to Elsiedale, with whom he has two sons.

Edward Charlton Upper Renter WardenEddie was educated at Eton then studied in Switzerland and the US. He qualified as a lawyer before choosing a career in banking and has been an international banker for over 35 years. He started his career at Hambros Bank and subsequently held directorships at Banque Paribas, Henry Ansbacher, and HSBC among others - he was CEO of a European bank for 14

years and latterly a senior advisor at Citibank. He is currently the senior independent director of Williams Grand Prix Holdings plc, chairman of Strabens Hall Ltd and a senior adviser to the Salamanca Group and the International Hospital Group. Over the years he has held a wide range of outside directorships, trusteeships and consultancies in the media, leisure, sports, property, IT and hedge fund sectors. Married to Claudine with a son and two daughters, Eddie divides his time between a house in Chelsea and a small farm in Gloucestershire. He joined the Livery in 1979 – he was elected Under Renter Warden in 1993 and was Master in 2011-2012.

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MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP

Richard Sullivan Under Renter WardenRichard Sullivan has been an investment banker for over 25 years. After a period of working for a number of banks including SG Hambros and Dresdner Kleinwort, Richard now runs his own corporate finance advisory business located in the City. Richard is married with two daughters and his interests include shooting, skiing and boating. He is also a qualified helicopter pilot.

Peter Magill Second Upper WardenPeter joined the Livery in 1989. He was born in Liverpool and educated at Merchant Taylors’ School, Crosby and went in to a

career in industry. Following his MSc in personnel management from Aston University, he then moved into human resources management. After a period with GKN, he joined Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) in 1982. After a number of roles within PwC, including two mergers, he managed PwC’s major global HR IT system until retirement in 2010. Peter is married to Pam with two children and two grandchildren, and counting! He is a keen traveller and golfer.

Peter Watkins MasterAfter leaving Merchant Taylors’ School Northwood in 1965, Peter took up articles at Deloitte & Touche and qualified in May

1970, becoming a chartered accountant and joining Rudolf Wolff, one of the doyens of the London Metal Exchange in the City. In 1982 Peter joined his present company, Wogen Resources, which was initially formed in 1972 by a small group of Rudolf Wolff employees, whom he knew well. Peter was managing director for 13 years, and now works part time as chairman of the main subsidiary, Wogen Resources Ltd.

Peter’s outside interests are centred largely on the Merchant Taylors’ Company and the OMT Society. In 2004 he became a governor of Merchant Taylors’ School and around 2009 became chairman of its finance committee.

From left to right:Richard Sullivan, Peter Magill,

Peter Watkins, Johny Armstrong and Edward Charlton

MASTER AND WARDENS 2014/15

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MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP

NEW LIVERYMEN

Mr Sam Barty-King was admitted to the Company by Patrimony in 2008. An investment manager with J M Finn & Co Ltd, he is married with two young sons. Sam has known the Company for many years through his late father, court assistant Mark Barty-King, and has always enjoyed attending events at the Hall. Sam is looking forward to contributing to a stronger and more relevant Company.

Mr Mark Barber joined the Company in 1984 by Servitude to Mr Matthew Oram. He is an assistant head teacher at Norwich School, married with three sons and lives in Norwich. Mark is of course very interested in education, and will be able to share his wealth of knowledge in mentoring and guiding young people within the Company.

Mr Michael Cole-Fontayn joined the Company by Redemption earlier this year. He is the CEO of the London branch of BNY Mellon and the bank’s chairman of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He is a great supporter of the City and welcomes the opportunity to contribute more as a Liveryman. His interests include travel, the arts and great food and wine!

Mr Geoffrey Armstrong was admitted to the Company by Patrimony in 2001. He is an investment manager with Sarasin & Partners. Geoffrey is a regular member of the shooting team and has been a good supporter of Company events, particularly those aimed at young Members. He is keen to help where he can in the future on property or investments and would help mentor a young person.

Mr Simon Rutherford joined the Company by Patrimony in 1986. His family has a long association with the Company with its first member taking the Freedom in 1851. Simon is a nuclear engineer currently working for Risktec Solutions Ltd. He is married with two sons and is chairman of governors at a local primary school. Simon is keen to become more involved with the Company now that he is able to be in London more often.

Mr Graham Armstrong joined the Company by Patrimony in 2004. He is an investment manager with Duncan Lawrie Private Banking. He has been the Freemen representative on the Livery Committee and has been very pro-active in attending events at the Hall and bringing guests to events such as the quiz night and Reels evening. He is captain of the MTC Cricket team.

Mr Rupert Young is a business communications expert heading up Brunswick Gulf in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He joined the Company in 1997 by Servitude to Mr Perry Crosthwaite. He believes that the Company has done a great job on education and is keen that schools in general should have more international connections to give more opportunities for young people. He is willing to mentor and to give talks to MT schools.

Mr James Copping is a civil servant working in the defence industrial policy unit of the European Commission in Brussels. He is married and will be moving back to the UK later this year. James joined the Company by Servitude in 1994 to Philip Sims. Now he has more time to be involved in Company matters and would be interested in talking to the schools about the EEC and the job opportunities for young people.

Dr James Thomson is a retired consultant surgeon and master of Charterhouse. He joined the Company by Redemption in 2012, lives in London and Norfolk and is married with four children. He has many varied interests and is currently a guide at Lambeth Palace where he is researching his guidebook on the stained glass windows in the chapel, the first draft of which has just been completed.

Sir Michael Tomlinson Kt CBE joined the Company by Redemption in 2012. He is married with two children and lives in Buckinghamshire. He retired as HM chief inspector of schools in 2002 but since then has continued with part-time roles within education. He is a governor of Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood.

The painting in the Court Room of Sir William

Craven (English school, c.1600), robed as the Lord Mayor, has been conserved by Carol Willoughby. She removed much surface dirt and discoloured varnish, and some overpainting. She also removed a lot of ‘false craquelure’, probably added in the 19th century to make the painting look more antique. Sir William is now much fresher and clearer than he was. His ruff, Lord Mayor’s collar and gloves are especially well done.

Carol also made an unexpected discovery, under overpaint in the bottom right: an 18th century inscription in gold, describing the sitter as ‘Sir Thomas Rowe’, another Lord Mayor. Only when the Clerk consulted FM Fry’s Pictures of the Merchant Taylors’ Company (1907) was this explained. In July 1895, Fry convinced the Court that this painting, hitherto ‘Sir Thomas Rowe’, was in fact the long-lost portrait of Sir William Craven, untraced since 1693. The Court ordered that Sir Thomas Rowe’s name should be ‘painted out’.

Fry was a very good scholar, but was he right? He based his argument on the coat of arms in the top left, which is thought to be unaltered. This he read as CRAVEN, or, five fleurs-de-lys in cross sable, a chief wavy gules, impaling WHITMORE, Vert fretty or. Lady Craven was a Whitmore. However close examination shows that the ‘Craven’ arms have a cross crosslet, not Fry’s five fleurs-de-lys in cross sable.

Fry will not have known the very fine portrait by Gheeraerts of Sir William Craven, again robed as Lord Mayor. This remained in the family until 1984 and is now in Guildhall Art Gallery. This too has a coat of arms – which though similar, is not the same (see inset image). The husband’s half of the shield (the left half) shows two coats, not one. The upper coat, in the place of honour, is Argent, a fess between six cross crosslets fitchy gules. Only the lower coat is CRAVEN, exactly as blazoned by Fry, but not as on the Company’s portrait.

I have yet to obtain a verdict from the College of Arms about the heraldry. My own view is that the paintings show two different people. ‘Our’ man is refined and dignified; Sir William Craven in Guildhall Art Gallery is built like a heavyweight boxer, with an aggressive glare (despite leaving much of his fortune to charity). You can see him on the City’s Collage website – or in the Gallery.

Stephen FreethCompany Archivist

Freedom by PatrimonyGemma BroomeSarah OlverRobert PriceBenjamin SpaltonNicholas FlewTarquinia SeccombeCharles MillsGabriella BrewerFrederick Clode

Freedom by RedemptionAntony BrownChristopher KellyStephen WrightMatthew DearMichael Cole-FontaynSir Michael TomlinsonHuw Morgan

MEMBERSHIP OUR HISTORY

The Master and Wardens meet to bind Apprentices

and admit Freemen to the Company three times during each Mastership year. The remaining dates for this Mastership are:

Wednesday 17th December 2014 (before the Vernon’s Anniversary Service)

Wednesday 15th April 2015It is probably worth

reminding everyone of the rule associated with taking on Apprentices. Members of Court can have four Apprentices at any one time, Members of the Livery can have two, and Freemen one.

The day begins at 10am with a presentation from the Clerk to all new entrants and their supporters about the Company. At 11am Bindings and Admissions will begin followed by lunch in the Hall from 12.30pm for 1pm. The Beadle will accompany those being admitted to the Freedom of the City of London to the Guildhall at 2.15pm.

For further details please apply to the Beadle at KMcGetrick@merchant-taylors.co.uk or on 020 7450 4441.

In the 2013-2014 Mastership year 29 people joined the Freedom of the Company, 18 Apprentices were bound and 10 Freemen were elected to the Livery. Another one has been approved but will be elected at the November Court.

APPRENTICES AND FREEMEN

Freedom by ServitudeRichard Chartres – Master Sir David BrewerAndrew Heald – Master Luke OramJamaal Hepher – Master Simon Gordon ClarkNicholas Leslie – Master Julian OramEdward Dick – Master John SichelKaterina Patmore – Master Sara PatmoreKatherine Bradbrook – Master Richard BroomanWilliam French – Master was John Penton and then taken on by Mr Penton’s daughter Ciceley ScarboroughNicholas Hall – Master Michael SkinnerWilliam Ladenburg – Master Christopher HareHugh Miller – Master Julian OramBenjamin Wright – Master Dennis Thomas Holme Nicholson, taken over by Mr Clive NicholsonJemima Wood – Master John Hall

Apprentices BoundJohn Featherby to Ian PosgateFrederick Prendergast to John PriceJames Dougal to Andrew HolfordCharlotte Bradbrook to Richard BroomanAndrew Cunningham to Leo ColiganMark Guerbi to Toby MillerRhys Jones to Henry OgilvyEmiel Khakhar to Christopher TemminkRussell Lamb to Christopher TemminkRobert Baxter to Alexander KevilleJack Close to John SichelHenry Cundey to Simon CundeyWilliam Featherby to Ian PosgateIsobel Gooder to Simon BassThomas Lawrence to Stephen LawrenceAmelia Louis to Sir David BrewerCharles Sherriff to John SherriffEliza Wood to John Hall

SIR WILLIAM CRAVEN (OR SIR THOMAS ROWE?)

Gheeraerts’ coat of arms

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DIANA WATSONEducation Officer

Diana joined the Merchant Taylors’ Company in

March 2013. She grew up in the Surrey countryside before moving to London eight years

ago. After a brief stint working as a TV camera assistant at Capital Studios, she went on to study English literature at Queen Mary University of London. She stayed on to complete her Masters, focusing on fin de siècle and modernist texts.

Diana’s grant making career started at the Bloomberg Philanthropy team where she co-ordinated the employee volunteering events. From there she took up a role at the FIA Institute – a not for profit organisation concerned with safety and sustainability in motor sports. In this position she co-ordinated grants for motor sports clubs around the world and worked on engaging organisations that had so far not benefited from the fund. This involved some fairly challenging

conversations with clubs in countries such as Azerbaijan and Mongolia!

Diana’s two main interests are theatre and sports. She was recently selected onto the ‘Young Professionals on Arts Boards’ programme run by Arts & Business, through which she will be taking up a voluntary position on the board of a theatre company. She was part of the QMUL rowing team and represented the University of London polo team at national competitions.

Diana’s work as education officer involves supporting the Education Committee and MTET, as well as working to enhance the Company’s relationships with our associated schools and key stakeholders in the education sector.

The Education Committee has taken positive steps to

support education in a variety of areas.

The first has been to encourage our Members to become school governors. To this effect, 20 Members attended a seminar on 5th June to hear Mr Christopher Hare, court assistant and chairman of Merchant Taylors’ School, Mr Simon Everson, headmaster of Merchant Taylors’ School and Mr Tom Frankel from SGOSS (a national charity for governor recruitment) speak about their experiences as governors both in the independent and state sector.

A second event, but for Members who are already volunteering as governors, was run by Charles Russell LLP on 10th October to provide information on new legislation affecting schools and good governance.

The committee is also focusing on increasing communication between those at the forefront of education and our associated and other local schools. Head teachers were invited to attend a conference on GCSE and A-Level reforms, to hear prominent speakers talk about how this biggest recent change to the exam system will impact on staff and students. The latest developments and consequences were outlined by Mrs Glenys Stacey, CEO and chief regulator of Ofqual, Mr Paul Steer, director of policy and strategy of OCR, Dr Mike Sewell, director of admissions for the Cambridge Colleges, and Mr Paul Teulon, director of admissions for King’s College London – all invited by Sir Mike Tomlinson from the Livery and Education Committee.

Many of you will be aware that the Company runs an annual

educational seminar in January. After consulting the head teachers of our associated schools, the chosen topic for 2015 is ‘The Future of IT in Schools’. More details will follow. We would encourage any Member of the Company involved in education or schools to attend.

Finally, it is most pleasing to report that the Company has been the recipient of £100,000 from the estate of the late Mr Anthony Howitt (Master 1980-81). Court has agreed that this generous donation will be the first building block of a new Education Fund to be created for the wider future educational initiatives envisaged for the Company. Some Members have started to donate specifically towards this new fund. If you would like more information on its use and management, or on how to contribute, please contact the education officer at dwatson@merchant-taylors.co.uk.

ROBERT BEENEYOperations Manager

Robert Beeney joined the Company in February 2014

as the operations manager, having recently completed 26 years’ service in the British Army, where he served in numerous theatres and campaigns worldwide.

Having worked in the service industry throughout his career, and with so much experience in leading others, the transitional step in to Merchant Taylors’ Hall was quite seamless.

Rob says, “Since joining the Merchant Taylors’ it has been both highly demanding and challenging, although a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I have felt that the smooth transition has been made possible because I left one family and have been welcomed in to another.”

Robert lives in East Sussex with his family and spends much of his spare time participating in field sports.

Melissa Davies is a young and very

talented cook whose passion is to train to be a chef. She recently won the Havering and Brentwood Schools Young Chef Competition and as part

of her prize, came for some work experience here in the MT kitchen under the direct supervision of head chef Richard Trant.

Melissa was first inspired by watching programmes like Master Chef and the Great British Bake Off, which prompted her to join the school cookery club. Melissa attends Coopers Company in Upminster where she is taking a GCSE in cookery, to help her pursue a career as a chef. She especially likes working with seasonal produce and marrying different flavours to produce classical and modern dishes. Her ultimate dream is to open her own restaurant in the West End.

At Merchant Taylors’ she has learnt a variety of skills, from how to work with 50 kilos of spinach, to how to dress a plate for service. Gerry Adolph who looks after the mise-en-place in the kitchen, talked her through how to prepare ingredients before cooking and explained to her the reasons behind the prepping.

When asked about her stint with us, Melissa said, “Everyone is so kind and nice and welcoming – I thought it would be really scary like it is on the cookery programmes!” She also said she was especially proud of her orange tart which she made with head chef, Richard Trant.

STAFF

STAFF

COMMITTEE NEWS

YOUNG TALENT IN THE KITCHENHEAD CHEF, RICHARD TRANT, WELCOMES PRIZE WINNER

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

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There are approximately 127,000 people in the

UK with Parkinson’s disease. The Cure Parkinson’s Trust (CPT) was founded in 2005 by four people with Parkinson’s: Sir Richard Nichols, Air Vice Marshal Michael Dicken, Sir David Jones and Tom Isaacs.

The CPT funds laboratory and clinical research projects with the potential to advance knowledge which might lead to a cure for Parkinson’s disease, or that represent a considerable or innovative advancement in treatments, as well as new methods of treatment delivery. It also engages the wider Parkinson’s community by encouraging productive teamwork between scientists, regulators, the pharmaceutical industry and those who live with the condition.

The Master has nominated Cure Parkinson’s Trust as his charity for the year and the Company will be supporting a specific project – Parkinson’s Movement – within CPT’s programme of work. This project pools information and opinions to provide a global voice focused on improving the treatment of Parkinson’s and the conduct of clinical trials without organisational bias. All funds allocated to CPT by the Company will be spent supporting Parkinson’s Movement, and will help develop a constructive resource that works alongside scientists to accelerate a more effective system of clinical trials.

Co-founder and president of the trust, Tom Isaacs, who is also a Merchant Taylor, said, “We are delighted that the

Master has chosen to fund the activities of Parkinson’s Movement which performs a key role in assisting the Cure Parkinson’s Trust with its sole aim. This particular initiative will allow the currently flawed clinical trial system in Parkinson’s to adopt more relevant, focused and patient orientated practices. Through the introduction of a clinical trial charter in the UK and throughout the world, both participants and scientists alike should reap rewards generated through better communication and practices. This should, in turn, accelerate more trials on potential breakthroughs involving more people with Parkinson’s.”

www.cureparkinsons.org.uk

THE CURE PARKINSON’S TRUST PARKINSON’S MOVEMENT PROJECT

The Charities Committee comprises the trustees of

six grant-making trusts and some additional ‘helpers’ drawn from the Court and the Livery.

The Consolidation Scheme of 1960 brought together a diverse range of historic trusts and the largest of these is the Consolidated Charities for the Infirm (CCI), which makes grants for the benefit of “poor persons who are handicapped permanently or temporarily by physical or mental illness,

injury or abnormality including the effects of senescence or aged persons who by reason of their age or infirmity are in need of assistance.” The present chairman is this year’s Second Upper Warden, Mr Peter Magill.

As part of the recent IT development within the Company, organisations can now apply directly through the website using online forms, which will allow applications to be managed by a dedicated database. This represents a big

step forward as it will simplify the application process, reduce administration time and help develop a more comprehensive picture of the committee’s grant-making over time.

Over the next pages it gives me great pleasure to highlight five interesting and diverse charities supported this year.

David Atkinson, Charities Officer

THE CHARITIES COMMITTEE

Spitalfields Music brings together world class artists

and local people in one of the most unusual and creative corners of London. It produces two annual music festivals and runs creative music projects throughout the year in the local community. In an area often seen to be full of challenges, Spitalfields Music focuses on music and its power to bring people together, change perspectives, and engage the body, emotions and intellect. It has been putting music at the heart of Tower Hamlets since 1976.

The CCI supported a two month project developed by the charity in conjunction with a local school. Sound artist

Duncan Chapman, alongside musician Katie Heller and the charity’s trainee music leader, Ruth Rosales, worked with students and staff from Phoenix School to create a piece of sound art that encompassed both recorded sounds and live

performance. Using ‘baroque’ as a theme, the final piece was performed at the Spitalfields Summer Music Festival and endured as an installation throughout the festival period.

www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk

SPITALFIELDS MUSIC

CHARITIES

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P athway is dedicated to helping improve care of

homeless people admitted to hospital. The CCI has awarded £20,000 to Pathway’s ‘Care Navigator’ apprentice programme running at University College London Hospital since 2009.

The Navigator initiative is an opportunity for formerly homeless people to rebuild their lives, develop a valued role in society and work towards a career in healthcare. It trains and employs formerly homeless people to mentor, support and befriend homeless

patients admitted to hospital, and to maintain contact with those patients following their discharge from hospital. The success of this model has led to numerous other hospitals taking up the initiative.

Senior care navigator, Josie Mavromatis, is evidence of the success of the scheme and its potential to help people overcome extreme personal difficulty. Formerly homeless and suffering from tuberculosis, she shows the value of the navigators in the hospital setting and now helps train the apprentices.

Research shows that when users feel more in control of their own care and become involved in how that care is delivered, their health improves. By gathering and representing the views of homeless people, and using their experience to help improve the way health services are designed, the charity challenges the health service to deliver better quality healthcare to the most excluded.

www.londonpathway.org.uk Video library: www.pathway.org.uk/about-us/video-library

On Course Foundation gives injured servicepeople and

veterans the opportunity to participate in golf on an equal footing with everyone else, either as a player or through employment in the golf industry.

The charity has been supported by the CCI over a three-year period; specifically its outreach work of one-day courses which serve as an introduction to the sport and aim to build confidence and self-belief. Participants learn about golf ’s healing potential in recovery from injury, and are given tuition by trained professionals. They also learn about employment opportunities, and are given career advice from industry

professionals in areas such as golf course management, green-keeping and marketing.

The On Course Foundation was founded by John Simpson

and officially launched in July 2010 at the Royal Household Golf Club at Windsor Castle.

www.oncoursefoundation.com

PATHWAY

ON COURSE FOUNDATION TIME AND TALENTS

Time and Talents is a charity based in south-

east London which offers community led services and support to the people of Rotherhithe and Bermondsey. Founded in the drawing rooms of Victorian society in 1887 by a group of women keen to use their own “time and talents” to help those in need in this area, today they run projects and offer spaces for groups such as the elderly and young people and provide volunteering opportunities for the whole community.

Operations manager, Alyson Moore, has over 18 years’ experience of working in the voluntary and community sector and eight years in a social services department of a London borough council.

One of the charity’s initiatives is the Stroke Club – the only stroke specific group in Southwark, which provides regular support sessions for up to twenty individuals drawn from the community or referred to the centre. Their outreach work and minibus enable them to include

housebound individuals who would otherwise not be able to attend.

www.timeandtalents.org.uk

FARESHARE

3.9 million tonnes of food is wasted every year in

the UK by the food and drink industry. FareShare currently handles approximately 1.5% of this surplus and redistributes it to other charities. An estimated 62,000 people benefit from FareShare food every day as a result.

In addition, it operates a volunteer programme that affords a number of training opportunities and qualifications. Many volunteers are former beneficiaries from homeless shelters, who are making use of the work experience to improve their CVs. Many also gain forklift truck operator licenses which can lead to further employment opportunities.

A grant from the CCI in 2014 was made to FareShare

to support the development and implementation of a new distribution model for the London region. It is intended to greatly increase the reach and efficacy of its operations and, in turn, benefit charities that use the food and produce supplied by FareShare in their frontline services. By addressing the disheartening by-product of the food industry the charity is able to divert supplies to provide

vital and nutritious meals to vulnerable individuals, families and children. One such charity, which was also supported by the CCI this year, is Deptford Reach – a drop-in centre that helps victims of homelessness, mental illness, drug or alcohol abuse and social exclusion.

www.fareshare.org.ukwww.deptfordreach.org.uk

CHARITIES CHARITIES

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in Peckham in south London, after he was called to a school to address behavioural issues after a playground stabbing.

Over the years XLP has grown from working in a single school to operating in over 60 schools and communities across London. In the early days, Patrick began by hosting a lunch-time club on school premises that taught the children about their own heroes, and in particular how those heroes behaved. Today, on a day-to-day basis, XLP has projects dealing with a wide variety of issues including drugs awareness, anger management and violence, poverty and Fairtrade, prejudice and racism, sex and relationships, and image and identity.

While much of the work is based in the schools, XLP also works on a number of estates using both community facilities and XLP’s own double-decker bus – a vehicle equipped with various computer equipment for homework support upstairs, and a relaxing space on the lower deck.

As well as working with young people directly, XLP campaigns with them and on their behalf regarding issues such as knife crime.

www.xlp.org.uk

SkillForce is a charity that works in schools, drawing on the skills of ex-forces personnel, to inspire young people to succeed. Their vision is of “a future where every young person, whatever their background or ability, is given the chance to fulfil their true potential and become a valued member of their community”. The empathy and skills of their instructors engage young people and, working

with schools, lift aspirations and levels of achievement.

A grant from the Livery and Freemen Fund has gone to help children at schools in the London Borough of Newham. In addition to this, thanks to the Company’s recommendation, Skillforce will be lined up to help a number of young people at Wallingford School next year.

www.skillforce.org

The four organisations nominated for support by

the Company are drawn from recommendations from the wider membership made directly to the Livery Committee. This year, as part of a three-year rolling programme, the Company is supporting the following individuals and charities.

Samad Arshad, our student at Pembroke College Cambridge, whose moving report in Number 30 this spring told us how the Company’s bursary has freed him from financial worries and allowed him to make the most of every chance at the university.

Westside School, which exists to offer a fresh start for vulnerable young people who have become disengaged from mainstream education. It is a small, nurturing but academically rigorous environment, with a close support structure with carers, parents, fellow students and teachers which is key to building up self esteem, learning potential and overall happiness.

The focus of Westside is to support both the academic, personal and social achievement of its students. It aims to equip its students with the

necessary life skills to prepare them to become part of their communities, and get back on track in education or work.

The school is managed by a headteacher and a committed team of specialist staff, who are experienced in dealing with vulnerable and challenging young people. The school benefits from the support of an active and skilled board of local governors who are committed to lifting the educational opportunities of the young people.

www.westsideschool.org.uk/

XLP, is at the cutting edge of urban youth work in the UK. It is a Christian charity which is faith-based but not faith-biased, and which works in an equal and inclusive way with young people from different religious or non-religious backgrounds. The charity strives to serve the community by meeting the social, educational and behavioural needs of young people, and empowering them to make wise lifestyle choices and to realise their potential.

It was set up in 1996 by Patrick Regan, a youth worker

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CHARITIES CHARITIES

NOMINATED CHARITIES

XLP

SCHOOLS SCHOOLS

MERCHANT TAYLORS’ SCHOOL NORTHWOOD

This has been another hugely successful year for the

school. An inspection in April accorded the highest possible accolade: Merchant Taylors’ is an “exceptional” school. The quality of teaching was praised as excellent, with the energy and enthusiasm, strong subject knowledge, and the rapport between teachers and pupils highlighted by the inspecting team; the contribution of curricular and extra-curricular provision was considered top

quality, as was the pastoral support and governance.

The boys continue to achieve well. For example, 68% of all grades at A Level were awarded an A* or A, and sixteen boys gained places at Oxford or Cambridge. At GCSE, more than 90% of our boys achieved A or A* grades and more than 72 students achieved more than eight A*s.

In sport, we were delighted to host a T20 cricket match between Middlesex and

Hampshire – one of only three schools in the country to host such a first class fixture. In glorious sunshine 2000 spectators enjoyed a wonderful afternoon. We are also now the home of Middlesex Youth Cricket – their first team will undertake their pre-season training with us for the next five years.

Music has also enjoyed an outstanding year. The Senior String Quartet won the South East Schools’ Chamber Music

Competition at St John’s Smith Square, while upper sixth former Alex Hamilton was made an associate of the Royal College of Organists. He will spend a year as organist at the Chapel of St George at Windsor Castle before going up to read music at Trinity College, Cambridge.

A major theme of the year has been the increasingly strong local and international links the school is building. Boys travelled to India this summer to

support disadvantaged children and strengthen educational links with our partner schools in Dehradun. There is also an expanding languages exchange programme with French, German and Spanish exchanges now established for several different age-groups.

The school has undergone a great deal of refurbishment recently, none more so than the stunningly renovated Great Hall, completed in November 2013 and where we have recently been

privileged to host Michael Palin, Sir Max Hastings and Michael Morpurgo amongst others. We particularly look forward to the opening of our new Design Centre in September 2015, which will enhance the already superb reputation of the school in this area and ensure that we are at the cutting edge of both aesthetic and technological education.

Simon Everson Head Teacher

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Students at The King’s School were seeing stars on both A

Level and GCSE results days - smashing the school’s record for the top A*/A grades in both sets of exams and earning the school a top place in the national league tables.

At A Level, an astonishing 50 students achieved three As or better; 14 students achieved three A*s or better and four students achieved four A* grades. An impressive 54% of all grades were A*/A and more than 80% were A* - B. 12 students will go on to study at Oxford and Cambridge universities, whilst 65% will attend prestigious Russell Group Universities.

National league tables show King’s to be one of the most improved of all schools nationwide, moving up 91 places to 117th this year in the Daily Telegraph league table.

King’s School Headmaster Dr Simon Hyde, who took over three years ago, has heralded the record examination results as evidence of the revolution in

approach and confidence at the 512-year-old school.

Dr Hyde said, “Our young academics have achieved exceptional results across the full range of science, arts and humanities subjects and are now going on to many of Britain’s great universities with the right attitudes, skills and self-confidence to succeed in their chosen fields.”

At GCSE level, a stunning 32% of all grades were at A* and 65% of all grades were at A*/A. 52 students had nine As or better, 19 students got nine A*s or better and 13 students (pictured) got 10 A*s, whilst 18 students received an A^ (A* with distinction) in Further Maths.

This summer also saw more than 300 pupils participating in a trip or activity, including sailing in Scotland, singing in Tuscany, playing rugby in South Africa and honing language skills in France and Germany.

The choir tour took around 60 young choristers to perform in some of Italy’s most wonderful cathedrals.

Meanwhile 52 young men went on an African adventure on a rugby tour that visited Pretoria, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. As well as many tough rugby matches, the boys enjoyed coaching local children and teaching in a township primary school. This continues a great King’s tradition of ambitious overseas exploration; future trips already planned include a girls’ sports tour to Barbados and geography trips to Mt Vesuvius and Mt Etna in southern Italy and Sicily.

Caroline Johnson, Director of External Relations

During the last half term a fantastic morning was

had by all at Merchant Taylors’ Mixed Infants’ and Junior Girls’ School, when the School Council raised an incredible £4862 for Sport Relief ! The money was raised through a whole school fun run and the School Council voted for everyone to wear a ‘onesie’ for the occasion.

On the morning of the run, the children were joined by their school mascot, Harrison, as they followed Miss Yardley around the running track in a procession, followed by a quick warm up by PE staff.

The children showed tremendous determination as they ran, hopped, skipped and jogged around the track with their friends. Smiles, giggles and high-fives were everywhere.

Special mention goes to Mrs Birtwhistle who ran continuously for the whole event, totalling an amazing 7km!

H aving completed my first year as headmaster at St

John’s I would like to share some of the many highlights and achievements of our school in the past twelve months.

Our primary focus is always on the academic progress of the boys and this year our results at both 13+ and 11+ transfer examinations were outstanding. In total we achieved eight academic scholarships, six of which were offered by Merchant Taylors’. Kailen Patel received the Morley Scholarship and Charlie Bridgewater won the Mulcaster Award for outstanding talent.

On the sporting front we have seen the standard of our hockey improve enormously. Our U12 team won both the Merchant Taylors’ Strikers Cup and the Aldenham Festival. Our 1st XI cricket team enjoyed an excellent season winning all but one of their fixtures after their successful tour to

Sri Lanka. We also have some very talented individuals who have represented the school at events such as the IAPS National Swimming finals and at the National Athletics finals in Birmingham. For the first time in the school’s history, Harry Baker won the Stowe Putter, the National Prep Schools Golf Tournament.

Music continues to impress on so many levels. The Pre-Prep boys enjoyed giving parents a real treat both at Christmas and in the summer. Our more advanced musicians joined with Merchant Taylors’ School on two occasions, first at the Hall when our guitarists and Brass Band performed to parents and Members of the Court. Some of our best choristers then joined a massed choir at Merchant Taylors’ School to sing Faure’s Requiem in front of a packed house. Many of our groups, including the Wind

Band, String Group and Senior Choir entertained Members of the Court at their annual visit in early May and we ended last term with a production of ‘Oliver!’ which showed off the dramatic and musical talent which our boys develop as they progress though the school.

One noteworthy visit was from the Master and the Clerk in May. They toured the school and spent a morning chatting with our Junior boys who were particularly interested in the Master’s robes!

I haven’t touched on our charitable efforts, links with the local community, outings and residential trips and guest speakers, but it is clear that we have had a very busy year and one that has really made me feel proud to be headmaster of such a thriving community.

Sean Robinson

SCHOOLS SCHOOLS

MERCHANT TAYLORS’ SCHOOL CROSBY PUPILS RAISE £4862 FOR SPORT RELIEF

ST JOHN’S SCHOOL

THE KING’S SCHOOL IN MACCLESFIELD SUMMER OF SUCCESS

The choir singing in Tuscany

A rugby match on the tour of South Africa

Matthew Stubbs, a pupil, teaching in a township school in Port Elizabeth

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Wallingford School’s Rowing Club Junior Training Camp 14th-20th April 2014Wimbleball Lake

On Monday 14th April, members of Wallingford

Rowing Club’s Junior squad, ranging from 14 to 18 years, boarded two mini buses heading to Wimbleball Lake, near Dulverton in West Somerset.

This is what one of the team made of it all…

Thirty children from Wallingford Rowing Club spent a week of the Easter holidays at Wimbleball Lake in Devon. The purpose of the trip was to increase stamina and perfect technique for the impending regatta season, which was about to start in earnest.

I was one of the lucky thirty that went on the trip but only because The Walter Bigg Trust funded me. They very generously paid for the whole thing, something my family were unable to manage. At school I qualify for the pupil premium and people who row tend to be from quite wealthy homes. It was good to have the chance to prepare to compete on equal terms.

As a result of this generosity I was able to improve enormously over the week, correcting silly little bad habits and greatly improving on my stamina. This trip came at the perfect time, after a winter of huge amounts of rain when getting on to the water had been impossible for months on end. Luckily Wallingford club has

a wonderful new gym, which made staying fit throughout the winter easier this year. Nothing, however, takes the place of getting in a boat with your team mates and rowing hard.

The week was spent in glorious sunshine with 6.30 am starts and three sessions on the water daily. A combination of singles, doubles, quads and eights were alternated, as were the crews. Four hours of hard rowing was very exhausting but tremendous fun.

Not only did we spend many hours on the water, the majority also spent a good deal of time studying and revising for our GCSE’s, which are due to start in two weeks. No pressure there then.

A big thank you needs to be given to the coaches on the trip, Piers Barnett and Tom Polkey to name but two, but also I personally want to thank The Walter Bigg Trust for giving me this opportunity and making my Easter holiday one I shall never forget.

Gabriel Llewellyn-Worthy

SCHOOLS SCHOOLS

WALLINGFORD SCHOOL

Art students from the same class at Wolverhampton

Grammar School have achieved a full house of A* A Level grades, demonstrating the value of dedicated facilities and small class sizes when it comes to achieving both academic and creative success.

Exam results in art at Wolverhampton Grammar School have been in the top 2% nationally for over ten years now – testament to the value the school places on creative arts, the expertise and dedication of teachers and the hard work of our talented students.

James Millichamp, head of art at Wolverhampton Grammar School says, “A combination of hard work, small set sizes and our dedicated gallery space creates the perfect working environment for our students to create outstanding pieces of art.”

The art department is based in a purpose built building. Constructed in 2007, the building includes facilities for specialist painting studios, small group tuition, as well as access to excellent, specialist equipment including Apple Macs,

printmaking facilities, digital photography, film making and resources to research art history. We are about to add a purpose built dark room to the resources on offer, as the school regularly submits entries to nationally recognised awards, including the Merchant Taylors’ Photographic Competition.

The building also houses a stunning exhibition space known as The Viner Gallery – named after Charles Viner (head of art at the school from 1942 – 1968). This dedicated gallery space enables the school to host an extensive programme of exhibitions showcasing the work of our students alongside successful home grown and international artists.

The Viner Gallery is currently host to a joint touring exhibition with Ironbridge Fine Arts. Year 13 students’ work is being displayed alongside established artists Dave and Jenny Gunning, Rod Willis and Simon Stevenson.

Future events include a Year 9 exhibition focusing on the Industrial Revolution, another joint collaboration with the Black Country Living Museum

and a solo show from award winning photographer (and Old Wulfrunian) Grace Gelder. An annual summer exhibition helps complete the showcase of student talents. The school also ensures students have access to other gallery spaces including the National Gallery, Tate, National Portrait Gallery, as well as a range of international visits and tours which have included Barcelona, Paris, Venice and New York.

Art at Wolverhampton Grammar School is open to all and the school is particularly proud of the way Junior School pupils use the studio to discover art – everything from exploring different varieties of techniques and artists and tie-die to silk painting, print-making, Kandinsky and Leonardo.

If you would like to learn more about art at Wolverhampton Grammar School or opportunities to exhibit at the Viner Gallery please contact Head of Art, James Millichamp at JJM@wgs-sch.net.

Mrs Carrie Bennett, Marketing & Communications Director

A* IS FOR ART AT WOLVERHAMPTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL

The Viner Gallery

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RNAS YEOVILTON

Since the last update in the Spring 2013 edition of

Number 30, all of the previewed transitional programmes are underway and proceeding apace. At the time of writing, the Commando Helicopter Force consists of a Headquarters, Combat Service Support, 847 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), currently converting from the battlefield Lynx to the Wildcat Attack Helicopter (AH), and one Commando Sea King Squadron - 845 NAS.

On 30th September 846 NAS reformed at RAF Benson, flying the battlefield variant of the Merlin helicopter, and will then move ‘back home’ to Yeovilton in the second quarter of 2015. Their first act after becoming a Commando Merlin

Squadron will have been to take part in a joint exercise in Jordan supporting the Lead Commando Group in October and November 2014.

Meanwhile, 845 NAS, which continues to fly the Commando Sea King, morphs into 848 NAS in the first half of 2015 and subsequently decommissions in March 2016 when the last Commando Sea King ceases active service. By mid-2016, 28 Squadron (an RAF Merlin Squadron at RAF Benson) becomes 845 NAS and simultaneously moves to Yeovilton.

This process is byzantine and confusing; the associated Gant chart has to be seen to be believed. Suffice it to say that by mid-2016, all Commando Sea

Kings will have been replaced by Commando Merlin helicopters and will be operated by the Commanding Officer of the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) from RNAS Yeovilton.

The transition of the Maritime Lynx Force to the Maritime Wildcat Force is also complex but does not involve transfer of ownership and command from another Service. In July 2014, 700W NAS - which had been carrying out assessment and development of the new Wildcat Helicopter Maritime Attack (HMA) - completed the programme of trials and was decommissioned. On the first day of August, 702 NAS - that had been the Lynx training squadron since 1978 – decommissioned, transferring

responsibility for all maritime Lynx training to the existing front line squadron – 815 NAS. The following Monday, 825 NAS was commissioned as the training and front line parenting squadron for the Wildcat HMA.

Now the Army! The battlefield variant of the Lynx is being replaced by the Wildcat Attack Helicopter (AH) and all of the Army’s Wildcat AH will be based at RNAS Yeovilton. The Wildcat AH is part of the Army Air Corps’ (AAC) Aviation Reconnaissance Force. 652 Squadron AAC is already established at Yeovilton

and is training aircrew and maintenance personnel. The first squadron to be trained is 847 NAS, which is part of the Commando Helicopter Force, and their conversion is underway. The Headquarters element of 1 Regiment AAC is also based at Yeovilton and over the next two to three years the Regiment will grow to comprise 659, 661, 669 and 672 Squadrons AAC which are being relocated from Gutersloh, Germany and Dishforth, north Yorkshire.

The future is all about change; meanwhile, the existing forces at Yeovilton continue with today’s

business. One of the most newsworthy events of the past year was the participation of our helicopters in Operation Patwin, the emergency relief operation mounted following Typhoon Haiyan’s devastation of the

Philippine islands. Along with her maritime Lynx helicopter, HMS Daring was diverted from an exercise off Singapore and, following a four day high-speed passage, she spearheaded the emergency relief effort. Soon after, HMS Illustrious, which had been conducting anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa, was despatched eastwards, carrying three Sea King helicopters of 845 NAS. On arrival, supported by a four man Mobile Air Operations Team from CHF, the Sea Kings operated from dawn until dusk delivering personnel and aid to

the island clusters around the central Philippine islands.

Yeovilton International Air Days 2013 and 2014 have taken place, both in gloriously sunny weather with crowds in excess of 30,000. Air Day 2015 is

firmly in the programme

but 2016 will be dependent on the

the Yeovilton Airfield Resurfacing Programme.Engagement with our

communities is a major part of our annual effort. A Lynx helicopter from Yeovilton visited the Merchant Taylors’ School Northwood, and a visit to Wallingford School is planned for this autumn. We are strong participants in the Somerset Armed Forces Community Covenant Partnership.

In summary, from Sea King to Merlin and from Lynx to Wildcat, RNAS Yeovilton continues to adapt and deliver, and it a great reassurance to know that we are supported and encouraged by our friends in Merchant Taylors’.

Jeremy Greenop, Royal Navy Air Station, Yeovilton

MILITARY AFFILIATES

Shadow of an 845 Naval Air Squadron Sea King

over a makeshift thank-you message

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MILITARY AFFILIATESMILITARY AFFILIATES

The ships of the Second Mine Countermeasures Squadron

(MCM2) have had another busy year as we continue the six month drumbeat of two crews for the Bahrain based mine-hunters.

The Squadron Commander, Commander Richard Goldstone RN, has deployed to lead the force of mine-hunters as head of the Mine Countermeasures Battlestaff. The UK mine-hunting effort is to reassure our Gulf and US Allies that the Persian Gulf could be kept open in the event of mining in the area, endangering merchant shipping. Our mine-hunters and procedures are still seen as world leading and the American led coalition in the Gulf relies heavily on British involvement.

Both Mine Countermeasures Squadrons supply two ships to provide our permanent presence. MCM2 currently have HMS ATHERSTONE, which has now been in the gulf for two years, and HMS CHIDDINGFOLD in Gulf waters. CHIDDINGFOLD deployed in June to allow HMS QUORN to return to the UK after three years away from home. Her last Gulf crew completed an eight month deployment, extending onboard to bring her home to the UK. Her transit home proved tortuous, experiencing

numerous engineering defects and weather reminiscent of the Cruel Sea. She finally made it home to Portsmouth on 2nd September, where she was greeted by the families of the Ship’s Company and Commodore McAlpine OBE ADC RN, Commodore of the Portsmouth Flotilla.

The HUNT Class mine-hunters continue to be updated to maintain their capability; HMS LEDBURY is now the oldest ship in Commission (standfast the VICTORY!) and will remain a frontline unit out to 2035. HMS MIDDLETON has recently been accepted back into the RN, with new more powerful engines, machinery systems and communications. She is now preparing for her final hurdle to prepare her crew for a Gulf deployment with Flag Officer Sea Training’s assessment. HMS HURWORTH and CATTISTOCK are currently undergoing the same process and are in the hands of BAE Systems in Portsmouth. The ships are also receiving new weapons in order to increase their capability against Fast Attack Craft found in the Gulf, and HMS LEDBURY received the first .50 calibre heavy machine guns (HMG), much to the delight of her Commanding Officer, Lt Cdr Mark Headley RN. These guns will increase the

firepower of the units to two .50 HMG, three 7.62 Miniguns and a 30mm Cannon.

While operations in the Gulf remain paramount, HMS BROCKLESBY completed a deployment with the NATO Standing Mediterranean MCM Force in March. During this period, she worked with a number of NATO countries and completed numerous exercises. BROCKLESBY is currently in UK waters conducting mine-hunting operations in support of the nuclear deterrent, a task that remains vital and is day to day business for the crews.

Lastly, the Squadron Staff continue with the challenge of making sure the ships remain crewed and maintained correctly. We recently visited the National Arboretum to take part in a memorial service with the Royal Navy Patrol Service Association, to remember the personnel who served in the Second World War, the 450 ships that failed to return home and the 2383 men who are listed as having no known grave but the sea. It was a poignant service which was concluded with a tot of navy rum, exactly as should be in the Senior Service.

Lieutenant Commander Jason White QGM Royal Navy, Chief of Staff, Second Mine Countermeasures Squadron

SECOND MINE COUNTERMEASURES SQUADRON (MCM2)

The Ship’s Company of HMS ATHERSTONE alongside in Bahrain, commanded by Lt Cdr Simon Pressdee RN (front row, centre left) with MCM2 Cdr Richard Goldstone RN (front row, centre right)

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Honouring John Stow2nd April 2014

This spring the Merchant Taylors’ Company and the London and Middlesex Archeology Society celebrated the life of John Stow, one of the earliest historians of London.

In a ceremony that takes place every three years at the church of St Andrew Undershaft, where John Stow is buried, and where the terracotta monument of him erected by his mourning wife still stands, a replacement quill is delivered on a satin cushion for the Lord Mayor of London to put in to his hand.

John Stow was an English historian and antiquarian. He was born in 1525 when Henry VIII was on the throne of England and also lived through the reigns of Edward VI, Elizabeth I and part of James I.

He came from a line of tailors, was apprenticed as a Merchant Taylor and was admitted to the Company in 1547. He spent almost his entire life and all of his money delving into the history of the City of London. The work for which John Stow is best known is his epic ‘A Survay of London’, first published in 1598, which describes the streets, buildings, history, culture and people to create the most complete record of medieval and renaissance London. There are a number of copies of ‘A Survay of London’ in the Library at the Hall, including a first edition.

The monument was placed upon the wall in the corner of the church after his death in 1605, six years after the publication of the great survey.

The Master and Lord Mayor Fiona Woolf

Dowe’s Convivium14th May 2014

In 1605 Robert Dowe covenanted what must have been a large sum of money for a Convivium each year for the Court to entertain their personal guests. In a quaint custom the Prospective Master’s Lady replies on behalf of the guests to the Master’s speech. Robert Dowe’s portrait hangs in the Court Room.

Tessa Watkins

Master and Wardens 2013–2014

The Team 2013–2014

EVENTSEVENTS

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EVENTS EVENTS

Election Service17th June 2014

Over 250 people attended the annual Election Service and barbecue supper. This is a very popular event, always held in June in the early evening, and so far we have been able to enjoy the Courtyard garden for the post-gathering social. These photos show the Master handing over a Company donation of £20,000 to each of Speakers Trust and MyBnk – his nominated charities for his Mastership year.

Charity Gala Dinner28th May 2014

A dinner was held to raise funds for the Livery and Freemen Fund with special emphasis on XLP. The evening was a great success and raised nearly £48,000 thanks to some very generous donators.

Pearl Fish and Sebastian Tuma who performed during the evening. They have both been helped by the charity XLP

The Master and staff from XLP

The Billesden Dinner 201424th June 2014

Since 1484 the Merchant Taylors’ Company and the Skinners’ Company have been at sixes and sevens! Each year since then the Companies have entertained one another to dinner at their respective Halls to foster love and peace between the two Companies.

This year, the guests were entertained by a remarkable musical duo, Derek Paravicini and Ben Holder.

Derek started to teach himself the piano when he was two years old. He first shot to fame when he was nine, playing jazz with the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra at the Barbican. Many TV appearances followed, in the UK and overseas, including Japan, Germany and Australia, and three times on CBS’s prestigious

‘60 Minutes’ programme in the USA. Derek has performed in venues ranging from Ronnie Scott’s renowned jazz club in London, to the Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and in Phoenix, Arizona, for Mohammad Ali. He has performed twice at Buckingham Palace.

Derek is one of the most extraordinary pianists and musical entertainers of his generation. Yet he is blind, autistic and has severe learning difficulties. Dubbed ‘The Human iPod’ in the States, Derek has a repertoire of tens of thousands of pieces – all learnt very rapidly, just by listening. There is so much more to Derek than an iPod, though; beneath the quiet charm lies a fiery, creative musician, whose astonishing improvisations and

dazzling technique have wowed audiences all over the world, with over a million hits on Youtube and another million on TED.

Derek kindly donated his fee for the evening’s performance to Soundabout, a charity that delivers training packages to professionals in UK organisations working with people with learning disabilities. To read more about their approach please visit www.soundabout.org.uk.

Ben Holder is one of the most exciting young jazz violinists in the UK. Taught classically from the age of six, he studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire. During his classical studies, Ben began listening to jazz – classic masters such as Benny Goodman and Oscar Peterson and the great jazz violinists including Grappelli and Stuff Smith. Alongside his early studies and later at college he embarked on a detailed analysis of these musicians’ techniques and the way in which they merged this most classical of instruments into the jazz idiom.

Ben’s innate sense of swing rhythm (something which often eludes classical players!) stems from those early listening sessions – and his various awards bear testimony to his abilities.

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in the build up to the unveiling of ‘The Flavour Conductor’, the world’s first ‘flavour organ’, built by Bompas and Parr together with Manders. The multi-sensory organ with 398 pipes, 33 stops and 30 pedals was designed with the idea that taste can be enhanced with sound. Guests were serenaded with a specially composed score as they tasted Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

Speaking after the event, Sam said, “We wanted to do a show about whisky so grand, so vast and so magnificent that it eclipsed everything that has gone before. To host a mighty event you need a mighty venue, and Merchant Taylors’ Hall held the key. Not only did it provide an epic historical setting but the team and staff at the Hall were magnificent, managing the complex logistics involved in providing guests with whisky weather systems, dessert processions and the presentation of The Flavour Conductor!”

Melanie from production company Done + Dusted says, “Many venues would have run a mile from an event like this as it presented so many challenges. But Rachael and her team were amazing. They never said no to any of our requests, they just helped us figure out ways to make it happen. It was a joy to work with them!”

Everyone involved in the event worked tirelessly to provide the client with an exceptional experience. The fabulous feedback received from the clients is a reflection of their efforts.

Before Done + Dusted and Bompas and Parr came along one dark November day, we had only dared to dream that an event of this magnitude could take place at Merchant Taylors’. Symphony in Blue has showed us that anything is possible.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucz1n1l9Bpo

Rachael Saunders

During September, Merchant Taylors’ Hall was the proud venue to play host to Johnnie Walker’s Symphony in Blue, an event produced by Done + Dusted and Bompas and Parr. Taking over all seven spaces and billed as ‘the world’s first theatrical, experiential, musical and artistic journey’, the event promised guests a once in a lifetime spectacular, and it did not disappoint.

Bompas and Parr was founded in 2007 by Freeman Sam Bompas and his colleague Harry Parr. The company leads the way in flavour based experience design, culinary research, architectural installations and contemporary food design. The studio first became known for its jelly architecture, but has since gone on to create immersive flavour based experiences ranging from an inhabitable cloud of gin and tonic to a chocolate climbing wall.

At the event, guests were introduced to whisky themed experiences and beautiful immersive theatrical installations – all recreating the sights, sounds

and smells of the wilds of Scotland and the elements essential in the pleasure of drinking whisky.

Having passed through the cacophony of our working kitchen, guests were directed into the Whisky Woodland, created in our Courtyard. Guests walked across a moss covered floor, through a thick forest and canopy of real trees towards a fiery demonstration of how charring a barrel is carried out.

Of all of the transformations our rooms went through, the Parlour was the most extreme. Guests wrapped up in fur coats as they stepped into the blue-lit, chilled space where they found themselves among mountains of fake snow and real stalagmites and stalactites surrounding a crystal clear block of 10,000 year old ice.

In the Whisky Weather Room (the Kings Gallery), guests were invited to slip on a mac and step into an indoor whisky cloud, a truly intense way to appreciate the full flavours of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The experience was designed to celebrate the

‘wild and unpredictable Scottish weather’, thunder and lightning included.

The Court Room was transformed into a blending room where guests nosed whisky with Johnnie Walker’s Master Blender Jim Beveridge. Guests were finally shown to the Great Hall where the dinner for 200 and the centrepiece of the event took place.

Our head chef Richard Trant worked closely with Bompas and Parr to design the menu for the evening and it was his team who were responsible for the creation of the decadent feast. Using as its theme the six distinct flavours of Johnnie Walker Blue Label – fresh, fruity, malty, woody, spicy and smoky – the menu featured stuffed quails’ eggs with sumac, chipotle and 24 carat gold canapés, poached lobster and salmon roulade served with sour cream caviar sauce for main and Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve marbled jelly for dessert.

As the tables were cleared the show began. Dancers, jazz musicians, a ballerina, and Norwegian drummers performed

EVENTS

JOHNNIE WALKER’S SYMPHONY IN BLUE – A JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE GLASSTHE CATERING COMPANY’S MASTERPIECE AT THE HALL

To find out more about hosting an event please contact:

Liz Morgan on 020 7450 4459 lmorgan@mtaylorsevents.co.uk

www.mtaylorsevents.co.uk

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Dear Members,

The Company has had a successful year on the sporting front in the John Price Mastership

2013/2014, and has given me the position of captain of sports rather than just golf. In reality

the team captains of our other main sporting events, namely Graham Armstrong – cricket,

Hugh Oliver-Bellasis – shooting, and Dr John Sichel – sailing, are responsible for the major

improvement in our results. My thanks to them and to all participants, as sports give us the

opportunity to mingle and socialise outside of the Hall surrounds.

John Price is thinking about raising a ski team (with a white background of the 6/7

ties supplied by Dege & Skinner) and croquet is another possibility as a few of the Livery

Companies play at Hurlingham. If anyone is an expert in this, or if anyone has any other

ideas, please do contact Abbie and myself.

Thank you.

Dr Julian Oram

ou will be pleased to learn that Graham Armstrong

led his team of Merchant Taylors (plus the occasional ringer!) to a fine victory over the Broadhalfpenny Brigands this summer.

In a close fought game, the Merchant Taylors were set a target of 187 to win, which they achieved with the last pair at the crease just before 7pm as the sun began to set. It was a very good afternoon studded

with some excellent individual performances on both sides.

For us the stand out performances came from all the bowlers, but especially Graham himself who took four wickets for 43 runs, Jonty Graham who was very economical (19 runs off eight overs), and Tom Kelly, who although he took no wickets was always a major threat with none for 35 off eight overs.

When the Merchant Taylors batted, again several did well led

by Rob Morris with 30. But Jonty really had his eye in and smashed 51, very well supported by Nick Cartwright with 42. Between them they set up a really tight finish and Tom Kelly hit the winning runs.

It was a very good day out – and deserved some spectators who would have enjoyed it had they been there. Perhaps next year!

Nick Harris

e won four of our five golf matches this season, which

included defeating the Skinners in mid-May by 12 to 8¼. We have now cut our deficit to seven from 11 four years ago (52-45). Next year I hope to bring our deficit down to six, and then in 2016 to make it six wins in a row, and in 2017 seven – so 6’s and 7’s may feature prominently in the coming fixtures in Merchant Taylors’ favour.

In the Great XII match at New Zealand Golf Club in April we were sixth out of 13 (also includes the Merchant Venturers of Bristol) and in the Prince Arthur Cup we were tied 20th out of 56 pairs.

We had another successful Company golf day at Royal Wimbledon Golf Club on 10th July and were honoured that the Master could attend from lunchtime onwards. Luke Oram just managed to secure his third win in a row for the handicap

cup with 37 points, with Peter Magill second and James Terry third with 36 points each. He continues to wear the green jacket presented by Simon Cundey of Henry Poole & Co with the Lamb in Glory motif, and this was in evidence in our match against the Skinners. He will loan the jacket to David Simpson in the Halford Hewitt campaign in the spring next year and we hope this will lead to the OMTs winning this prestigious trophy for the first time (OMTs were runners up two years ago).

I hope next year we get more of the low handicappers to participate in this great day and to challenge Luke. Next year is also the 150th anniversary year of the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club.

Next year’s fixtures are listed here; please let Abbie know which ones you can attend.

Jo Oram

CRICKET REPORTMTC V BROADHALFPENNY BRIGANDS

GOLF REPORT

SPORTS SPORTS

SPORTS AT MERCHANT TAYLORS’ 2013/2014UPCOMING GOLF FIXTURES 2015

Great Twelve Competition (4 players) New Zealand Golf Club Monday 20th April

Match vs Merchant Taylor Boys (8 players each side)Moor Park Golf ClubWednesday 6th May – 3.15pm

Match vs Skinners (20 each side)New Zealand Golf Club Tuesday 12th May with dinner at Skinners’ Hall on 11th May

Prince Arthur Cup (4 Players) Walton Heath Golf Club Thursday 21st May

Match vs Merchant Taylors’ School Staff (8 players each side)Sandy Lodge Golf Club Tuesday 16th June – 4pm

Merchant Taylors’ Company Golf Day (Max 30 players)Royal Wimbledon Golf Club (150th Anniversary)Thursday 9th July

Match vs OMTs The Berkshire Golf ClubMid September (organiser Peter Watkins)

Court match vs Vintners (8 players each side)Royal St George’s Golf Club Tuesday 13th/ Wednesday 14th October

034 035

All Hail Merchant Taylor Salts and Shipmates!

Congratulations on a highly successful and happy weekend! It was grand to be restored to our (nearly) rightful place at the top of the fleet; and clearly Skinners are looking worried.

It was great to meet up with everybody on Friday evening, and then with the most unpromising of cold downpours on Saturday morning, the day emerged into a most beautiful sailing breeze allowing old and young guard to perform.

A moderate race (7th and 8th respectively) for both teams in the morning loosened everybody up; and then a suitable change of helms gave us the edge (coming second and third), so that we had a distinguished average coming second with the Grocers; Skinners of course took honours in both morning and afternoon. Mercifully all teams behaved well, and there were no protests or cowboy behaviour. Thus a very happy sailing day on the water, as well as on land.

Much refreshment and light heartedness followed, with an excellent prize giving in which the committee awarded us a bottle of Ironmongers Champagne for the most improved team. We can’t win that again so next year I am after the port decanters for the Hall!

I have to say that I was very proud to lead the team this year, and we discovered some great new talent within the Company.

Hal French, who kindly stepped in to cover his brother Will at the last minute, would like to become Apprenticed to the Company; we shall be following that up!

The Dublin Cup was awarded to Alistair Macaulay (Old Wulfrunian and reading engineering and economics at Merton College) for his wonderful performance both on and off the water, in particular for helping the young guard in the morning, and then helping the old guard in the afternoon. We hope that his Oxford finals next summer won’t prevent him from returning the trophy next year.

A big hand also to Richie Sheldon (distinguished Freeman by Patrimony, and stockbroker on the IOW) for being such a stalwart support to the young guard, and for steering them so very competently in the afternoon race to second place at the finish!

Thank you, Freddie Prendergast, for being brilliant on and off the water, and for seeing the weekend through despite a commitment to catch an early flight to St Petersburg the next morning.

We do hope that many of them will find an opportunity to come again next year or sometime soon, given their very busy lives.

The old guard was ably represented by Rupert Johnson and Philip Miller (with his lovely wife Christine and daughter,

Alice). We thank them, and Sally Brown and Louise Fisher, for sharing the fun all round.

We thank Duncan and Annie Eggar so very much for bringing JayDee down from Beaulieu to act as our flagship. As ever they enhance any gathering of this sort. And it was so kind of them to use their lovely Rustler 36 as our entry into the Cruiser Race. Let us hope we can have more Cruisers another year.

We were particularly privileged to have the added lustre of First Upper Warden Hare with his wife, Jane, at the prize giving and dinner, accompanied by their Seaview hosts, John and Julia Hunt. We were naturally disappointed that our Admiral, Sir John Perring and Lady Perring, and the Master and his wife could not be present both for very good reasons. But it may be worth mentioning that an idea has been spawned between the 6s and 7s teams to propose a new trophy called the Root and Branch Trophy to be presented to whichever team does better with their Master on board! Still very much under discussion.

A big thank you again to everybody for making such a successful and happy weekend. If other Members of the Company with racing and sailing skills and who have not yet discovered the delights of the Great Twelve Regatta want to join in, then please get in touch!

John and Dee Sichel

SAILING REPORT

SPORTS SPORTS

A bright, crisp and clear May morning saw streams

of would-be clay breaking Livery Company Members arrive at the beautiful Holland Holland shooting grounds near Northwood for the 2014 Inter-Livery shoot.

Despite a few stragglers being caught in M25 traffic, the Merchant Taylors all grouped over steaming tea and bacon rolls to talk tactics and for team members to introduce or reacquaint themselves with Company Members not seen for some time. Whipped into our respective teams by the steady hands of the MT organisers for the day, Jeremy Bishop and

Richard Sullivan, the three teams set off fully refreshed towards the differing start points around the course. With a late no-show, Richard Oliver-Bellasis co-opted a fourth member of the team – known as “M Taylor” – from the other Merchant Taylors’ team led by Alex Kerr who were on the same stand schedule. Filled in rotation, “M Taylor” shot quite well!

The Holland and Holland grounds are stunning, and even more so when the sun shines as it did on the 21st of May. A very full card of shooters from a wide range of Livery Companies meant that 100 teams were fielded that day. Some

challenging stands, in particular the high birds at stand 8 – they seemed much higher and faster than previous years! – took their toll on the valiant efforts of the MT teams but at day’s end, the teams placed 24th, 36th and 55th. Creditably, against several semi-professional shots from the Gunmakers and Butchers, Chris Temmink and Geoffrey Armstrong both placed joint 12th with an individual score of 61 out of 80.

A super day out that, for those shooting for the first time, entitles them to wear the coveted purple sixes and sevens tie.

Geoffrey Armstrong

INTER-LIVERY SHOOT REPORT

036 037

Livery & Freemen Fund

This is the Members’ own fund which supports the Master’s chosen charity each year and up to four individual charities recommended by the Membership. Grants are made directly from income donated, but there is also a growing endowment fund.

DONATION FORM

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or Bacs payment:(Sort Code 16-00-15, Acc No 23209155,A/C Name: Merchant Taylors Charities Livery and Freemen Fund)

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Expiration date:Last 3 digits on the back of your card:Authorised signature:

I direct that this donation and all previous and future donations to the Livery and Freemen Fund (part of The Merchant Taylors’ Company Charities Fund – a registered charity) should be treated as Gift Aid donations, and that I have paid or will pay an amount of UK taxation in the relevant year sufficient for the tax applying to these sums to be reclaimed

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Please make cheques, corporate matches, or other gifts payable to: Livery & Freemen Fund and send to Merchant Taylors’ Company, 30 Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8JB

Master in 2002-3, John Owens was a

distinguished captain of industry, a public servant and a highly regarded artist. Having attended Merchant Taylors’ School and St John’s College Oxford, he was an inspirational leader on the school’s governing body and a long serving Court member.

John was managing director of Cape Asbestos Fibres between 1967 and 1973, and director general of the Dairy Trade Federation before becoming deputy director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in 1983. He drove the CBI’s campaign to gear-up British industry for the Single European Market in 1992. Subsequently, John led the Building Employers’ Confederation, extending his commitments to the NHS and higher education. He was chair of Haringey Healthcare Trust and a governor of Middlesex University.

Involved in the establishment of the Merchant Taylors’ Educational Trust, he worked to ensure close co-operation between all schools associated with the Company. He was passionate about careers education, and school links with business and industry. As early as 2003, John foresaw the impact of the digital revolution and evangelized tirelessly for its incorporation, with an energy and knowledge that belied his 70 years and his own formation in the arts.

An accomplished artist, John was a member of the RSA Council. While at Oxford he received the Lawrence Binyon Prize to study in Italy and went on to train at the Prince of Wales Drawing School and in the Royal Academy Life Room. He was a Freeman of the Painter-Stainers’ Company and a member of the Armed Forces Arts Society, regularly exhibiting at the Mall Gallery and Painters’ Hall. Some of his work has been collected by The Royal College of Physicians, some of the major London clubs, and the Inns of Court. His etchings and watercolours of classic scenes from London life are wonderful, and his etchings of St Paul’s are still on sale in the cathedral.

John was his own man and yet he was very much a Merchant Taylor, and at the school in particular, the unbounded generosity of his commitment has ensured that future generations of boys will share his breadth of passion and depth of vision. In that sense, we may echo the words of Christopher Wren beneath the dome of St. Paul’s: Qui vixit … non sibi sed bono publico. Lector si monumentum requiris circumspice: “He lived not for himself, but for the public good. Reader, if you seek his monument – look around you”.

The full text of this obituary appeared in the Summer 2014 edition of the Merchant Taylors’ School publication Concordia.

OBITUARY

John Ridland Owens21st May 1932 – 8th March 2014

SI MONUMENTUM REQUIRIS CIRCUMSPICE

038

THE MERCHANT TAYLORS’ COMPANY MAGAZINE MERCHANT TAYLORS’ HALL, 30 THREADNEEDLE STREET, LONDON EC2R 8JB

DIARY OF EVENTS 2014/2015

The following is a list of future events to be held during the 2014-2015 Mastership. Further details will be sent to you in your mailing from the Hall by post and email.

8th November Lord Mayor’s Show

11th November Dinner for Court, Livery and Ladies & Military Affiliates’ Awards Presentation

14th December Carol Service at Merchant Taylors’ School

17th December Bindings & Admissions

17th December Vernon’s Anniversary Service

21st January 2015 Quiz Night

4th February Dinner for the Lord Mayor & Sheriffs

13th February Membership Lunch

24th February A Tribute to our Fallen - an evening of music and poetry

2nd March Concert by Merchant Taylors’ and St John’s Schools

10th March Freemen’s Reception

16th March Golden Shears Competition Catwalk Show

20th March United Guilds Service

30th March Wylford’s Anniversary Service

15th April Bindings & Admissions

15th May Membership Lunch

27th May LFF Fundraising Dinner featuring The Cure Parkinson’s Trust

16th June Election Service & Barbecue Supper

24th June Election of Sheriffs (Lunch for Court and Livery)

7th July Livery Dinner

9th July Company Golf Day

If you would like more information on any of the above please contact Kym Ash at kash@merchant-taylors.co.uk or on 020 7450 4448

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AUTUMN 2014