It is appropriate that I begin this message with thanks to Philip Dewhurst who, as Master, led the Guild through an eventful year with his inimitable style and guidance. I am looking forward to his fellowship and experience during my year. Also, a formal welcome to John Morgan, our latest Court Assistant and our two new Wardens; Sir Gavyn Arthur (Middle Warden) and Colin Farrington (Junior Warden) and special thanks to the Wardens and Court.
I would also like to take the opportunity to extend my gratitude to all our members and for your contributions to date. Without the hard work of the members the Guild would not have a future…it is the hard work on our committees that drives the Guild forward towards our aim of Livery Company status. If any member would like to join one of the groups in the journey towards becoming a Court member, Warden and ultimately Master - I am sure the Clerk would be delighted to hear from you. With the support of our members the Guild will continue to grow…if each member this year encourages at least one potential new member – our future will be bright!
At our Installation Dinner I was proud to announce our affiliation with the Territorial Army’s Media Operations Group (Voluntary) or MOG(V). We were delighted to have the Group’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick of the Queen’s Royal Lancers and his colleague Major R.P.E. Kurth of the London Regiment in attendance, resplendent in full mess kit. They were given an extremely warm welcome by all present.
I hope everyone who attended the Installation Dinner enjoyed it as much as I did. A good time was had by all. Whilst we were being heralded in to dinner, in the magnificent surroundings of Cutlers’ Hall, I could not help but be mindful of these challenging times, particularly economically and therefore commercially. This will impact on all our lives in one way or another…but as our Honorary Chaplain, Dr Martin Dudley, conveyed at the Installation Ceremony - ’The greatest of these is charity’. If we remain focused on our charitable aims we will overcome all obstacles.
If you are reading this then you are visiting our new website – as you can see we have updated our site and we have plans for its further development. If you have any suggestions regarding its further improvement, please inform the Clerk.
My aims for the year:
- To develop further the structure and organisation of the Guild along with our Wardens and Court. We want to ensure that we encourage our Freemen to become more involved so that individual Court and Committee members are not overburdened, nor overlooked! Your Court does a lot of work on your behalf and like every other Guild and Company within the City…the success of a Guild/Company depends on its members.
- To build our General Fund to £20,000 and our Charitable Trust to £150,000. This (if kept within our account for two years) will be the first step towards full Worshipful status as a City Livery Company.
- To introduce a Fund Barometer so that everyone can see exactly where we are at any given time…with an explanation of what we are trying to achieve.... Together we really can make it happen.
- To build upon all the good work that has gone before.
We continue to work closely with other livery companies and are delighted to be a part of the Modern Liveries movement. During the course of the year you will be able to keep up with all the events we attend on your behalf.
I will be working hard with all of you this year to continue our progress, but there is one person who has the pivotal role within our Guild – our learned Clerk. May I bring to your attention and pay tribute to her hard work and endeavours on behalf of all of us. Every year as each new Master is installed, it is the Clerk who will provide sound governance on behalf of the Guild and ensure that all the enthusiasm and creative thinking is channelled into what is best for the future of our Guild.
I look forward to my year and to meeting you all at the various functions throughout the year.
Regards,Una Riley
Master