8. Livery events

The Company has informal links with a number of other Livery Companies which leads to invitations to key events in their years. The Paviors’ Company held a Court Dinner at the Cutlers’ Hall on 9 July to which I was invited by Master Terry Last. This was a very enjoyable event and for me had particular significance. When I started writing our Trust’s Charity Update I was harangued by the late Founder Master, Mike McDowell, to produce something like The Pavior (12 pages, full colour). Well, we’re not there yet!

The second invitation was from the Engineers’ Company, to the Awards Livery Dinner on 14 July, held at the Drapers’ Hall. The Engineers make many awards each year, particularly for engineering innovation and student successes, but, also Services Engineering Awards through its various service affiliations. Again, with our shared interests, this was a very worthwhile event.

7. The City Grand Prix

On 26 July, Sandown Park Racecourse hosted the City Go-kart Grand Prix in aid of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Our Company is a big supporter of the WET 10 group of watery Livery Companies, which had entered a team. What seemed to be doing my duty in the wet and horrible start to the day, changed into excitement as our team, lead by Plumber’s Clerk Paul Nash, came from the mid-field to finish second. At the close, after 123 laps, we were less than a minute behind the winners, the Dowgate Dodgers.

The Lord Mayor (above, ordering beers all round) led his team to 11th place, while the Sheriffs, in accordance with their duties, brought up the rear having completed 74 laps. The weather improved during the afternoon, as did lap times which moved from somewhere about 1.5 mins to 51 seconds. There is talk bringing the City Go-kart Grand Prix into the City, which could be a very popular event.

6. Swan Upping 2015

A late addition to the programme saw Conservators, wives and friends join the annual Swan Upping on 23 July. The Caversham Princess was chartered by the Vintners’ Company as a base for the ‘upping’ and we joined them in Reading.






The Queen's Swan Marker and Swan Uppers, accompanied by the Swan Uppers of the Vinters' and Dyers' Livery Companies use six traditional Thames rowing skiffs in their five day journey upstream to Abingdon.










Well, during the six hours we were with them, a lot of effort led to the capture of about half a dozen cygnets. But, we were proud of our Bargemaster (above), single-handedly capturing at least one of the errant cygnets.

5. Water Conservators Annual Lecture:

Jetting back from Ashtead after the prize giving by car meant I missed the start of our Annual Lecture (unlike the canny Lord Mayor who left the Mayoral party and travelled to London by train for a separate event). Fortunately, Roger was in position to open the proceedings. The Lecture: Resource and Water Scarcity – future-proofing the City of London was well attended. It exposed the gap between the present problems and potential medium term solutions. Speakers: Mark Lane (The future is not what it used to be), Martin Baggs (Building resilience in the nation’s capital), Sarah Mukherjee (Responding to water scarcity: what can corporations do) and Tim Curtis (Resource Risks and the circular economy) laid the basis for an exciting debate, although, from my standpoint, worrying, with behavioural changes being a necessary part of the future-proofing process. My thanks go to Roger, the guest speakers and attendees who made the evening very worthwhile.

4. City of London Freemen’s School:

The Company supports a number of environmental initiatives in schools. On 2 July my wife, Georgina, and I attended the Annual Prize Giving at the City of London Freemen’s School at Ashtead Park. The school is supported by the City and Livery Companies and the Water Conservators’ Company awards a prize for Conservation. This year the prize went to Jasmine Stephens and was presented by The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London, Alan Yarrow, supported by his Sheriffs and other Liverymen.

3. Installation Lunch with Sir Brian Hoskins:

The Installation Lunch follows the Installation Court where the Wardens and Bailiffs for the coming year were installed: Keith Tozzi as Thames Warden, Mike Williamson as Fleet Warden and Richard Waller as Walbrook Warden. David Richards was installed as Master’s Bailiff and Dylan Barker as Thames Warden’s Bailiff.

The guest speaker at the Lunch was Professor Sir Brian Hoskins and his subject was whether we could expect improvements in weather forecasting in the near future.

Brian, whose research is in weather and climate and, in particular, the understanding and mathematical modelling of atmospheric motion, said that week to week it was difficult, with evidence that the usual variations in weather where exacerbated by changes in the climate. He gave an interesting account of issues relating to climate change and the improved techniques for forecasting weather whilst explaining their limitations

Brian has a long and distinguished career. He was knighted in 2007 for his services to the environment. I congratulated Brian on his recent award of the IUGG Gold Medal and his interesting speech. I also thanked the retiring Master, Roger North, and observed that his year had been remarkable in a number of ways: he and his wife Christine had represented us at a huge number of City events, he had updated our military links and paid special attention to the needs of our Corporate Members.

2. Upcoming events:

There are two important events in the coming weeks.

The Conservators’ Annual Charity Walk from The Angel, Islington, along the Regents Canal (right), up the Hertford Union Canal to the Olympic Park takes place on 11 October in aid of the Water Conservation Trust’s schools programme. Assembly is at 11.30, contact Rob Casey if you want to come or support it.

The second event is the Annual Banquet. This prestigious event is to be held at the Grocers’ Hall on 5 November. The Guest Speaker is Professor Richard Penty, Master, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

1. Where has the Blog been for the last two months?

Well, exactly!

Here we are in mid-September but at last … with the usual accountant’s excuse of coming along when it’s all over…

On 1 July 2015 I had the honour to be installed as the 27^th Master of the Water Conservators’ Company. This blog will track my (and the Company’s) engagements during my year of office. July is a busy month for City and Company events and, after the note of upcoming events, some of these are set out below. For further details of events try the Water Conservators’ website at http://www.waterconservators.org