118. So what’s it all about?

I sent the link to a good friend in Slovakia. She replied that it seemed to be a year of eating and
drinking. It can look that way but there is a motive. The 110 Livery Companies donate something like £40 million for charitable purposes each year. Most of the activities described in the Blog are paid for by the Master and Company Members and, in addition, they are expected to make a donation to the event’s charity.

Our own charity, The Water Conservation Trust, will donate over £80,000 this year, mostly on our own educational programmes: bursaries for Masters students and education work with schools. In addition, some £5,000 is spent on various schemes with other Livery Companies and the Lord Mayor’s Charity - which, this year supports Type 1 diabetes research and the Sea Cadet Movement.

The difference is often one of scale. Some years back we bought the Maidstone Sea Cadets a replacement boat. The Master of the day was able to get further funding for a trailer. We have recently promised part-funding for a replacement mooring, for which they have to raise about £25,000. By contrast, the Lord Mayor’s Charity should be able to fund a training ship for the Sea Cadets.

We also support the Hackney Carriage Drivers with their annual trip to Disneyland Paris, a trip for terminally ill children and their carers in more than 100 London Taxis. We sponsor a taxi (below right) and join the other sponsors and well-wishers for a dawn send-off. Other beneficiaries from collaborative ventures include ABF: The Soldiers’ Charity and Treloar College in Alton.