City Blog

To St Pauls on 15 March for the United Guilds Service with a very interesting sermon delivered by the Bishop of Chelmsford on the challenging “labourers in the vineyard” parable, introduced by a nice observation that the Churchmen particularly like the UGS because it’s the one service in the year when the congregation is more oddly dressed than the clergy!

In the Livery world, March certainly came in like a lion with a six events in the first two weeks – culminating in the Lord Mayor’s Mansion House Banquet for Livery Masters and Consorts on 14^th.

...   was a busy month and I ran out of space last week to cover two other episodes of my year as Master.

To the Old Bailey on 28 February to lunch as the guest of Mr Sheriff Nigel Pullman in the company of the judges who were sitting that day. As might be expected, an erudite lunch conversation sprinkled with very gritty observations of life based on cases that come up before Their Honours! After lunch I spent an hour as a fly on the wall in a court listening to evidence worthy of CSI in a very gritty case indeed!

To the Royal Institute of British Architects in Portland Place on 12 February for a lecture on the works of Sir Edwin Lutyens in the City delivered by the Master Chartered Architect, Dr Mervyn Miller. It’s often said that dodging the crowds at pavement level in the City should not prevent you from looking up at some masterpieces of architecture – as well as the occasional appalling erection - and this was amply illustrated in this lecture.

To Skinners Hall last Thursday for the Company's annual Charities Supper and the event was, as ever, an excellent, informal and above all a warm celebration of our members hard work to support charities under the auspices of our Pro-Bono Services Committee. This was also Second Warden Patrick Chapman's swansong as Chair of the Pro-Bono Services Committee - of which more later.

Between courses of an excellent supper, we heard from three charity leaders of the value that WCOMC members have added:

As Twefth Night approaches, not only is it appropriate to wish everyone a Happy New Year but also to breathe a collective sigh of relief that the world did not end on 21 December as threatened/promised by the Mayans! The cartoon that showed the Mayan stonemasons knocking off for a cup of tea when they reached 21.12.12 seemed very apposite and the whole episode did, after all, do wonders for the tourist industry in that little place in France where, alone, salvation lay!

The first 30 days!

Having had the honour of being installed as Master of the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants on 18 October, I’m wondering where the last month has gone! Past Masters have warned me that the year as Master is rather like going over a waterfall, and it’s certainly proving that way!