I heard only this afternoon that the Master of the Broderers Charles Gotto died on Sunday after a tragic accident.  I am sure you will join me in offering our thoughts to his wife Linda and their children and grandchildren.

After that very sad news this will be my penultimate Master's Blog and so firstly I must thank everyone who has helped me during the past year.

A Big Thank You

At the outset therefore, a huge thank you to Immediate Past Master Simon Imbert who has been a wise counselor to me and very supportive throughout.

Thank you also to our new Clerk Judith Pleasance who has worked very effectively to create and make many ideas into tangible realities.

Judith is bringing a real style to our Worshipful Company and I thank her and commend her for her work and help in the past 10 months.

I am sure that our next Master Don Randall will benefit enormously from the experience that Judith has gained during her learning curve.

Then thank you to all the Court of Assistants who over the course of four board meetings have regularly challenged the Master constructively yet diplomatically and at the same time added enormous value to our strategic thinking and operational activities.

How will I ever forget our Court Dinner at Vintners Hall!

A huge thank you to Andrew Knights who is our Treasurer.  Alongside a very demanding job as Managing Director of Selectamark he administers our finances, controls cash and produces accounts.  The smooth running of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals would not happen without him.

In many Livery Companies this role is salaried but Andrew gives of his time and talent.  My thanks also to Jane Knights who keeps the books of our Worshipful Company on a part-time salaried basis.

Then thank you to the Chairs and Committee members of our three Standing Committees.

Ray Lemonde the Chair of Finance and General Purpose, Michael Trott the Chair of Marketing and Fund Raising and Roy Penrose the Chair of Membership.  It has always been refreshing and fun to work with you as we tackled budgets, a new website, membership criteria and a myriad of issues that confront a Livery Company over the course of a year.

Then of course, my warm and sincere thanks to Richard Monk the Chair of Trustees of our Charitable Foundation.  It is a huge comfort to the Master to have someone of Richard’s experience and caliber running our Charity.

The Trustees disperse around £20,000 annually to worthy causes and thanks to sound financial planning have been able to maintain that drumbeat of giving despite interest rates being at an all time low throughout the year.

My thanks also to our Beadle Sergeant Andy Bignold of the Metropolitan Police.  A good Beadle ensures that the big events of a Worshipful Company run like clockwork.  I am sure there were many occasions when our Beadle must have thought I had mislaid the key!  However, with his infectious good humour and the patience of Jove he got me through the year without too many foot faults.

Beadle thank you!

Last but of course not least, my thanks to the Mistress who has put up with me being called Master for a year!  Penny I could not have done it without you.

Since then the diary has included too many dinners but as yet no emergency visit to my tailor!

No Fish at Fishmongers Hall

On April 8^th the Mistress and I were kindly invited to the Installation of the Framework Knitters at Fishmongers Hall.  If like me you had thought it would be a fish supper then we were wrong.

There was not a scale or fin on the plates!  Dinner was of course delicious as these events always are and the Mistress was pleased it was another white tie occasion which justified more wardrobe extravaganzas!

Ladies Day Lunch & Evensong

April 12^th was a busy day.  First it was Lady Day lunch with the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers.  Our Clerk Judith Pleasance was clothed in the Livery.

I attended Evensong at St Pauls and was uplifted by Darke in F.  I shall miss my occasional visits to the City’s great Cathedral when my life becomes Bristol centre again.

Then finally, it was indeed Sea Pie Supper on HQS Wellington.

Banquet at Mansion House

Then the following night it was back to Mansion House for the Worshipful Company of Solicitors banquet.  Alderman Sir David Lewis (one of our recently installed honorary Liverymen) is Master and Alderman and Sheriff David Wootton Senior Warden and Alderman John White is Junior Warden.  A strong batting Line up!

The end of a busy week found me dining in Bristol with the Society of Merchant Venturers and then the Fitzhardinge Society.

Fitzhardinge was the builder of Bristol Cathedral and this is a Society which helps preserve its fabric.

Golf Day at Moor Park

On April 20^th it was the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals golf day at Moor Park.  

As the blog photo shows the weather was bright and dry but a cold wind blew.

My arrival coincided with the start of the afternoon tournament.  I walked the course and admired the play and made a mental note to rescue the clubs from the garage and get to a driving range soon. 

The competition was won by the Norbain team led by Dermot Grace and I presented the prizes at the dinner afterwards. 

As ever, Moor Park was in great shape and all golfers vowed to come back next year to rejoin the competition. Our charities benefited from the day to the tune of almost £5,000. This is an important event in the rhythm of our Livery year.

St Georges Day

On St Georges Day the Mistress and I attended the Police Long Service Awards and Good Conduct Medals at Hendon.  It was a marvellous day in which many brave met police officers were honoured by the Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson.

Our Beadle was as ever in fine form and kept the proceedings going “lickilty spit” generously leavened with his own unique humour.

I do hope that future Masters attend this ceremony as it will promote further tangible links with the met police.

Great Curry Lunch

On April 29^th I met Prince Charles at the Great Curry Lunch at the Guildhall.  A marvellous occasion in which returning soldiers from Afghanistan were honoured and huge sums of money were raised for soldiers charities.

And thus my year was coming to an end.  What lies ahead is a final month of events in which I have the privilege to represent the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals and my last Court Meeting on June 9^th.

If you have read my blogs since the new website came into being, you will have a sense of the enormous fun that comes with being the Master of a Livery Company.  I am a lucky lad to have had the chance and I thank the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals for allowing me to lead them for a year.  A year that we received Royal Charter and I hope took our full place in the London Livery Movement.

Will I miss it?  Of course I will but life moves on and I send Don Randall very best wishes for his forthcoming year.

Don, get to as many Livery events as you can.  This train only comes along once.

Please do make the most of the journey.