Master with The Clerk of The Vintners’ Company and his wife

The Master and his Mistress, the Clerk and Philip and Caroline Gee on behalf of Derek Gee attended the joyous – and incredibly noisey - Big Breakfast at 7am at the Winter Gardens in Canary Wharf.  With Derek Gee, the Company is sponsoring two cabs and overnight accommodation for two families for a magical weekend in Disneyland Paris.  Some of the money raised for this is done by the organisers of the Company’s Spring Dance at the Rembrandt Hotel.

This was the 16th annual trip being made by The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers, taking sick and terminally ill children, together with their carers and support staff, for a weekend of fun in the Magic Kingdom that is Disneyland Paris.  We met one mother taking a very sick little boy who said they have never been abroad and never thought they would be able to go abroad as they cannot get insurance to cover the trip.  With doctors, nurses, an ambulance and full support network on this trip, it really was making it the holiday of a lifetime.

 One of the Company’s taxis

For many of the children, it will be their first trip out of the UK and the excitement builds as the Big Breakfast comes to a close and everyone starts getting in their allotted cab.  This year, the Lady Mayoress of the City of London, Lin Luder, cut the ribbon and the convoy of around 100 licensed London taxis left Canary Wharf en route to Dover, where the P&O Ferry takes them all to Calais. They all then drive in convoy through France, joined by police outriders from both the UK and France, causing open mouths from those they pass - and then many waving hands.

 The Starting Line

Once safely booked in to their Disney hotel, the fun will begin.  A day in the Disney Park, followed by a Gala Dinner with many of their favourite Disney characters in attendance, will bring magic into the lives of these children.  Phil Davis, Chairman of the Disney Organising Committee says:  “Every year the smile on the children’s faces makes all the hard work and effort worthwhile.  And it doesn’t just make the children smile – our drivers, support staff, ambulance drivers and paramedics, together with everyone involved in making the Magical Taxi Tour a success smile too.  Our convoy will be around three miles long; it will include City of London Police escorts, London Ambulance NHS Trust vehicles and AA breakdown trucks and a contingency from the Gendarmerie Nationale starting the trip from Canary Wharf.  Some of the licensed taxi drivers will be making this trip for the 16th time – such is the dedication of everyone involved in the trip.”