Newsletter - May 22
A message from the Master
A very warm welcome to the latest edition of the Loriners' newsletter, and I hope this finds you all well.
It is with a heavy heart that I record the passing of Emeritus Past Master Richard Walker-Arnott. It was a great shock and we shall miss his gentle but firm guidance and advice. Our thoughts are with all his family.
This last period has been rather busy with committee meetings and visits to organisations linked to The Loriners. I was particularly delighted to be the guest of The Mounted Division of the Household Cavalry in March - see more detail below - and witnessed the Major General’s inspection. And by contrast, Helen and I, together with the Upper Warden, attended the London Harness Horse Parade in Sussex . I had the great pleasure to award rossettes to all the new comers to the event.
In late March, we held our committee meetings in advance of the Spring Court. I thank everyone who is involved in setting time aside to attend the meetings and working on the various initiatives and maintaining our links with the charities we support. I know it is also appreciated by all in the Company.
We held our Spring Court on the 28th April, and after normal matters, I was delighted to admit The Rev. Cannon David Parrott as a Freeman. As you will know, David was our Chaplain for many years, but has now retired. He will be missed but I am glad he now retains a link with The Loriners. We also admitted another four new Freemen - Mrs Sezga Kamel, Mrs Gillian Siansbury, Dr. Alessandra Sherman and Major Victoria Fraser RA. I bid them all a hearty Loriners welcome and look forward to enclothing them in the near future.
At the Spring Court lunch at Tallow Chandlers’ Hall, our guest speaker was Mr Chris Carter of Great Ormand Street Hospital for Sick Children. Mr Carter gave us a history of this fine institution and its objectives for the future.
Helen and I very much look forward to meeting as many of you as we can at our various events including of course our Platinum Jubilee Banquet at The Mansion House on 27th May and Summer Court lunch at Armourers’ Hall on the 14th July. And hopefully, we will be able to arrange a day's racing at Epsom on the 29th August.
Please do keep safe and well and I hope to see you soon.
The Master's visit to the Household Cavalry
At the invitation of the Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) the Master accompanied by the Upper Warden as HCMR Loriners' Steward, together with their wives visited Knightsbridge Barracks to view the final rehearsal for the forthcoming Major General's Parade held annually in Hyde Park.
The Loriners have a highly valued and long standing relationship with this iconic regiment to which the Company presents an annual prize for the most improved trooper selected by all the officers in the Regiment.
On a somewhat chilly but sunny morning the entire Regiment, comprising some 220 horses accompanied by the famous mounted band sporting three magnificent drum horses, made quite a sight on the streets of London as it made its way to the parade ground on Hyde Park.
The Loriners' party were given pride of place to view the proceedings which were carried out with the usual pomp and precision for which the HCMR are renown worldwide.
At the end of the rehearsal we were able to view the entire Regiment returning from the park and dismounting before meeting the Officers over an informal lunch in Knightsbridge Barracks.
The Regiment extended our party a sincere and warm welcome and its CO - Lt Col Thomas Armitage spoke of the close relationship with the Loriners over many years.
A Loriners' group visit and tour of the Knightsbridge Barracks in currently planned for later this year - watch this space!
United Kingdom Armed Forces Equestrian Association (UKAFEA)
The Immediate Past Master, Mary Jane Atkinson - representing our Master, accompanied by the Upper Warden Colin Gurley and Court Assistant John Morton, newly appointed Steward for the United Kingdom Armed Forces Equestrian Association (UKAFEA) attended the first leg of the 2022 Loriners Cup held on the 5th April 2022 at Bury Farm Equestrian Centre near Leighton Buzzard.
The party, which included several other VIP sponsors of the UKAFEA, received a warm welcome from their hostBrigadier Simon Stockley who spoke to all assembled of the valued support and long standing relationship that the Armed Forces have with the Loriners' Company.
He also reported that this first event, of four legs, which covered the dressage discipline, had attracted a record number of entries as the recovery from the restrictions of Covid continues.
The overall winners of the dressage round were the Royal Navy, however you can be certain that the competition will intensify when they all meet for the next leg at Chepstow in August.
The pictured below shows the Immediate Past Master presenting the Loriners' rosettes to the Army, Navy and RAF teams.
Livery Company "did you know"....
There are 110 Livery Companies and all but 8 are led by a Master. Of the others, 7 - the Fishmongers, Goldsmiths, Dyers, Saddlers, Blacksmiths, Basketmakers and Shipwrights - have a Prime Warden and the Weavers - reputed to be the oldest Livery Company - is led by an Upper Bailiff.
And finally...
Don't forget the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park on Sunday 7th August 2022. Details were supplied to you all recently and are available here.
Please note that the Curriers and the Loriners have made the joint decision to postpone the Joint Charity Ball planned for 17th September 2022 due to the uncertainty in the economy and in appreciation of the restrictions in peoples’ budgets at the moment. We all very much hope that this event will go ahead next year.