9. Reflections Flotilla 24 September

 


On the evening of 24 September a flotilla of cutters and other craft accompanied Her Majesty’s Row Barge Gloriana in a silent illuminated procession down the Thames from Chelsea Harbour to Tower Bridge in honour of our late sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was a most solemn and moving experience.


At the kind invitation of the Master Mariner, the Master Water Conservator, Consort and Clerk were privileged to watch the flotilla along with a number of Masters and a contingent of sea cadets from HQS Wellington. The Gloriana solemnly ‘tossed’ (or raised) oars as it passed the Wellington. It was an unforgettable experience and a wonderful tribute to Her Majesty. It also demonstrated yet again that London is one of the finest cities in the world - something we easily forget in the hustle of every day life.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

78. Cranfield University Prize Winners’ Ceremony, 27 June 2023

Image
On behalf of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators and the Water Conservation Trust the Thames Warden Martin Bigg attended the annual Graduation ceremony at Cranfield University.  Individuals, businesses and City Livery Companies sponsor prizes at the University.  Along with the Armourers and Brasiers, and Fan Makers, we recognised the achievements of students on the various Master’s programmes run by the University.  The Winner of the Water Conservators’ Dissertation prize at Cranfield University this year was Sheriffa Griffiths* (pictured above, with Senior Lecturer in Water Governance, Heather Smith). After the Ceremony, the University hosted the winners and guests to lunch.   It was very encouraging to hear the ideas and enthusiasm of the students and their desire to make a valuable contribution to a sustainable future.   I was interested to learn about research into “forever chemicals” including PFOS.   I also heard about the challenges facing...
Read more

56. City Water Debate - sector leaders at the top of their game

Image
On 21 March the Company staged our flagship annual City Water Debate, at Bakers’ Hall. It was a sell out and we were all privileged to hear five leaders of our sector, all at the top of their game, share their perspectives on the governance issues facing the sector. It was like being physically in the room in one of Plato’s dialogues listening in first hand to leaders discussing the great issues of the day. We hold the City Water Debate annually on the eve of World Water Day and it was the fifteenth in a series dating back to my previous term as Master. The packed event attended by Sheriff Andrew Marsden, Alderman Alison Gowman, Lord Mayor elect our own Michael Mainelli (wearing our Company tear drop),  Masters of associated companies, a very strong contingent of our own members and high profile guests from outside the livery. The event was a fine illustration of the ability of Livery Companies to convene and participate in debate on the major issues of their sectors and was huge...
Read more

11. Michaelmas Lunch

Image
Our Michaelmas Lunch took place in the bright expansive surroundings of Trinity House, one of our favourite venues. (This was a change in venue as, pleasingly, our original choice would have been too small for the numbers attending). Our Company guests included Sir David Wootton, Master Lightermen and Watermen and former Lord Mayor together with his Clerk, Julie Lithgow,  Robin Batt, Master Mariner (who had entertained Consort, Clerk and me on HQS Wellington the previous weekend) together with his Clerk, Scott Hanlon, and our guest speaker Robert Hannigan CMG. Robert was formerly Director of GCHQ and security adviser to the Prime Minister; he is currently Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, which is of course our founder partner in the Water Conservation Trust’s bursary scheme. Robert stresses he is not a spy but confesses that he may know some members of that profession. Whilst not giving away any secrets, Robert gave a very illuminating, not to say alarming, summary ...
Read more