12th March: visit to the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre organised by our Master Roger Watson (who has a PhD in Biochemistry), Liveryman Jon Averns and our Clerk Kate Pink.

This well attended tour covered the history of the Corporation of London’s involvement with animals, how they work today and a visit to see some the current residents which included a crocodile, giant toad, tropical fish, a savannah cat, nervous dogs from America and a boa constrictor.  It was a truly fascinating insight into an area most people will know little of.

Ladies night at Trinity House on Monday 25^th February was a real treat. This charitable corporation has operated under Royal Charters for more than 500 years, using ever more sophisticated technology to guide those that venture to sea around these jagged islands. Trinity House maintains fully automated lighthouses, lightvessels and buoys and licenses deep sea pilots.

Fletchers and their guests mustered for the January Court Dinner at Farmers’ and Fletchers’ Hall on 15^th January.

This year we shared our Carol Service with our affiliated Regiment, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, who arranged an excellent Carol Service at the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, inside HM Tower of London. 

This year the Master, Dr Roger Watson and his wife June, took us to Croatia, known best by Roger from his sailing. 

Once again, a small gang of Fletchers and their guests enjoyed another superb day of archery laid on by the Noak Hill Archers on 19^th Sep 2018.

On Tuesday 18 September 2018, 25 Fletchers had a guided visit to the London Charterhouse, an appropriate choice since it was founded as a Carthusian monastery in 1371, the year to which the Company traces its own independent origins. We were inspired by the peacefulness of the Charterhouse today as an almshouse and intrigued to hear about its founder of 1611, Thomas Sutton, one of the richest men of his day, and about the many famous people with links to the site. The visit was rounded off with a delicious lunch nearby and characteristically lively Fletcher conversations.

Following a successful appeal by the "south of the river" golf society faction, the Fletchers' Company annual golf day was held at West Surrey Golf Club on 19 July.  Conditions were excellent, with the golf balls running well (when they were hit straight) over the baked fairways.

11 Fletchers competed for the MacLellan Cup.  The Master's guest, Col. James Denny of the Royal Fusiliers, joined us and duly won the guest prize (first place out of a field of one).

Scoring was (mostly) very close, with only one point separating each of first and second places, and second and third places.

The Master presented the prizes, and thanked Michael Williams for all his work in organising a very successful day.

Anne Prout won the Ladies' prize, with Melanie Trapnell second.

Overall Peter Hollins came third, with Michael Williams in second place.  The winner was Ted Hoefling, who had impressed his playing partners with his spot-on putting on the very fast greens.

Winner of the nearest the pin prize was Ted Hoefling, and winner of the longest drive (more than 300 yards, but it was downhill) was Michael Williams.

The strongest player, supporting the rest of the field with his score, was John Power, winning the Scott Knight trophy.

Gordon Sharp

On Thursday 3rd May 2018, a group of Fletcher's enjoyed an exceptionally interesting and informative visit to DP World.
 
Dubai Port (DP) World's London Gateway Port is a £1.5 billion shipping terminal capable of handling the largest deep-sea container ships. Formerly home to a Shell oil refinery, the development on the north bank of the River Thames is located close to the UK’s largest consumer markets in London and the South East and is the UK’s newest container port.  

Ultimately the development will feature a 2,700 metre-long container quay with a fully developed capacity of 3.5 million TEU (standard container units) a year. The construction of warehousing and distribution facilities immediately adjacent to the port will make it the largest multi-modal logistics and business park in the South East of England. 

On the 26th April 2018 we gathered at Noak Hill's splendid grounds  for a prompt start around 10am. After benefiting from the opportunity of instruction from Club members, the assembled Fletchers initially  loosed  their arrows at target archery, before moving on to a field round.   All levels of archery were catered for and everyone was equally welcome, from absolute beginner through to those old-stagers who have attended from the beginning. The instructors are incredibly patient and helpful and catering refreshing, plentiful and delicious. A brief period of rain added an extra element of difficulty during the field shoot. However it didn't detract from the fun being had and the rapid deployment of umbrellas ,courtesy of our hosts, meant that our fletchings and Fletchers stayed dry.