Deborah Taylor
New Members of the Company undertake their City Freedom Ceremony
The the City starts to catch up with itself after the COVID restrictions, it is great to see new members of the Company on their way to membership of the Livery. On the 15th July Andrew Burnett gained the Freedom of the City and yesterday another new member, Peter Thacker gained his. Peter was accompanied by his family and PM Andrew McMillan and the pictures attached are a great reminder of his day.
A Court Lunch with Guests from HMS DEFENDER
Fantastic to see members of our affiliated Royal Navy ship, HMS DEFENDER prior to their deployment later in the year. The Commanding Officer, Commander George Storton RN gave a fantastic speech about HMS DEFENDER and toasted the Master and Company on behalf of all guests.
Welcoming new Liverymen and Freemen to the Company at Court - 5th July 2022
5th July 2022 - We welcome 7 new members to the Worshipful Company of Fletchers
- Honorary Liveryman Keith Lawrey JP His mother Company is the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries but, in 2001 he registered the Guild of Educators with the City of London and subsequently as Honorary Foundation Clerk, he took the Guild through to Worshipful Company status in 2014. He then retired but seized the opportunity at least to assist in the launching of the Guild of Nurses when it was offered in 2015. He has much to do with some other Companies through his work at the Foundation as a result of which he has been made an Honorary member of four of them.
- Liveryman Melanie Trapnell. Has a wealth of experience within the pensions consultancy field and worked internationally during her career. More latterly she has had a career change and now works in the Third Sector pursuing a number of charitable interests.
- Liveryman Richard Kitchen. Liveryman with the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers. He has worked in engineering, hospitality and care home sectors. He currently owns Springfield House & St. Johns Nursing Home and has planning permission for a 40 Bed Nursing Home in Rownhams, Southampton
Freedom Admissions
- Dr Ted Powell (to be a Liveryman in due course). Ted is an academic, author and solicitor. His academic career started at Merton College Oxford where he gained a first in Modern History. He went on to specialise in Medieval History and has published books on “Kingship, Law and Society: Criminal Justice in the Reign of Henry V” and “King Edward VIII: An American Life”.
- Ms Ellie Pomeroy (to be a Liveryman in due course). With an interest in archery since school. Ellie rediscovered the sport upon leaving university, bought a bow and some arrows, then subsequently became a member of both Archery GB and, briefly, the London Archers. Ellie works in the City of London and is based in Fleet Street, working as a financial PR account executive, specialising in the financial services sector.
- Mr Amal Shah (to be a Liveryman in due course). He graduated with a degree in Business Management (Accounting) from Brunel University and went on to become a member of the Associate of Taxation Technicians in 2011 and qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2013. His work mainly focuses on providing tax advice to clients, from high net worth individuals and personal tax clients to non-resident landlord companies on all matters relating to tax.
- Mr Andrew Mansfield (to be a Liveryman in due course). He started his career in the City of London in 1984 at Phillips and Drew and latterly at UBS where he went to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. A head dealer at Savoy Investment Management where he was responsible for fixed income dealing.
Military Affiliations - Army Major Units Boxing Finals
Past Master Andrew McMillan of the Fletchers Livery Company and John Power, Fletchers Military Liaison, attended the Army Major Units Boxing Finals between FUSILIERS and PARA. The FUSILIERS are the Fletchers’ affiliated Regiment. Lt Col Rob Arter, CO 1 FUSILIERS, hosted John and Andrew and managed to steer them through potentially convoluted loyalties (the CO is ex PARA now FUSILIERS; John is ex PARA but supports the FUSILIERS...)
Joint Shoot with the Bowyers
The annual Joint Shoot is a great inter-Livery event which allows a little bit of historical rivalry and competition. Normally the competition takes place in the moat at the Tower of London but due to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations and alternative venue had to be found. We were very lucky to be hosted this year by the London Archer's on their training location at Perk's Field in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Team Fletcher duly arrived for the competition in fighting spirit and got stuck straight in following introductions and welcome from The Master of the Bowyers, David Laxton. Both teams had the opportunity to warm up with the beginners equipment if we wished, or to tackle a longbow straightaway. After about 30-40 minutes, it was time for the match. All those taking part were to shoot 6 arrows with a longbow at a target some 15 metres or so away, and these would be scored by The London Archers. The top 7 scores from each team would count towards the total, but the result remains unknown until the 2nd November when all be revealed at the Dinner at The Royal Fusiliers Mess at the Tower of London.
Well done #TeamFletcher - a great evening and we look forward to hearing the results on the 2nd of November.
Boxing Night with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Past Master Andrew McMillan of the Fletchers Livery Company and John Power, Fletchers Military Liaison, attended the Army Major Units Boxing Finals between FUSILIERS and PARA. The FUSILIERS are the Fletchers’ affiliated Regiment. Lt Col Rob Arter, CO 1 FUSILIERS, hosted John and Andrew and managed to steer them through potentially convoluted loyalties (the CO is ex PARA now FUSILIERS; John is ex PARA but supports the FUSILIERS...)
City breakfast with the young Fletchers
On the 16th June Liveryman Rob Selwyn organised a Young Fletchers Breakfast in the City. The breakfast was an opportunity for members to come together before the working day and get to know each other a little better in an informal environment. For this particular event, Rob was joined by three prospective members of the Company for a fun and relaxed meeting. The conversation flowed along with the tea and coffee and unfortunately they were having such a good time Rob ran out of time to take a photo!
We look forward to seeing more events such as these as the COVID restrictions lift, hopefully the train strikes will not impact too much.
The Master at Work
The Master and Clerk were cordially invited to the first Masters and Clerks lunch at the newly opened Carmen Hall. The lunch was the first official use of the hall for members of other Livery Companies as the Carmen have only just opened. Situated in Fleet Street it has meeting rooms, offices and hall large enough to seat 40. The opening saw Masters and Clerks of 22 companies, a great introduction for the Master to meet more of his peer group ahead of the Livery weekend in Sheffield this weekend.
The Fletchers visit to the Mary Rose
The Mary Rose - Henry VIII's warship, lost in 1545, recovered in 1982 and now on display in a dedicated museum in Portsmouth was the destination for 30 members of the Worshipful Company of Fletchers on the 6th June 2022 - and what a wonderful day it turned out to be!
The Fletchers were treated to a guided tour of the Museum by Dr Alex Hildred, Head of Research. The guided tour was followed by a special behind the scenes insight into the some of the artefacts kept in the museum but not displayed to the general public. It was fascinating to understand the conditions in which the artefacts were found, restored and are now stored for safe keeping. The group learnt about the current trends in analysis and the hope that even more can be found out about the sailors, cooks, archers and all the other members of crew who were lost when the Mary Rose was lost in 1545.
The Royal Toxophilite Society- Platinum Jubilee Celebration and Shoot
On Saturday 4th June the Master and Sarah, and the Deputy Master and Clerk, were guests of the Royal Toxophilite Society at their Jubilee shoot and lunch. The sun shone (at times), the arrows flew straight (at times), and a delicious barbecue lunch was enjoyed by all.
At lunch the President and Freemen Fletcher, Graham Potts shared greetings from HM The Queen in a letter to the Royal Toxophilite Society on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. In the afternoon the Master unveiled the Queen's Copse, a planting of seven native trees and two yew trees donated by members of the Society to mark the Platinum Jubilee. At the conclusion of shooting, the Deputy Master presented the trophies to the winning archers.