General News

The Annual Livery Halls Walk, wonderfully well organised each year by the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners, took place on Monday 4 September.

It saw 20 Masters and their Consorts crocodile the square mile, visiting 40 of the 41 Livery halls in the City – the exception being the Gunmakers’ Hall which is located, apparently for historical safety reasons, just outside Aldgate and the old City Walls.

The Master completing the Halls Walk – hot but determined

The walk, which lasted all day, was carefully and expertly led by Environmental Cleaners Liveryman, Sean Canty, and shepherded by the Company’s Wardens and Clerk.

The Mistress Farmer and I managed to survive the nine and a half miles but, with temperatures on the day close to 30 degrees and the Masters all suited and booted, wearing Livery gowns, chains, badges and hats, frequent stops for water and other refreshments proved essential, and of course highly enjoyable.

The morning stop for Madeira Wine was at Ironmongers’ Hall, lunch was taken at Pewterers’ Hall, with afternoon refreshments at the Furniture Makers’ hall.

There was a final stop, for a very welcome beer, at Southwark Cathedral.

A brief stop at Haberdashers’ Hall

With representation from across the Livery, from the Great Twelve to the very newest Company; the Nurses, this was a really wonderful opportunity to spread the word about the Farmers and to talk and with other Companies about how they combine fellowship with charitable good works and all their other activities.

A fascinating and very enjoyable, if rather warm, day.

Thirteen riders took part in the inter-livery cycle ride on September 2, with perfect off-road conditions along the Essex Way south of High Easter.

“We plan to hold the event on the same course next year, given how fabulously varied the route was and with three distances; 30, 45 and 65 miles, it is accessible for all,” says Joint Organiser, Liveryman Richard Anscombe.

In the photo above are Liverymen Richard Whitlock and Richard Anscombe, flanking Penny Anscombe and guests at the WCF stand ahead of their 65 mile gravel ride.

Henry Etherington received the WCF award for the best agricultural dissertation of 2023 on Writtle University’s graduation day at Chelmsford Cathedral.

Here he is pictured receiving the award from Liveryman Jeremy Finnis and Chancellor of the University, Jimmy Doherty

Jake Caston has won the £125 Agricultural Students Award at Reading University, donated by the Worshipful Company of Farmers.

Dr Gillian Rose, head of agriculture at Reading University, presenting Jake Caston with his certificate.

“I chose to study agriculture at Reading as I have always had an interest in farming due to growing up on the family farm,” he says. “I plan to have a career in agriculture and have particular interest in potato production.”

On Sunday 9 July the Master Richard Davies with Mistress Farmer Terri Davies, Liveryman Anne Courtney and Apprentice Victoria Rayner attended the Wing Field Day at RAF Northolt, the first since 2019 due to Covid.

Wing Commander Niall Cumming and Flt Lt Christopher Pocock gave the party a tour of the air base and showed some of the activities the Cadets had taken part in during the day, including musical and band competitions, aircraft recognition and banner drill.

They met Acting Pilot Officer Krish Patel who, when a Cadet, had been sponsored by the Livery to attend the International Air Cadet Exchange (IACE) in the Netherlands. He hugely benefitted from this international experience and since returning has attained the qualifications to be a volunteer officer in the Middlesex Wing.

The Master presenting the John Thorpe salver to Squadron 398 for the greatest contribution to Community Service

The two recipients of Livery 2023 IACE sponsorships, Sqn CWO Tyson Lee – who will be travelling to America, based in New York and Washington DC Air Bases – and FS Davila Ajia, who is off to Sydney Australia, gave presentations.

Both were extremely appreciative and enthusiastic. FS Davila, as a keen chef and foodie, is looking forward to eating crocodile! The Wing Commander stressed the ‘worthiest’ are chosen, not the most ‘wealthy’ thanks to the Livery sponsorship. He and the Cadets thanked the Livery for the support.

You may remember the name: Sqn CWO Tyson Lee. Honoured to be selected from all the Cadets in the country, he carried the Union Flag in Westminster Abbey ahead of the Prime Minister during the King’s Coronation in May.

He had a conversation with the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife beforehand, and recognised many personalities and famous people as he processed down the aisle of the Abbey.  He was also interviewed on BBC Breakfast TV the day before.

The Master Farmer’s party heard from the Cadets on the value of leadership skills, as well as the ‘soft’ skills of teamwork, communication, and time management they had acquired since joining the Cadet Service, all of which will be invaluable when they leave school and go out into the workplace.

The Master presenting the John Thorpe salver for outstanding performance in outdoor pursuits to Squadron 14F

After lunch, the Farmer’s party attended the Parade, complete with 250 Cadets and the Wing marching band. No officers on the parade ground at the Cadets’ request, as they had expressly asked to do the drill themselves.

This proved quite a challenge as only about 12 Cadets had had any previous experience of a Wing Field Day, highlighting the recruitment and retention challenges the Wing has faced over the last four years during Covid.

The Master then presented the two Livery trophies:

• The John Thorpe Salver: Awarded to the Squadron which has contributed most to community service throughout the year, went to Squadron 398 Staines and Egham
• The new John Thorpe Salver: Awarded to the Squadron or Cadet that had been outstanding in outdoor pursuits, went to Squadron 14F Northolt.

Alex Everett has won the 2023 Agricultural Student Award at Moulton College – despite not having a strong agricultural background – here he reflects on his journey so far.

“At first, Moulton College caught my eye due to the combination of basketball and agriculture,” he says. “But upon a closer look, whilst giving me a chance to gain a deeper understanding of farming, the agriculture course provided important qualifications that to me would be very useful in the future. This sold me on the idea of coming to Moulton.

“My two year course at Moulton College has not only opened my eyes in agriculture, but also in life. When I first came to Moulton, I had little idea of what farming really encompassed, but through hard work and endless support from my teachers I gradually managed to gain both practical and theoretical knowledge which I could apply in my work experience placements.

“During my time here, I have also been encouraged to think about my future career, and to start making an informed decision between further education or work in the land based sector.

“I chose further education, and with the guidance from lecturers and the careers team I created my UCAS application, selected five courses in different universities and ended up receiving an offer from each one. Currently, I have made Newcastle University my firm choice where I hope to be studying an Agriculture BSc Honours degree.”

Liveryman John Evans presented the Worshipful Company’s annual Student Prize to Rhianna Tiller at Plumpton College in Sussex – which had nearly 3,000 attendees in 2023, half of them being full-time students. John has been a Governor at the College for 16 years.

Rhianna, a second year agriculture student at the College, was awarded the prize as the top practical student in the 2023 year group. She is the daughter of a livestock farmer living in Pulborough in West Sussex and was selected as being the outstanding student in her year.

Her attendance level was exemplary and she took the lead on the agriculture department’s show team this year. She was also invited to attend the College’s residential trip to visit livestock farms in Jersey, a trip normally reserved for third year students.

Rhianna will be returning to the College in September to complete her Level 3 studies.

The Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons’ abseil challenge at the Lloyds building in London was a fantastic success, with over 70 people joining the Lord Mayor descending this iconic, 289ft-high City landmark.

“The rainy weather didn’t hold us back as we raised funds for charity and brought in crowds of spectators both inside and outside the Lloyds Building,” says Mistress Farmer Terri Davies. “Currently the total amount raised is over £80,000 for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, with more than £1,800 coming from my very generous supporters, many from the livery.

“I owe you a huge thank you for your donations which came in thick and fast, and spurred me on to step over the edge when the moment came. Together, we will make an excellent contribution to three amazing organisations – National Numeracy, MQ Mental Health Research and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.”

The Inter Livery Shoot was held at West London Shooting School 17 May, 2023. This was a new venue, which added to the interest, and we were blessed with good weather, the sun being blamed for the odd poor performance.

The Livery’s two teams less J Davie-Thornhill who was lining up a target of 8 glasses.

Our A team was lead by Peter Craven and Stuart Philpot with an equal score, with John Hardman and Geoff Wright in close support, so that at the end of the day we were sitting in about 5^th position. However, as it is a two day event our final position was a little lower.

Our Court team was lead by Past Masters Tony Alston and Richard Whitlock, supported by John Davie-Thornhill and David Leverton, who top scored our team.   

Somehow we all managed a zero on one stand or another, so we ended about 5^th of the Court teams. It was encouraging that four new liverymen joined our ranks.

The meeting continued into the evening when we were joined by two or three other liverymen, and Peter Craven was democratically elected to lead us next year as Tony Alston  had called time on a 10-year stint. 

On 31 May some 60 liverymen and guests congregated in the Master’s home county of Gloucestershire for the annual Summer Visit.

We were treated to a private tour of the King’s private 17 acre garden at Highgrove and after lunch to a visit to Duchy Home Farm, courtesy of the Duchy of Cornwall, now under the stewardship of William, the new Prince of Wales.

The group next to the wicker elephants at Highgrove

The gardens were started 40 years ago from simple parkland and have achieved remarkable diversity and harmony over that time. The range of planting and attention to detail were astonishing. The farm visit in the afternoon covered the centre of the 1,250 acre Home Farm business, managed under organic and agro-ecological principles by a dedicated young team led by new tenant Henry-James Gay.

Duchy of Cornwall Agent Mathew Morris explains the philosophy behind Duchy Home Farm

The long term approach of the landlord – granting tenancies of 25 years – was very much appreciated by the Duchy’s tenants, but Mathew Morris, the agent for the Duchy, was realistic about the ability of some tenants to survive the withdrawal of state support. The Ayrshire dairy cattle certainly looked very well, with a good crop of youngstock following on. The day was rounded off nicely with a delicious formal dinner at the hotel, accompanied by a very skilful and amusing magician.

Astonishing magic tricks at the formal dinner

The second day saw the group at FarmEd, an educational centre promoting regenerative and agroecological farming systems near Burford in Oxfordshire. We were shown round the crops, especially the herbal ley system, and compared the soils there with those under a conventional system.

Examining some 40 species of heritage wheat at FarmEd

It was impressive that soil organic matter had increased by 0.5% and the number of bird species observed up from some 40 to over 80 in just 5 years. After lunch in the cafe ‘FarmEat’ – based on produce from the farm – PM Whitlock thanked the Master and his wife Terri for arranging such a stimulating and enjoyable couple of days.