EXCEPTIONAL VOLUNTEERING IS HALLMARK OF CITY LIVERY COMPANIES
The Judging Panel of the City Livery Club’s “Root and Branch Award”, now in its 4th year, continues to discover exceptional Liverymen who have given of their time and talents to help others.
The field of nominations was so strong this year that the Panel has awarded additional Highly Commended and Lifetime Achievement Awards.
The Winner
The Winner this year is Liveryman Keith Lawrey, an Honorary Liverymen of the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers.
Keith has worked unpaid and unaided to assist new Livery Companies in many different ways.
He was single handedly responsible for the creation of the Educators Livery Company – at number 109, one of the newest in the order of precedence.
In addition, he has helped over 25 other Livery Companies obtain their Royal Charter or a supplemental Charter and has been a constant liaison between the Privy Council, the Livery Companies and the Court of Aldermen. It is, to say the least, a very arcane area of law and practice and Keith has steered these Livery Companies through all their trials and tribulations.
Alan Roughan, Master of the Hackney Carriage Drivers, said “Keith’s help to us was invaluable. His legal background and experience helped guide us in such a way that made the complex task relatively straightforward. This is a unique area of contribution”.
The Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Liveryman Penrose Halson of the Turners Company.
Penrose has spent many years with the Turners promoting the importance of the craft of wood turning and launching a now regular exhibition of wood creativity called Wizardry in Wood.
She has made substantial additional contributions promoting the role of women in the Livery world (and was the first female Master of the Turners). Seeing the importance of communication, she was the founder of the Turner magazine and editor for many years whilst also promoting the work of all livery companies involved in wood.
Deputy Master Turner Nicholas Somers who nominated Penrose said, “Penrose has the vision to create opportunities and is prepared to roll up her sleeves to put them into effect”.
Highly Commended Award
The strong field of nominations this year led to a Highly Commended Award to John Taylor of the Carpenters’ Company.
John’s role as Chairman of the Livery Companies Skills Council has been instrumental in promoting the skills and training needed to increase apprenticeships and trained practitioners.
A traditional area of Livery involvement, he has seen it become professionalised and not limited only to carpentry but extending this to any Livery Company undertaking training with a special emphasis on the building trades in their widest sense. The new Government changes with additional help to apprenticeships and the implementation of the new regulations has been a particular emphasis of his work over the last few years.
The Awards will be presented at the City Livery Club’s annual Civic Lunch in the Mansion House on 18th July by the Lord Mayor Dr Andrew Parmley.
The Club was founded in 1914 and its cardinal objective was to “bind together in one organisation Liverymen of the various Guilds by bonds of common interest in defence of all the citizens hold dear … in service to the ancient Corporation and in maintenance of the priceless City churches”. Little has changed since then and membership of the Club is representative of practically all the Livery Companies who make up the bulk of the membership. It currently has over 800 members.
The “Root & Branch Award” was set up by the Club in 2014 to mark its centenary.