Master Water Conservator

  The Tudor Pull is an annual river Pageant when Her Majesty’s Royal Watermen, with a flotilla of City Livery Company Cutters, deliver the River Stela from Hampton Court to the Tower of London. The Stela is a cross-section of an ancient wooden water pipe, now enclosed in a glass travelling case. For a number of years, Her Majesty’s Row-barge, Gloriana, has been used for the journey, including this year.   The Master Water Conservator with Derek Mann, Master Waterman, entrusts the transport of the Stela to the Queen’s Bargemaster in a ceremony, attended by Wardens, Christine Jarvis and Martin Bigg. The ceremony commemorates the use of the River Thames as a liquid highway for centuries.   The Gloriana arrived at Richmond Bridge for lunch and then left, escorted by 13 Livery Company Cutters, for the Tower. Among the Cutters was our own, The Water Forget-me-not , with Thames Warden, Christine, and David, on board for the thrill of a lifetime, steered by Merlin, son...

  Members of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators gathered at Water Conservation Trust-partner, Thorner’s Church of England School in Dorset, to dedicate a Ginkgo tree on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Master, Roger North, Chair of the Trustees, Rob Casey, Deputy Master and WCT Schools Lead, Christine Duthie, Court Assistant and Hon Sec, WCT, joined Headteacher Mike Sitch and the schoolchildren for the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. The tree was planted by the Master and a pupil celebrating his birthday that day. The tree, a ginkgo biloba , also known as the maidenhair tree, is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Following a speech of welcome, the pupils entertained us with a lively, celebratory song, in English and Xhosa. Our thanks go to the Chair of the Governors, the Headteacher and pupils at Thorner’s Primary School for hosting us so well.  

In May 2021 nearly 200 delegates from over 60 Livery companies attended the ‘ Who was found to be naked when the tide went out ?’ charity conference. Delegates expressed an interest in forming an informal network of Livery Charity Chairs to share experiences and ideas. And the Livery Charity Chairs Group came into being. The 2022 First Annual Conference at Ironmongers Hall celebrated a year of successful cooperation, and included a ‘ Review of the year’ , led by Alderman Sir Charles Bowman and Hilary Lindsay, ‘ The Importance of Impact Measurement and Reporting’ , chaired by Peter Alvey, ‘ Getting the structure right ’– the benefits of converting to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), chaired by Steve Graham, and ‘ ESG Investing and Other Climate Issues for Livery Charities’ , chaired Julia Sibley, and featuring Alderman and Sheriff Alison Gowman. Alison discussed the issue of charities’ powers to contribute to climate action projects. The Conference discussed many Charit...

It is customary for the Master to arrange a visit to somewhere that reflects his and the Company’s interests. For the last year, my Consort, Georgina, has been trying to get the Venetian authorities to allow us to visit the flood defences. Due to the pandemic, this was not possible but the boat we stayed on, the Michelangelo , did approach some of them. Mostly tied up near St Mark’s Square, we had the opportunity to visit the main sights using the water buses, as well as taking the ‘secret itinerary’ tour at the Doge’s Palace, visiting the prison cells where Casanova was held – until he escaped!   As usual (for us anyway) we got lost on day 1 – but they say if you haven’t got lost walking in Venice, you haven’t been there! I am grateful for Georgina’s hard work, without which this visit would not have been possible, and the endless good humour of the Conservators and partners who made this visit so enjoyable.

The Board of the Water Conservation Trust meets quarterly and invites the Master to join it so he can be kept up to date with work of the Trust. Trustees meetings are very animated mainly because it is their practice to be significantly involved with the various projects the Trust supports. In the Schools’ Education Programme, Trustees agreed to support a Young Engineers Club run by the Museum of Water and Steam, which offers opportunities for local children to engage with engineering and science, and continued support to River Holme Connections. Long standing support to NUS Student Eats projects was to be reviewed because of the disruption to university administration during the pandemic. This was also affecting the Universities’ Programme. Noticeable was the significant contribution the Trustees were making to Pan Livery charity initiatives, many concerned with governance and quantification of the amount that the various charities give in terms of cash and pro bono activities. ...

  The Company’s Past Masters meet at least once a year and their function, as set out in Standing Orders, is ‘To be a source of advice and wisdom for the benefit of the Court and Master’. The Master and Master Elect are invited to present an account of their stewardship during the year. The meeting took place by Zoom because of health concerns and that tended to result in formal ‘advice’ rather than the usual mix of formal and informal, which can be so helpful. Past Masters generally share the Court’s concerns about the Company, in particular, the need for a positive outward face and (related to some extent) the need to sustain and grow the membership. They noted the ambitious plans the Court has adopted for 2022-23 and offered their help in delivering them. My thanks go to the PM’s Chairman, Roger North, for the opportunity to speak.

The May Webinar – “Digital Twins – Smart Network Management” presented by Glyn Addicott, Operations Director, Hydraulic Analysis Limited, gave us a fascinating presentation on the future of water network management. Glyn demonstrated how real-time pipeline management systems, developed in the oil and gas industries, can provide significant benefits for the water industry (including leak detection and reduced energy consumption) and, also, for the management of future district heating systems. New technology such as this will be key to enable Water Companies to reduce leakage by 50% by 2050 to meet the Defra target. The presentation led to a number of questions, showing the potential of this technology. My thanks go to Glyn for his presentation. A recorded copy is available on our website: https://vimeo.com/712082586 and is well worth watching

  Although it is generally accepted that the first Modern Company was the Master Mariners, who achieved Livery Company status in 1932, there is a sub-group of current and active Livery Companies – the 100+ Club, which meets from time to time to exchange views. Hosting is done in rotation and this time it fell to the World Traders Company (101) at the Information Technologist’s (100) Hall. Apart from the IT Company who were on tour, there was a good turnout and we were made very welcome by members of the World Traders’ Company. Master Mary Hardy formally welcomed the guests with an amusing speculation about how the (soon to be) Modern Twelve should position themselves in the ranks on the Livery moment. I responded (Company 102), thanking both the Master and World Traders’ Company for their hospitality, and the other Masters present who have been so helpful during the year.

   The Company is supported by hard-working Members and, each year, the Master invites their partners to join him for lunch so that he can say thank you for their tolerance. This year’s event started with a guided tour of the Mansion House, conducted by the Keeper of Walbrook Hall. The Tour included a history of the building, the rooms used for public meetings, and the vaults containing the treasures of the Office. Dragging ourselves out of the vaults, we moved to Guildhall and to lunch. After an excellent lunch, provided by The Cook and The Butler, Colin Drummond, Master Elect, thanked the Master on behalf of the guests. The Master responded, personally thanking each of the guests for their patience and help during his year.

The Worshipful Company of Mercers ranks first in the order of precedence within the Livery Companies of the City of London . The Company was incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1394, the Company's earliest extant Charter. The Company's aim was to act as a trade association for general merchants. Today, the Company exists primarily as a charitable institution, supporting a variety of causes.   Each year the Mercer’s Company organises a Livery Concert. This year it was decided to highlight British Bhangra music and its origins in the Punjab. It was a delightful occasion, and a surprise, to be entertained by Kuljit Bhamra and his musicians, Mehboob Nadeem and Shahid Khan. The session included an explanation of the basis of Punjabi music and Punjabi heritage and concluded with a dance class for able Master and Consorts before retiring for dinner. My thanks go to Master Christopher Vermont and the Mercers’ Company for the invitation to the Concert and Dinner.

  I was invited to the Honourable Company of Air Pilots’ Cobham Lecture entitled Per Adua ad Astra: Human Spaceflight – the Triumphs, Challenges and Future , presented by Professor Anu Ojha OBE – Director of the UK National Space Academy. It was fascinating, and the conviction and knowledge of Professor Anu Ojha was impressive. As one who has lived through the years since Yuri Gagarin’s flight in 1961, the changes have been impressive. It was salutary though to review the reasons for the deaths of 19 astronauts in the process. Some of them down to problems identified even before launch. It was also amazing that so much was achieved with very basic technology, including a lunar landing from a set of photographic images. However, longer journeys, for example a manned mission to Mars, are going to be difficult because of human’s physiological constraints. It was encouraging to learn that the commitment by the US Administration to return to the moon mid-decade was still in place....

    The Worshipful Company of Plumbers is one of the oldest Companies in the City of London, Number 31 in the order of precedence, having been granted its Ordinances in 1365. I was delighted to be invited to the Master and Clerks’ Lunch at Carpenters’ Hall. After an introduction by the Master, Nick Jones, discussions settled down to the many issues that concern both Companies. For example, I sat next (unexpectedly) to Plumbers’ Court Assistant Michael Cooper, whom I have known for years as a local chartered accountant. In fact, he was the guest speaker at my Election Court Lunch in my previous incarnation. The Company is doing well, with many people joining the Company this year. In the Autumn, the Master Plumber stands down and is likely to be succeeded by Upper Warden Paul Nash. Paul was the backbone of the WET 10 group of Livery Companies. My successor, Master Elect, Colin Drummond, is seeking to re-establish this common interest group and will be planning a live WET ev...

  The Lord Mayor of London, The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor Alderman Vincent Keaveny, is the Rector of City, University of London. The Rector’s Dinner was held in the Egyptian Hall at Mansion House to update donors and supporters about the University, and to hear about current developments, exchange views, and to thank the various donors and supporters. There were two guest speakers. Dame Vivian Hunt DBE, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company, who advises corporate, public, and third sector clients on the topics of performance improvement, productivity growth and leadership. She gave a powerful speech supporting non-traditional voices in the corporate world. She was followed by Shaima Dallali, City Students' Union President, who was recently elected as the National Union of Students’ President; who talked about the benefits of inclusion. The President of City, Si r Anthony Finkelstein, reminded guests of the long-standing connection between City University and the busin...

  Every child was received by the welcoming committee!   The Lord Mayor’s Children’s Party, making a great return after the lockdown, was the noisiest event I have been to in years. Livery Masters were invited to bring their children/ grandchildren between the ages of 6 - 9 to the Children’s’ Party at Mansion House. Hundreds of children, together with their minders, enjoyed an old-fashioned (ie non-themed) party, including the Hokey Cokey and Conga (led by the Lord Mayor around Mansion House) and ending, with the National Anthem. I was lucky enough to be with grandson Ben ( aka Spiderman), who was as overawed as I was with the entertainment.  The finale, of course, was the release of hundreds of balloons for the children to take home. The work by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, and the Sheriffs, staff and hundreds of volunteers was amazing, and ensured, I believe, nobody got lost or strayed or borrowed a few pictures! Ben and I thank the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayo...

Water Conservators’ webinars continue to be popular and relevant – a mixture of technical and environmental - but all directed towards solutions we are going to need as we put pressure on the Earth’s finite resources. On 21 April, Member Allan Barton, Global Business Leader of Arup’s resource and waste business, gave us a fascinating and thought-provoking presentation on Sustainable Resources “Treasuring the planet’s resources for the future”. As an expert on waste management Allan demonstrated the challenges we face and illustrated how nations are developing strategies to meet these challenges. This led to a number of questions, showing the overall concern about the future. My thanks go to Allan for his presentation.

The Company of Watermen and Lightermen of the River Thames invited Masters and Clerks to its St George’s Day Lunch at Watermen’s Hall. The Master, Derek Mann welcomed the guests, which included a large proportion from the Livery. The Company was founded in 1514, when the earliest Act of Parliament for regulating watermen, wherrymen and bargemen received Royal Assent from King Henry VIII. In 1700 the Lightermen (carriers of goods/cargo) joined the Watermen’s Company. In 1780 the Company moved into its Hall at St Mary-at-Hill. The Company is a working guild and is very actively involved with the life of the River Thames and those who work on it. Watermen have long standing relations with the Fishmongers and Vintners (see above) and the Master Fishmonger, Sir Alan Yarrow, was the principal speaker. Those with long memories will remember that, in the presence of (Sir) Andrew Parmley, in 2015, I presented the then Lord Mayor with a Water Jug filled with Thames Water. Those with shorter ...

Holiday it may be, but there is no escape from the issues surrounding water and sanitation in the Western Cape region. The Cape Town water crisis peaked between mid-2017 to mid-2018. Cape Town succeeded in reducing its daily water usage by more than half but, fortunately, strong rains starting in June 2018 led to dam levels recovering. In September 2018, the city began easing water restrictions. Good rains in 2020 effectively broke the drought, and the resulting water shortage, when dam levels reached 95 percent. The legacy of water conservation is evident in daily water use. The notice above refers to a pilot cloud formation initiative on Table Mountain – not altogether welcomed by tourists! At the other end, so to speak, are the problems faced by litter in sewage, especially in conservation areas. Here is some reading material from a toilet in a Reserve in P ilanesberg in the North West Province. I didn’t ask how successful the appeal was. I was on holiday!

  The Election Court, and subsequent Lunch, took place at Wax Chandlers’ Hall. The Guest Speaker was Stephen Smith, Professor of Biomass Systems at Imperial College, who spoke about ways the recovery of products, such as nitrogen, from sewage sludges and liquors, could be very cost effective if the will and the finance were there. This was especially relevant to the high cost of artificial fertilisers and water companies’ high energy usage. He was particularly grateful for the long-term support given by the Water Conservation Trust to needy MSc Bursary students and the connection with the Company, which stretched back over a decade. The Company awards a best dissertation prize for students on the university courses we support. Awards were made to: Michael Ho from Imperial, Madelaine Czura from Queen Mary, Mabel Smith from Cambridge (see above) and Sonia Singh from Birmingham. Through this award, the Company has been able to connect with the very best young people entering our s...

At a meeting of the Twelve Great Companies in 1943 it was decided to hold a Service in St. Paul's Cathedral, to lift the spirit of the City following the blitz. This Service, has become an annual event and is one of the few occasions where the Livery Companies and Guilds of the City gather together as a whole in a religious setting. Admission is open to all Livery Company members, and thirteen members and guests attended this colourful spectacle, to see the Livery Companies and Guilds, represented by Masters, Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff, together with their Wardens, in their robes and badges. The Procession was led by a Virger, and included the Choirs, the Clergy, and the Lord Mayor’s Party. The Service has a traditionally uplifting theme, with readings relating the Temple in Jerusalem to the City of Jerusalem, and the parallels in major cities, especially London. The plight of Ukraine was also on people’s minds. The service terminated with a rousing rendition of the Nation...

  In normal times, each year, the Lord Mayor invites the Masters, Prime Wardens and Upper Bailiff of the Livery Companies to Dinner to celebrate the Mayor’s partnership with the Livery Companies of the City of London, and return the hospitality received during his Mayoral year. After a two-year break, The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor Alderman Vincent Keaveny welcomed nearly 350 guests to the Mansion House, with music from the Salon Orchestra of the HAC Band and the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry. His personal escort was provided by the Pikeman and Musketeers of the HAC. The Lord Mayor welcomed those present to the Dinner and set out his plan for his period of office. The traditional Worldwide visits on behalf of City businesses had been curtailed again because of the pandemic but he was determined to catch up. He also mentioned the charitable work undertaken by Livery Companies and humanitarian assistance given to the people of Ukraine. The Consort and I were pl...