“A drop of rain was not enough to dampen the spirits of The Lord Mayor of The City of London Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli and Alderman & Sheriff Bronek Masojada who gallantly mounted up and rode around The City of London on Wednesday, 22 May, to raise awareness and funds for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal and the Sheriffs’ & Recorders’ Fund.”
I had the opportunity of doing this as Sheriff in 2021 and, despite a lot of calendar juggling, was determined to do what I could again with the excellent HAC Light Cavalry, given Elisabeth’s permission (the HAC Light Cavalry defend the Lady Mayoress, while I have the privilege of being guarded by the HAC’s Company of Pikemen & Musketeers). I was also delighted to be reunited with my trusty steed, Leo.
Setting off from Warwick Square, Alderman and Sheriff Bronek Masojada was accompanied by the HAC Light Cavalry and City of London Police who ensured a safe journey through the City, stopping at various Liveries and businesses. I joined Bronek Masojada at SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity, at Dunstan’s Hill and, once mounted, the party continued on their journey giving the whole of The City a spectacle to admire.
The Lord Mayor of the City of London Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli said;
“We had a fantastic – if slightly soggy – morning yesterday riding through the City of London to raise funds for the The Lord Mayor’s Appeal and Sheriffs’ & Recorder’s Fund. Along with Sheriff Masojada and the Honourable Artillery Company Light Cavalry, led by Alan Willis, we visited a number of iconic City businesses and livery companies to spread awareness and goodwill.”
Toasting with Master Pewterer Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC
Special thanks to all the Liveries and businesses for their warm welcomes and support: Innholders, Dyers, Skinners, Tallow Chandlers, Staff at Mansion House, Gallaghers, Marsh, PPL, SSAFA, Bakers, Watermen & Lightermen, Lloyd’s of London, Grocers, Mercers, Wax Chandlers, Saddlers, Goldsmiths, and Cutlers. And to the team that made it all happen from the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, to Mansion House, to the aides-de-camps, and my dear friend Mark Duff for many of the photos, but especially to Alan Willis VR (in uniform on my left) and the entire Light Cavalry.
My never-that-good and out-of-date riding skills at least didn’t prevent me from the luck of having one last honour of inspecting the unit in October, again, with Elisabeth’s permission, and see Leo again.
Remarks to: XRchiving, Bush House, King’s College London, Saturday, 20 April 2024, by The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of London Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli
“History Refined By Technology: Connecting To Prosper In The World’s Coffee House.”
For the first time since 1899, dozens of people have been awarded the Freedom of the City of London today. The ceremony saw 40 recipients from a broad spectrum of sectors honoured at the Mansion House for their outstanding contributions in their respective fields.
Sadly, as a cyclist myself, the anti-social behaviour of many London cyclists is becoming socialised. Thus we had an enforcement morning today from 08:00 to 10:00 at Bank with the following resources:
City of London Police Cycle Team (1 sergeant & 7 constables)
Neighbourhood Policing officers (NHP) and crime prevention stand
Road Policing officers (with vehicle and solo motorcycle)
Lorry/HGV for an Exchanging Places experience (sitting in a real state-of-the-art lorry cab to see what can’t be seen of the cyclists when driving)
Cycle mechanic to carry out basic bicycle maintenance for commuters for free.
London Fire Brigade – to explain dangers around e-bike battery storage.
Corporation Road Safety Team
Bike-register – security cycle marking for free (usually £20)
Student officers positioned at junctions to pass on safety message to cyclists and explain why the roadshow is here and the benefits of attending
It was impressive to see squads of police trying to stop errant cyclists. My personal estimate is that far more than half ‘got away’, sometimes nonchalantly cycling round 50 or so cyclists and hi-vis officers at the King William Street lights, running those red lights, going up on pavements, cycling the wrong way down the street, and then evading waving police officers. There really is a problem.
Results? 129 cyclists were stopped and offered a ticket or attending a ‘road show’.
120 sent over and attended the road show – this was the main aim, so they were given option of ticket or attend road show
8 tickets (not bad considering all the police there and they had option of going to road show)
1 arrest (s24 PACE 19834 – as they refused to give details after contravening a red light)
7 e-bikes/e-scooters seized for destruction
44 bicycles security marked
200 plus key messages around cycle safety and crime prevention
Sadly, during the morning, just outside Bank, a woman was run over by an unregulated scooter and put into intensive care.
All partners that attended were pleased with the event, getting their own key messages out and thanked us for arranging the event. My sincere thanks to Deputy James Thomson (Chairman of the Police Committee), Commander Khan, and the entire Corporation and Police teams.
A subtle re-styling of the infamous Negroni. The Amariconi draws on the Lord Mayor’s multinational heritage and his love of inventing Italian bitters cocktails.
Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whiskey, Campari, Cranberry Juice
Stirred through ice, garnished with dry orange & a cinnamon stick and served in an Old-Fashioned glass.
THE LADY MAYORESS’S COCKTAIL
THE SHUTTLECOQ
With the famous digestif from the Lady Mayoress’s country of birth as its base, the Shuttlecoq is a reference to one of her favourite cocktails and her love of badminton.
Jägermeister, Kahlua, Double Cream
Shaken & double strained, garnished with fresh mint & coffee beans and served in a Martini glass.
Having teased Elisabeth these many years about her hair slowly becoming a ‘whiter shade of blonde’, we had to placate her with a wheat beer this year. Not a lot of brewing time given all the Mayoralty commitments, but off we went. We laid it down on 6 January with an OG of 1049 and sampled today at FG 1000 for an implied 6.43% ABV. There was a touch of added cardamom, but otherwise just the usual dosing with odds and sods.
Result? Not our finest, but our competitive brewing neighbour kindly said it was OK. However, well drunk with some great music!
