Having held the Installation Court and Annual Assembly earlier in the day, most of us were looking forward to a wonderful Installation Dinner at the magnificent Saddlers’ Hall.

The Master and Wardens took time out before the dinner commenced to have their photos taken in full regalia. It was also the first outing for our new Beadle, Mr Mervyn Bassett.

Saddlers’ Hall was almost full to bursting with enthusiastic guests, looking forward to joining the new Master. In particular, we were very pleased to be joined by a number of livery Masters and their Clerks, senior officers from the armed services, along with friends and colleagues of the Master including from the wider City Civic.

While the Master and the top table succumbed to the usual ceremony of the loving cup, the remaining guests rose, one by one, to toast their neighbour leading to much laughter as it inevitably started to go wrong. The ice broken we were treated to a mouth-watering dinner, with great music, followed by the awarding of Prizes to the current and past Richard Sermon Awards winners.

A sated audience then listened to speeches from the Master, and the Principal Guest, Alderman Dr Sir Andrew Parmley, a brilliant speaker, who had the audience in the palm of his hand with his highly enjoyable talk about the common phrases we use today which originated from the books of William Shakespeare! Who would have thought there were so many!

It was an evening filled with joy, friends who had not seen each other for so long meeting again, together with greetings for first-time attendees, including some incredibly talented pupils from Mulberry Academy Shoreditch.

But, quite rightly, the biggest cheer of the night was for the new Master when we all wished Mrs Julie Fox a successful and enjoyable year.

Keith Povey, WCCSA Clerk.