34. 23-12-20 Funeral Service For Ted Flaxman

The funeral service for Ted Flaxman was held today at St Mary the Virgin in Cottisford. Although the pandemic restricted attendance at the service, Ted’s family kindly arranged for the service to be recorded. Ted was a founding member of the Water Conservators and was Master for the year 1996/97. He had a distinguished Civil Engineering career working with consultants Binnie

& partners where he was a Partner in their Victoria-based office in London.

He was passionate about the use of technology and was the founder of ISTT

(The International Society for Trenchless Technology), becoming its first Chairman (and subsequently Chairman Emeritus).

He was also responsible for the development of blue plaques to record the historic importance of water conduits in the City – the first of these was erected at Aldermanbury in 2010, the second in Cheapside (to mark the “Great Conduit”) in 2014 and the third in Fleet Street (to mark the “Fleet

Conduit”) in 2018. I first met Ted at the unveiling of the Great Conduit plaque. The 14^th century conduit standard lies some 15 feet below the pavement and was first discovered at the end of a sewer in the late 19^th century, then rediscovered during excavations for a nearby development at the beginning of the 21^st century. Ted was keen to uncover whether there was any evidence that it was one of Bazelgette’s sewers that ran into the structure, but after some investigations together, it appeared most likely that it was a local sewer.

It was a very beautiful service today at the church at Cottisford, with many loving tributes from his family. And as a Water Conservator Ted was greatly appreciated and will be sorely missed.

33. 23-12-20 Christmas Greetings

As we enter into another “lockdown” over Christmas and probably beyond, I am very grateful for how our members have continued to support Company events throughout the pandemic of 2020. Despite being constrained to the virtual environment I thought our Wine Tasting Evening, Pumpkin Carving Competition, and Carol Festival were excellent events, and we have staged some very interesting, topical, and engaging webinars. The imagination and support of our members has enabled us to quickly adapt to this new way of life.

We have much to look forward to in 2021, with the hope that at some point everything will return to normal and we can finally meet up again at one of our lunches. In the meantime, we will continue with a number of planned virtual events, see our website and monthly updates for details. We will continue to develop our links with, and support for, the City Corporation in the key areas of plastic waste and climate change. I am also hopeful that we can engage more members in supporting the activities of the Water Conservation Trust.

Although Christmas will be rather different this year, I wish you, your families and friends a very happy and peaceful time and look forward to us all meeting up once again in 2021.

32. 18-12-20 Terry Brueck’s Retirement Celebration

Tonight, it was a great honour to be invited to attend and speak at Terry Brueck’s Retirement Celebration. For many years Terry was Vice President and then President and CEO of EMA, an instrumentation, control and automation (ICA) consultancy company based in Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota, USA. EMA worked with Thames Water on an ICA strategy back in the 1990s and I also had the opportunity to work with Terry in the US on projects, bids, research projects and presentations at conferences. He introduced me to many senior water professionals and technical experts in the US that was to greatly influence my career in the water industry.

Although the retirement celebration had to be held virtually because of the pandemic it was opportunity to reconnect with many of those professionals both inside and outside of the US, some of whom I had not seen for 15 years. We shared our stories and I shared a few pictures that brought memories flooding back for many. I’ve included just one below which shows Terry and myself with the senior management from East Bay Municipal District taking the ferry across the bay from Oakland to San Francisco after a long workshop to enjoy dinner and a night out in the city.

I also spent a number of amazing holidays with Terry and his family in the US, and hopefully if they return to the UK in retirement for a vacation at some point I can introduce them to the hospitality of the Water Conservators in one of the City’s prestigious livery halls for one of our lunches.

31. 17-12-20 Future Structure of the Water Conservation Trust

I chaired a second meeting of the committee to discuss the future structure of the Water Conservation Trust today. We need to move the Trust to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) to give the new body a legal status and protect the Trustees. It was a very productive session we agreed the basis of a future vision statement to be drafted shortly and presented to the Court.

Although the Company and Trust need to be separate legally and in terms of governance, it was agreed that the Trust and Company should be presented as parts of a single organisation to members. It was also recommended that the standing committees of the Company should all have an agenda item on the Trust. The need to engage with new Company members and Court members about the activities of the Trust was also discussed with the possibility of meeting to discuss the future vision in the spring. A webinar on the activities of the Trust for members is planned for early March.

30. 15-12-20 Virtual Carol Festival

Tonight, I attended the very first Water Conservators virtual carol festival. Our Chaplain the Reverend Katherine Hedderly, Area Dean to the City and Vicar of All Hallows by the Tower, kindly agreed to host the evening for us. Unfortunately, it was not possible to hold our normal annual carol service in the lovely All Hallows church, but our members and their families more than made up for it by submitting their own delightful pre-recorded carols for everyone to enjoy via zoom.

Entries included classics such as “The Holly and The Ivy” sung by the Lane family and “In The Bleak Midwinter” by the Williamson family ensemble, along with “Spaceman Came Travelling” by Emily Catford and a Silent Night cello solo by Jo Parker. There were also beautiful entries from children including “Once in Royal David’s City” by Oliver and Rose, and Silent Night by Chloe. The carols were interspersed with readings by Mark Lane, Christine Jarvis and myself.

The evening concluded with a grand finale of “Someday at Christmas” by the Hugh Myddelton Primary School choir and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” sung by Colin and Georgina Drummond. A thoroughly enjoyable evening and my thanks go to Deputy Master Mark Lane, Past Master Simon Catford and the Reverend Katherine Hedderly for organising the event, to all the singers for recording and sending in their carols, and of course to all our members and guests who attended and supported the event.

29. 14-12-20 Masters 20/21 Meeting

Tonight, I attended a virtual Masters 20/21 Meeting via zoom. It was an opportunity to catch up with the Masters from other Livery Companies and to see how they were faring with the significant constraints imposed by the current social restrictions. Most companies have turned to virtual events to continue to promote engagement and fellowship with their members during these difficult times. Quiz evenings and wine tasting have been popular, and one or two companies employed a magician and said that was very enjoyable. One company even held a successful home treasure hunt. Many companies have continued with virtual ceremonies and installations.

Louise Starling from the Guild of Young Freeman explained how it was particularly difficult to engage with Young Freeman when most spend the day on zoom and are becoming “zoomed out”. Everyone couldn’t wait for the return to normality and the ability to re-engage with their membership. It would appear that many City businesses are hoping to bring employees back to the office in the summer. Finally, we all wished each other a very happy Christmas and looked forward to getting together again with the Lord Mayor in the New Year.

28. 10-12-20 Bricks and Water Webinar

Tonight, I hosted the 7^th in our series of monthly webinars titled “Bricks and Water: Building Resilience for England’s Homes”. Rob Allen of Policy Connect, gave an interesting presentation outlining out the key recommendations from the 2020 “Bricks and Water” report, the product of an inquiry by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum, co-chaired by Angela Smith MP and Baroness McIntosh of Pickering.

The report highlights that due to climate change and population growth areas of the UK could run out of water by 2050. One in six properties in England are at risk of flooding, and since 2013, 85,000 new homes have been built within areas of high flood risk.

The report makes a number of key recommendations to address these issues including a tougher simpler planning framework, powers for the Office for Environmental Protection, addressing water issues at the catchment scale, water efficiency and SuDS, incentives for land managers, and development of property resilience.

Rob pointed out that personal water consumption must be urgently cut from the current national average of 143 litres per person per day, through a combination of measures such as changes to building regulations, introduction of a mandatory water label for fixtures and fittings, and increased metering. It should be possible to reduce consumption below 90lpppd by 2050, at little-to-no cost to the householder.

Increased property development exacerbates the risks from flooding and in spite of increased funding for flood defence schemes, it will not be possible to protect all homes. The report recommends the rapid acceleration of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures to help to reduce the costs of restoration following a flood and allow buildings to be re-occupied more quickly. The report also calls for the mandatory use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) for new developments in England.

27. 10-12-20 Treloar’s Virtual Liveries Day

In 1908 the then Lord Mayor of the City of London, Sir William Purdie Treloar, opened his school and hospital in Alton, Hampshire for disabled children. Today the Treloar’s School continues this tradition caring for around 170 severely disabled children many of whom require 24-hour care. The Virtual Liveries Day provides an opportunity for the Masters of Livery Companies, who provide a vital part of the funding of the school, to see the work of the Treloar’s charity and how the children are cared for and educated. Such are the high standards of education at Treloar’s that they have achieved an “outstanding” rating from OFSTED.

The event opened with a welcoming address by Simon Birch, CEO at Treloar’s who described the excellent facilities at the school and how the charity raises around £2m per annum to maintain them. He explained how the pandemic had meant significant additional costs to keep the school functioning and how the pandemic had also restricted their ability to raise funds via normal fund-raising events. The Water Conservation Trust normally donates £1000 each year from a collection at a lunch event, and will be continuing to donate £1000 this year even though we have had to cancel our lunch events.

Martin Ingram, the school Principal, then talked about the anxiety amongst the students during the first lockdown when it was not clear whether local hospitals would be able cope with any patients from the school. The school adapted well to the restrictions in place during the pandemic with some education being delivered remotely.

We were then given access to a class in progress via zoom. The children were acting out “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, with each child playing a character from the story. The young boy in the centre of the photograph below played the part of the ghost of Christmas past.

Finally, there was a question and answer session with the leadership team at Treloar’s. Overall, it was an amazing and moving experience, and I look forward to the possibility of actually visiting the school when the pandemic is over.

26. 09-12-20 Christmas Court and Installation Ceremony

The Christmas Court was held today virtually by zoom and I then had the great pleasure of admitting a record number of 4 new Freeman and 9 Liverymen at an Installation and Clothing Ceremony. John DeMoraes, Jeremy Jones, Geoff Parker, and Neil Reynolds were installed as Freemen. Allan Barton, Bill Cutting, Chris Downs, Afzal Ginwalla, Clive Kennedy, David McIlroy, Barry Millar, Steve Morris and Jim Southworth were all admitted as Liverymen in a Clothing Ceremony. The zoom technology was perfectly managed by Past Master Simon Catford as each candidate made their declaration to the Court. My thanks also go to our Learned Clerk for organising the ceremonies with his usual detailed care.

Normally the Christmas Court is followed by a splendid lunch at Guildhall, which of course was not possible this year with the current restrictions. However, with a vaccine now available hope is in sight for next year. I’m looking forward to meeting up with all those admitted today and congratulating them in the flesh at a future event. It was also a splendid sight to see so many familiar smiling faces on zoom for the Court Meeting and Ceremonies. Everyone looked in great spirits and the Company is good shape despite the restrictions that have severely constrained our normal programme of events.

25. 08-12-20 Carols For The City Service

Today I attended a very beautiful virtual carol service “Carols For The City” organised by The Lord Mayor’s Appeal, the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT) and the City of London vocal group, VOCES8.

The prior to the service Mark Halford, Master of Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and Paul Smith CEO of the VOCES8 Foundation introduced a session explaining the work of the 4 charities sharing the proceeds of donations for the event, which had reached a total of £44,000 on the night. Both the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and the WCIT Charity provide financial and volunteering support to charities throughout the UK. The VOCES8 Foundation last year worked with 40,000 students, including many schools in and around the City of London, while the Friends of City Churches supports all the churches in the City of London.

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, DBE then talked about the important work of the City Churches supporting the homeless during lockdown, which was followed by a brief presentation on the history of the Livery Companies.

The service itself consisted of 7 carols and 7 lessons with a welcome from The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman William Russell and a message by HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, KG, GCVO. The carols were beautifully sung by pitch perfect VOCES8 and included well known favourites “Once in Royal David’s City”, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “We Three Kings”. There was also the Coventry Carol sung by group Apollo5, and a lovely rendition of “Away in a Manger” by the Elizabeth Selby Primary School in Tower Hamlets.

The lessons were read by a number of very distinguished guests including the Lord Mayor, HRH Prince Edward, Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Kenneth Olisa, Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, and Mary Berry, TV personality. The evening concluded with closing prayers by The Reverend Marcus Walker, and a Blessing by The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, DBE, followed by an organ voluntary by Alderman Sir Andrew Parmley. It was a very joyful and splendid event, a really great way to start the Christmas festivities.

24. 01-12-20 Future Structure of Water Conservation Trust

Today I chaired a meeting of representatives from the Water Conservators Company and Water Conservation Trust to discuss the future structure of the Water Conservation Trust. Currently the Trust exists as a Charity but not as a company entity. Hence, it was agreed that we need to move to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) to give the new body a legal status and protect the Trustees.

Two types of CIO are recommended by the Charity Commission. A Foundation CIO is normally governed by a trust deed, run solely by its trustees and doesn’t have a voting membership. A Foundation CIO is probably closest to the current structure of the Trust. An Association CIO is often used if you want your charity to be a corporate body and have a wider membership, including voting members other than the charity trustees. In this case the members elect Trustees and can make decisions on how the assets of Trust are utilised. The definition of a member is quite open, it could be the donors, all members of the Water Conservators Company or the Company as a single member.

It was agreed that it was unwise to move straight to a solution at this stage. The need to reinforce the purpose of Company and Trust working together to meet the charitable aims of the Company was recognised and it was agreed that those present would work together to draw up a statement on the way forward including the need to increase the engagement of Company members in the Trust, and bring in new members and expertise to increase funding. A draft statement would be drawn up for discussion at the next meeting of those present on 15th December 2020.