Events Report to the Phoenix Masters Association AGM
John Nugée, Phoenix Events Secretary
In our first year we have held three events. After a successful and enjoyable launch reception last autumn – held at Pewterers’ Hall, the home of our Chairman, and graced by our President and two Vice Presidents – we held our Inaugural Dinner on 13 March in Skinners’ Hall by kind permission of Emmeline Winterbotham, Past Master Skinner. This dinner was a Phoenix event, with our partners in the Firebirds as our guests, and in all 133 Phoenix and Firebirds members attended a fine and successful dinner, hearing Charles Bowman speak to us about his plans for his coming mayoralty (if elected later this month) and noted especially for the enthusiastic singing of the National Anthem and Grace.
Then on 31 July, a party of Phoenix and Firebirds visited the Globe theatre, for a tour of the theatre and a demonstration of the art of stage swordfighting. This was a jointly-arranged visit, and we were much assisted by the Firebirds Events Secretary Eleanor Moss. Some 44 people attended, and the visit was followed by lunch at Doggett’s Coat and Badge pub on the river.
After tonight’s dinner we have three more events planned for 2017, as below
6/7 October Visit to Harvey’s Brewery, Lewes, Sussex
Open to Phoenix members and their partners – some 50 people have so far signed up. Bill Mahony will be handling the detailed arrangements.
11 November Phoenix float at the Lord Mayor’s Show
Mark Snelling will report further on this major undertaking at the AGM
6 December Tour of the Mansion House, and tea
This is for Phoenix members only, and we hope to be joined at the tea by Charles Bowman who will speak to us about how we can as an association assist him in his mayoralty.
In planning these events we are trying to reflect the wishes of the membership as expressed in our survey last autumn, which was for a varied list of events including some on a more modest budget, some with partners and some without, and some with a straightforward purpose of meeting and enjoying each others’ company and others with a more serious purpose of helping the City.
Looking further ahead, we intend in 2018 to again have two dinners, one with partners and the AGM dinner without, though it may be that for reasons of finance one or other may be scaled back a bit. We also intend, on top of any events Charles Bowman suggests in support of the City, to have another summer social gathering; suggested possibilities include a day of croquet and a visit to a polo match. We will probably aim to hold this earlier in the year than the Globe visit to avoid too many people being away on holiday.
Administratively we have spent this year creating our website and emailing system, which I hope is now working satisfactorily. The next project will be to explore a possible booking page on the website for events; if this can be built it would give members instant confirmation of their application to events, and should also allow us to explore payment by credit and debit cards.
I am always open to suggestions for events and venues for dinners and offers to help arrange things!
John Nugée