What a very great honour it is to become the Master of The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers. St Paul’s Day is a very important date in the calendar for liverymen of the company as it is the day of the last court meeting for the outgoing Master and the installation of the Master-elect.
Both my father, Michael Sykes, and grandfather Jim Webster were liverymen and Masters of the Fruiterers’ company, and I feel very privileged to follow in their footsteps and hope to contribute to the livery as they have done.
Having read through the papers thoroughly, I have found no definitive job description for the position! The documents and oaths, though, do detail what is expected. To promote the fresh fruit industry, support the Lord Mayor and the City of London Corporation and to encourage everyone in the business, whether students entering college or those who have dedicated a lifetime of service to this great enterprise.
A very important aspect of the livery is the charitable work that is undertaken and this of course has to be encouraged and promoted.
Looking back over the last year, Sandys Dawes has been a superb Master, bringing a vast amount of knowledge of fruit together with a gentle style, which have marked his stewardship out as very successful. He is a great ambassador for both the fruit business and the livery, with a sympathetic understanding gleaned from a long association with the soil and fruit growing.
This year I will be Master and the upper warden is Professor John Price, who is also chairman of the awards council. The renter warden is Peter Cooper, who has been involved with the fruit markets all his working life. His company in Western International was only sold fairly recently. Since his retirement he has become very interested in the history of the City and of the livery in particular. I will be looking to them for help and guidance as we each have different skills that I am sure will complement each other.
Our livery represents many facets of the fruit industry. About half the membership has been, or is, involved in the fruit business. The Fruiterers is comprised of a very dynamic group of people who know the industry well.
On 30 January I visited the House of Commons, invited by the All-Party Parliamentary Cider Group. They had organised an event to promote the cider industry and lobby MPs, raising their concerns and illustrating their development plans.
On 4 February I attended the Fresh Produce Consortium’s dinner, which was a marvellous celebration of the fresh produce industry, and sought to promote trading links with the guest nation China. I was delighted to see so many liverymen there and most impressed to see the links being established between the two nations. -
FIRST FEMALE MASTER SWORN INTO OFFICE ON ST PAUL'S DAY
Jane Anderson takes the reins as Master of the Fruiterers following the end of Sandys Dawes’ one year in office
St Paul’s Day is a very special date in the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers’ calendar.
It is a celebration of an ending and new beginning for the company. The outgoing Master, having been at the helm for a year, presides over his last court and function and passes on the responsibilities to his successor.
Sandys Dawes, a Kentish fruit grower and farmer, warmly welcomed Jane Anderson, the first lady in the history of the Fruiterers, to take on the Master’s mantle. The occasion is always marked by a church service at St Mary Abchurch in the city.
This year, the guest preacher was the Dean of Canterbury. Following the service the congregation adjourned to the Innholders’ Hall to witness the formalities and pay tribute to the outgoing Master following his valedictory speech. Jane Anderson was then gowned as the Master and presented with the pediments of office. -