Our Summer Banquet this year was held on 7th July and by kind permission of the Lord Mayor, we were able to hold it at the Mansion House in London.

As ever, it was a very enjoyable and sociable evening in the wonderful surroundings of the Egyptian Hall of the Mansion House.

Dining in the magnificent Egyptian room at Mansion House

The evening kicked off with a very enjoyable reception, allowing plenty of time for members and guests to greet and catch-up with each other and based on the hubbub of conversation, there was plenty of catching up going on!

We were delighted that a number of air cadets from 56 (Woolwich) Squadron, one of our two cadet affiliations, had volunteered to help with welcoming members and their guests to Mansion House.

The Lord Mayor greeting the Air Cadets from 56 (Woolwich) Squadron as he arrived

The reception was followed by an excellent dinner during which we were entertained with music by the London Banqueting Ensemble, including a memorable rendition of the Post Horn Galop.

Junior Warden, Anthony Ginman, gave a speech of welcome to the guests and proposed the toast to The Lord Mayor and the City of London Corporation.

Junior Warden Anthony Ginman, welcoming all guests and proposing the toast to them

The Lord Mayor responded on behalf of the City with an excellent and humorous speech, in which he gave an update on some of the current developments in the City. He complimented the Lightmongers on the contribution they make to the City of London Livery movement and their generous support to charitable causes (particularly those linked to sensory impairment of sight and hearing) and encouraging education in the lighting industry. He presented small mementos of the evening to the Master and to the Clerk, Mark Houghton.

The Lord Mayor, Alderman Nicholas Lyons giving his speech at the Lightmongers 2023 Banquet

The Master, Jamie Berry added his welcome to all the guests, particularly the Lord Mayor, Alderman Nicholas Lyons and the Sheriffs. He thanked everyone for attending and making it a successful and memorable evening. He concluded his speech by presenting a cheque for £1000 from the Lightmongers Charity to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal “A Better City for All”, which supports a range of charities.

The Master, Jamie Berry, presenting a cheque to the Lord Mayors’ Appeal

Captain Will King RN, Commanding Officer of our affiliated ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth responded on behalf of the guests. He gave a brief update on current developments on the ship, which will be very busy over the coming months on various deployments. He affirmed their appreciation of the affiliation with the Lightmongers and looked forward to future opportunities to meet Lightmonger members. He concluded his speech with a toast to the Lightmongers Company, “may it flourish root and branch forever”.

Captain Will King giving his speech

The Master closed the evening by thanking everyone for supporting the event and wishing them a safe journey home.

A very enjoyable evening for all those attending and a great opportunity for members to entertain family, social and business guests in a superb and prestigious setting.  If you want to make an early reservation in your diary for next year the provisional date for the Banquet is 5th July 2024.