Court Dinner

It is traditional at the end of a Master's year for there to be a Court Dinner with Partners. In effect it's a farewell dinner. Thanks to the good offices of the Clerk we were able to hold this in Girdlers Hall. This hall is not generally available and is only let out three or four times a year. The Girdlers are financially strong enough not to have to worry overmuch about generating hall revenue!
The hall itself is on a site that the Company has owned for centuries but like so many halls it was destroyed in the great fire of 1666 and again during the bombing raids of the second world war. It was rebuilt in 1961 and significantly extended and refurbished in 2006. It is now very grand indeed and a wonderful venue for the Court Dinner
This traditionally a closed event with no guests. An exception was made this year as we invited Commander Tom Sharpe of HMS St Albans. The ship has just returned from 6 months in the Persian Gulf and after a refit will out at sea again so it seemed a perfect opportunity for us to meet Commander Sharpe and for him to meet us in an informal and relaxed setting.
It also allowed me the opportunity to present him with the silver Marketors' Cup to be awarded annually to the member of the ship's company who does the most to raise the profile of HMS St Albans/the Royal Navy externally by, for instance, work in local communities, volunteering in youth groups, raising money for charity and the like. I was also able to present him with a cheque from the Marketors' Trust as a donation to the ship's Benevolent Fund.
For me, as I reached almost the end of my year, this Court Dinner was a very special evening which Marianne and I deeply appreciated