A letter from the Editor – January 2024

First, a belated happy New Year and I hope that it is a peaceful and prosperous one, although we find ourselves in difficult times around the world. It is times like these when our fellowship and activities become even more important as we work to raise awareness of what we do and continue with our charitable works.

It’s that time of year when all sorts of planning and bits of housekeeping take place, not least of all for those of us who run businesses, making our returns to the Inland Revenue by 31st January. Above all it is a time for reflection on the past 12 months and looking forward positively to the next 12 months, and in our case how we might work with those who support us.

I also speak for our Editor Assistant Lyn Litchfield when I say that one of our biggest tasks this year is to continue to communicate with fellow Coachmakers, make them aware of what their Livery Company is planning and report back on events and activities so that even if you have not had the chance of attending a particular event or activity, you have a full report of what happened.

It is always interesting to see what fellow Coachmakers have been up to both in leisure and in work. So, we encourage you to put pen to paper and help us make Coachlines even more interesting. Of course, we would like to encourage as many people as possible to attend events as this is how we raise money to enable us to carry out the work we do.

As this edition goes to press, some lucky individuals will be joining Liverymen Nick Lyford and Simon Gurney in Paris for a visit to Retromobile 2024, the ultimate Paris car show which is held at the Port de Versailles.

There are several interesting stories for you to read in this edition, from the latest ‘Meet the Team’ article to a coach-riding adventure, and the year-end Coachmakers’ game shoot at Maisemore Court Estate.

Our Meet the Team article, which this month is our lead story and features the Coachmaking & Carriage Driving Awards Sub Committee, is written by its Chair, Junior Warden Mark Broadbent, who says it is the Livery Company’s closest contact to the roots of its origins.

Learning more about the work of these committees and how they work is important to all of us. It was fascinating to learn that the Committee meets the coaching room at the Royal Mews. I will have to talk to the Editor about where we hold our meetings!

Steward Neil Sheath brings us a heart-warming story about Laila Fadli Dokkali, who was awarded the Coachmakers’ Sir Sydney Camm Scholarship to help her complete her degree project. She describes how the award changed her life, and this is a great example of how we can make a difference.

But do please keep coming up with ideas, stories, and pictures so we can make Coachlines as interesting as we can.

Finally, you may remember our story about the Aston Martin Bulldog reaching its 200mph goal – I was part of the team looking after the PR and media relations and driving the safety car. I am pleased to report that the Aston Martin Owners’ Club is to present an award to the Bulldog team, and I am honoured to say that I will be receiving it on the team’s behalf at The Belfry in Birmingham on Saturday 27th January.

With every best wish for the coming year.

Liveryman David Barzilay