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THE SALAMANDER | JULY 2018
Page 16
F
rom the Clerk
Steven Tamcken
Wow, another year has come and
gone in what feels to be a blink of
an eye. It seems only last week
that I was sitting at my laptop
writing out my report for Common
Hall 2017.
Firstly, may I pay tribute to the
Master and Mistress Firefighter,
John and Lesley Mansfield, for
their dedication and the amount
of effort that they have put in
over the last year with regards
to the Worshipful Company of
Firefighters. I know that the Master
has attended over 100 events on
behalf of the Company and the
Mistress has also been very active
on the now firmly established
Consort’s Circuit.
Whilst sounding like an Oscar
winner, may I also take this
opportunity to thank the Wardens’,
Court of Assistants, Chairmen
and members of the various
Committees, the other Company
Officers and the members of the
back-room staff in the office for
their support and assistance during
this, our 30th year.
As we enter this period of change,
nationally with Brexit, the change
of the Civic Team in the City,
and more importantly within the
Company, I feel that it may be a
good time to reflect on whether the
Company is still; to use Business
parlance: Fit for Purpose?, Actively
engaging with the membership?,
Value for money?, or does it need
to change / adapt / evolve?, re-
engage with its members?, look at
how to be better value?, any of the
above, some of the above or all of
the above.
I cannot give you any answers for
the above questions, all I can do
as your Clerk is to give pointers,
suggestions and advice to those
Committees and Individuals that
will have to make them.
What I can say without sounding
like our Honourable Treasurer
or Chairman of the Finance
Committee is that the Company
has at present, approximately 200
members, however our Formal
and Civic events can only see
approximately a 2 – 20% take up,
for a good example - look around
you today, this event is arguably the
most important in the Company’s
annual calendar, yet there are only
approximately 30 members here,
with another 40 giving apologies. A
total of 35% replies and a take-up
of 15%.
I know that in this room today, I am
“preaching to the converted”, but
this report is also being published in
the next edition of the Salamander
and therefore to all members of
the company, and it is to the wider
audience that I am really speaking
to.
But seriously, the Company needs
to…, NO MUST, find a way of re-
engaging with our membership
so that all our events, not just the
Formal and Civic events are over-
subscribed all the time!
Equally, the Charitable Trust need
to ensure that members remember
one of their first agreements with
the Company, that of charitable
giving. To put it bluntly, without
your donations into the Trust,
the Trustees will not be able to
discharge their duty on behalf
of the Company and assist
those in greater need and less
able than ourselves, and again
attendance at the Company’s
Charitable events are to say the
least disappointing, as is the
percentage of members regularly
donating.
Again,
to
use
business
terminology, where is the
Company’s 5 or 10 -year strategy
plan, does it need one? Where do
we see the Company at the end
of that period?
Would this be a good time to look
into a small but efficient working
group to give the Company a
Root and Branch review and
set up a strategy and policy that
Court could approve and which
would enable us to go forward,
whilst keeping in touch with the
original Aims and Objectives of
the Company.
As many, if not all of you are
aware, the Company has had
to change, we are holding what
will most probably be our last
Common Hall in the magnificent
surrounding of the Great Hall of
Insurance Hall.
As from 2019 we shall most
probably be holding most of our
Company events in our new
home of the Wax Chandlers’ Hall,
or elsewhere.
The Office after many years has
had to leave Insurance Hall and
is almost back up to speed and
hopefully giving the membership
a good service. If not please let
us know, it is the only way that we
can try to improve our service to
you all.
But these changes also mean
that the Company will need
to modify it’s thinking when it
comes to meetings. Committees
are initially planned to be in the
Clerk’s Office, the Management
Board and Court, will have either
to be more flexible with dates /
times or venues, to enable the