The industry’s own Livery Company, the Worshipful Company of Butchers (WCB), is to elect a new Master today 8th September. A new Court for the Company will also be elected at the annual Common Hall ceremony, which will be held at Ironmongers Hall, London.
Stuart Thompson takes over from Patricia Dart the outgoing Master and the new Court is as follows:
Master: Stuart Thompson
Wardens:
Graham BakerTimothy DumenilMargaret Andrea BoanasAndrew ParkerDerek Berry
Assistants:
Mark AdamsIan KellyNicholas AnsteePatricia DartGeoffrey GilloRussell ParsonageChristopher WoodJohn JonesGwyn HowellsStephen ChickPeter AllenTim StoneBill JermeyDavid BakerTony Stanton
At her final Court Lunch on 1st September outgoing Master Patricia Dart thanked all Liverymen for their support during her year and received a standing ovation from all in attendance. Past Master Graham Sharp proposed the health of the outgoing Master and met with full agreement when saying that she had performed her duties with a calm efficiency and had done much to enhance the image and reputation of the WCB both in the city and in the meat industry.
Stuart Thompson was clothed into the Livery of The Worshipful Company of Butchers in 1988. A year at Spiller’s Foods Market Research as part of his degree was followed by travelling extensively in Europe and America to study poultry farming and processing methods before running a division of the family firm.
Since 1982 he has been running the business, now based in Smithfield Market, with a thriving market shop as well as a national distribution business supplying the key UK food service companies. He is the fourth generation of his family in the meat industry – his great grandfather was a butcher in Richmond in 1904. In 1999 he was awarded the French Ordre Merite Agricole (Order of Agricultural Merit) for his contribution to the French poultry industry.
Commenting after the Court lunch, the new Master, Stuart Thompson, said how much he was looking forward to his year of office and what a great honour it was to be proposed.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
