Winter Dinner 2025 – House of Commons
House of Commons Houses of Parliament, St Margaret St, LondonWe have never dined in the House of Commons and owe this great opportunity to our friend and fellow Member, Howard Leigh, who currently serves in the House of Lords, as Lord Leigh of Hurley. The Commons is a fascinating place to visit, never mind its rich history, amazing architecture and pivotal role in our nation's governance. We are lucky enough to be holding our drinks reception in the Strangers Bar, before moving next door to the lovely Members Dining Room for our meal. Next, in another first for the Company, there will be a public clothing ceremony for some new Liverymen - something which has hitherto always taken place in the privacy of a Court Meeting. After we have dined, we will be entertained by three fabulous sopranos from the justly-famous "Ida Girls", who will delight us with a medley of famous arias and West End show-stoppers. Then we shall move on to the presentation of the new Sword of Honour to our own Special Forced Support Group, who will be represented by the CO and RSM. I'm afraid that the identity of the principal guest and speaker for the evening must remain unsaid for the present. There are three lined up for the next three Dinners, but two of them come with security details, so I hope you will bear with me whilst they all haggle amongst themselves and with their opposite numbers at the three venues! Last, as regards price, it has been possible to reduce the cost of places yet again. You will recall that at the Installation Dinner, by dint of much juggling (and no little pleading by the Master!) we cut £10 off what has emerged as the standard City price of £149, reducing it to £139. This time, it has proved possible to...