21. The Magical Taxi Tour

The collection after my Installation Lunch went to the Hackney Carriage Drivers. It was used to sponsor a taxi for their annual visit to Disneyland Paris, a trip for terminally ill children and their carers in more than 100 London Black Cabs.

The send off on 6 October included a 06.00 ‘Big Breakfast’ in Canary Wharf for all those involved: the Hackney Carriage Drivers, the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, donors and, of course, children and families, and a band. The convoy (three miles long) set off, escorted by English and French police, the AA, and support services and made its way to the Channel Ferry, led by the Master Hackney Carriage Driver and the organiser, Phil Davis, who has made it all happen for 24 years. They returned the following Sunday.

The photo shows the Water Conservators’ taxi, our driver and the family - and Peter Hall, to whom I am most grateful for representing me, just before leaving the East Wintergarden.