The Worshipful Company of Builders’ Merchants (WCoBM) continues to grow adding nine new Liverymen and ten new Freemen to its membership this year.
In April, the Company welcomed Liverymen Andrew Weiss, President of The Rainy Day Trust; Martyn Smith of MPS Builders’ Merchants; Dennis Smith of Builders Merchants Sector Consultancy; David Dickens of Martin & Partners; and Michael Beard of Encon Insulation. Four more Liverymen were installed in October: Darren Digby of Digby Trading Ltd; Richard Skinner of Chandlers’ Building Supplies; Stephen Boyer of Marsh Industries; and Arthur Duffy of NetPlan. In addition, General the Lord Dannatt and Alderman Dr Andrew Parmley became Honorary Liverymen of the Company in October.
The new Freemen are: James Rance of Kings Langley Building Supplies; Chris Hemmington-Green of The Velux Company; Vinod Patel of All Needs Group; Carl Platt of Cemex UK; Jennie Ward of Builders’ Merchants News; Stephen Dunkley of Aliaxis Building Solutions; Tony Smith of Courtney Smith Group; Robert Munson; and Barry Smart of Makita UK. Being accepted as a Freeman of the WCoBM is the first step on the path to becoming a Liveryman. Freemen are awarded the Freedom of the City at a special ceremony at Guildhall before they are installed as Liverymen.
Membership currently stands at 210 Liverymen, 25 Freemen, 2 Honorary Liverymen, 1 Honorary Member, and 1 Honorary Freeman.
“I am very proud of our growing livery,” says the Master Leo Martin. “I hope all our members take full advantage of key networking events organised throughout the year, and actively support our objectives.”
The WCoBM plays a key part in the builders’ merchant sector, promoting training and education for builders’ merchants and fundraising for a number of charities. It is also very active in supporting the Mayoralty and raising the profile of builders’ merchants in the City, highlighting their importance in ‘Supplying Britain’s Building Needs’.
The Livery Company represents all parts of the industry. Members include leading figures in merchants, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, buying groups, service suppliers and ancillary trades.
Visit www.wcobm.co.uk for more information and download a copy of its latest newsletter. Follow @WCoBM.
