Livery Dinner February 2006 with Sir Donald Sinden 

An Actor's Life is Never Dull!

The Basketmakers' Company first Livery Dinner of the year under new Prime Warden, Ronald Bartle, was held at Skinners Hall in February.

Masters attended from the Leathersellers, Butchers, Fruiterers, Girdlers, Painter-Stainers, Parish Clerks and Inn-holders and indeed in the guise of the Basketmakers' Clerk, Roger de Pilkyngton, they had the newly installed Master Marketor.

The Basketmakers' Company also welcomed members from the Livery Army Unit, 100 Regiment, who were represented by Lt. Colonel Simon West and Major Simon Sadler together with Lt. Andrew Mattinson the first winner of the Adjutant of the Year Award, pictured receiving his prize.

Assistant John Clarke gave a very humorous introduction to the guests.

Principal guest and speaker was Sir Donald Sinden CBE, a fellow member of the Prime Warden's West End Club, the Garrick. Sir Donald has been a star of stage, television and radio for seven decades

Sir Donald's film debut was in that epic film 'The Cruel Sea' in 1953; he went on to work in the hugely successful 'Doctor in the House'. He moved from the Rank Organisation's Leading Man and Matinee Idol to more character roles later in his career. He worked extensively in the theatre principally with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is well known for his television roles in series such as 'Two's Company' and 'Never the Twain', his most recent television role being with Martin Shaw in Judge John Deed.

Sir Donald's speech was amusing and very entertaining delivered in that glorious unmistakable voice. He told the 'audience' that he was brought up in the village of Ditchling and his father was great friends with the famous artist Frank Brangwyn who was commissioned to paint the marvellous scenes around the Skinners' Hall depicting episodes in the Company's history. Sir Donald casually pointed up to the painting of a boy with a globe and a map saying that he modelled for the artist when he was a boy of 9 years old.

Quite remarkable that decades later he should be invited to speak in the very Livery Hall where the painting was hung.

The Prime Warden, Ronald Bartle, thanked Sir Donald for giving a great deal of pleasure to the audience with his reminiscences and stories and presented him with a basket.