Company Social Activities

The social Currier calendar provides formal and semi-formal dinners with guests in different City livery halls, as well as less formal dinners, occasional drinks parties and the opportunity to attend pageants, events and ceremonies in unique surroundings.

These are the major events in the Curriers' annual programme:

• January - Epiphany Court Dinner
• March - United Guilds Service at St Paul's Cathedral and joint Luncheon with the Cordwainers' Company
• March - Lady Day Open Court Dinner
• April - St George's Day Luncheon
• June - Midsummer Court Dinner
• June - Shrieval Election Luncheon with other Companies
• June - Midsummer Livery Dinner
• September - Michaelmas Invitation Court Dinner
• October - Election of the Lord Mayor and Luncheon with other Companies
• November - Court and Livery Dinner
• November - Audit Court Dinner
• December - Carol Service and Supper

The Curriers undertake many visits to places of interest, including both annual and occasional trips. These visits cover a broad range of interests, whether historical, cultural or educational, from leather to arts, crafts, drama and music. Even battlefield and wine tasting tours abroad. Recent visits include:

• Great Fire of London Walk and Quiz - a walk and quiz for adults and children around some of the key sites of the fire, helping to uncover little known facts about the fire its extent and impact on Londoners.
• HMS Trumpeter - a trip on the Thames on HMS Trumpeter one of the Company’s affiliated military units. Sailing down to the Thames barrier, passing all the riverside landmarks. After the Curriers took turns steering they returned to St Katherine’s dock and a warming lunch.
• Day of Leather - the Company endeavours to visit organisations within the leather trade and to hold a Day of Leather each year. The last visit was to Stanwick Northamptonshire with a morning of briefings about the nature of leather and its processing, followed by an excellent lunch and an afternoon visit to a traditional tannery.
• Magna Walk - an evening walk around the City concentrating around the Inns of Court with strands on the Magna Carta. The informative walk took the Curriers through the steps to Liberal Democracy started by the Magna Carta.
• Champagne Tour - a 3-day tour of the Champagne region, based in Reims, with visits and tastings at a number of Champagne houses including a tour of the Taittinger cellars and a visit to the Larnaudie-Hirault vineyards.

There are various annual events in which livery companies compete with one another. The Curriers take part in several of these:

• Annually the Curriers and Cordwainers meet for the bi-lateral golf match to contest the East Tankard. In addition to this bi lateral match there are also a number of inter livery golf events, including a day’s golf with the other “leather livery” companies.
• The bridge competition, which is immaculately organised by the Worshipful Company of the Makers of Playing Cards, is held at the Drapers’ Hall on the first Monday in March each year. The well-established format involves duplicate bridge playing 12 hands before an admirable supper, the Drapers famous beef Wellington, and a further 10 or 12 hands afterwards.
• The annual Inter Livery Charity Clay Shoot is an event where the Curriers and other Livery Companies go head to head, fielding their best guns in an enjoyable day's shooting. Whilst there is definitely an air of competition, the day is also about raising money for charity and having fun.