(To listen to the full show including the music please use the Mixcloud player, for just the chat please use the player at the top of the page)
In this show Home improvement and Drain Pipes:
Well it’ been wuite a while since we recorded a show, well over 6 months in fact. There are various reasons for this but we are not going to make excuses, we have both basically been lazy and havent managed to get together to record the show.
So we thought the time had come to get our arses into gear and sit down to record a podcast.
Although we had planned the date we were going to record a few weeks ago we were both toally unprepared for doing the show, basically lazy once again.
So we sat down and winged it right through the show, now some of you may say you can’t notice any difference, but I can assure you that we do usually prepare beore we record a show.
We do however promise you the listener that we will be better prepared for future shows.
We also promise to be more consistent during 2023 and get shows out on a more regular basis.
This year’s annual trip to Disneyland Paris is due to leave the East Winter Gardens, Canary Wharf on 16th September. This is the 27thh time that members of The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers have organised the event, taking sick and terminally ill children on the trip of a lifetime. The iconic London taxi with its big-hearted drivers travel in convoy down to Dover with their precious passengers, where they all board a P&O Ferry bound for Calais.
Throughout the year, there have been many fund-raising events to help finance the trip and every taxi has been sponsored. Sponsors include many Livery Companies, businesses and organisations which make the trip possible; but without these drivers who take the children and then accompany them around the theme park, this could not take place.
The day before the trip sees all the taxis undergo an inspection to ensure they are mechanically ready for the long drive. They will also be affixed with sponsors’ details. This year it will be taking place at the NSL where the licensing authority for taxis is based in Canning Town, you should always learn about taxi tips for private hire drivers.
The next morning everyone involved is up very early, with the drivers’ collecting children and their carers from several London hospitals as well as their homes. The Big Breakfast send-off at Canary Wharf is electric with excitement. This year the Sheriff of the City of London, Alderman Alison Gowman, will be attending with other dignitaries, joining the Master of The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers, Stephen Plumb, to cut the red ribbon and wave the convoy off.
Office workers will once again be astonished as they go to work on the morning, as one thing is certain – the taxis, the drivers and the carers will be making a good deal of noise as they leave. Police outriders from both the UK and France escort the convoy, which can reach up to five miles in length, to ensure a safe passage throughout the weekend both here and in France.
Once in France the escorted convoy will continue to make its way down to Disneyland Resort, Paris where the children will enjoy a magical weekend.
Some amazing facts – this 27h trip will mean a total of 5,000 children have travelled in the convoy of taxis. Some of these children it will have been their first trip in a taxi it may also be their first trip abroad or to Disneyland Paris. Even more amazing is that some of the licensed taxi drivers on this year’s Magical Taxi Tour have given their vehicle and time freely for every one of those 27 trips. This equates to driving around 20,000 miles and missing a total of 125 day’s work. Every driver who has ever done this trip will tell you – it is a magical event and brings a great deal of pleasure to the children involved.
The trip is organised by a small committee of unpaid members.
You can learn more about the Magical Taxi Tour at www.magicaltaxitour.com where you will find details of previous trips and also how you can help by making a donation to help fund next year’s outing.
You can also track our progress via our social media accounts where we will be livestreaming over the weekend:
Veterans Vic Needham Crofton and Tom Weatherall have become great friends as part of the Taxi Charity Fundraising Bucket Collection Team. Little did they know when they first met through the charity that they had both played their part in the Queen’s Coronation.
Vic Needham CroftonTom Weatherall
On Coronation Day Vic was one of the soldiers who lined the coronation route and Tom was stationed with the RAF outside Westminster Abbey.
Vic Needham Crofton said, “We trained for about six weeks to be ready for the Queen’s Coronation and we were honoured to line the route. It rained for most of the day, but we didn’t mind. I will be watching all the Jubilee coverage wearing my beret and medals. It was a very special day seventy years ago and I am sure the platinum jubilee celebrations will be just as special.”
Tom Weatherall said, “Seventy years ago I was in the RAF and as I was only young, I was the perfect age for parades. As an ex-pit lad, it was a real privilege to be part of the Coronation Squad. On the day I was outside Westminster Abbey, and we saluted and presented arms as the Queen got out of her carriage. As soon as the Queen was inside, we marched off and enjoyed the party atmosphere with a few pints in the Elephant and Castle.”
To find out more about the support the Taxi Charity offers veterans visit www.taxicharity.org
About the Taxi Charity
The Taxi Charity is run by volunteer London black taxi drivers and has been supporting thousands of veterans of all ages since 1948. The charity arranges free trips to the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, for acts of commemoration and days out to museums, concerts, or fundraising events in the UK, to catch up with friends and comrades.
The Charity worked tirelessly during the pandemic to ensure veterans received regular contact by sending out a greeting card each month, gifts to mark the 75th anniversaries of VE and VJ day, stockings at Christmas and arranging Guards of Honour at veterans’ funerals. Volunteers have also helped with regular phone calls, food shopping, transport to hospital appointments, and more recently taking veterans for their Coronavirus injections.
The charity was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in June 2021.
To fund and facilitate their work, the charity is reliant on generous donations from members of the public, businesses, and trusts.www.taxicharity.org
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