City Livery Club announces winner of Root and Branch Award

The City Livery Club has announced that the 2023 winner of its Root and Branch Award is Michael Hockney MBE for his personal contribution to the success of the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch.

The Club’s President, Deputy Christopher M Hayward, said –

As President of the City Livery Club, I am delighted to announce that the Panel constituted to judge the nominations for the Club’s Root and Branch Award, this year ably chaired by Sheriff Andrew Marsden, have concluded their deliberations, and the result is as follows:

The Winner of the 2023 Root and Branch Award is Michael Hockney MBE for his personal contribution to the success of the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch. The Panel were extremely impressed by the results of the 2023 Big Curry Lunch, which raised £435,000, far exceeding previous years. It was clear that this was achieved, in no small part, by the determination of Michael as Co‐Chairman to engage with a large number of Livery Companies, Ward Clubs, as well as City businesses, to sell a record number of places, and to secure a record number of donations and bids in its online auction. The idea of holding these curry lunches goes back to 2008, when Michael secured the support of the incoming Lord Mayor, Alderman Sir David Lewis, to draw the City’s attention to the contribution made by the Armed Services and the ongoing needs of ex‐service personnel and their families. The total raised since 2008 has been £3.3 million.

The Panel also recognised that in achieving his success, Michael, who had been nominated by his Livery Company, the Musicians, had demonstrated an exceptional contribution across many of the areas determined by the Club when they instituted the Award in 2014. Apart from the legacy of support for the specific projects supporting ex‐Service personnel, the lunch itself has started to initiate satellite fundraising curry lunches, both elsewhere in the UK, and overseas.

The Award will be presented at the City Livery Club’s Civic Banquet at Goldsmith’s Hall, in the presence of the Lord Mayor, on Tuesday 4th July.

Nominations for the 2024 Root and Branch Award will be invited from October 2023.