The Livery Newsletter and Gazette Issue 32 Spring 2020 | Page 13

The Children’s Magical Taxi Tour
Report from the Disneyland Organising Committee
The Children’s Magical Taxi Tour started on Friday
13th September 2019 from the East Wintergarden,
Canary Wharf.
We are pleased to report that there were 420
participants and a convoy of 120 vehicles. Once again,
we were escorted by units from City of London Police
and the Gendarmerie Nationale who joined us at
Canary Wharf. We were also assisted by the London
Ambulance Service Trust and the AA.
Each year we reach a milestone and we have now
taken over 5000 children on a trip of a lifetime. Some
of our drivers who have participated in the trip for
the past twenty-six years have given over one hundred
days of their time. We are pleased that 80% of the
drivers are Liverymen or Freeman of the Company.
Many Companies would be delighted to get an
attendance of this size for an event of this nature.
We welcome the support of the Livery and were
pleased to see so many sponsors also attended the
breakfast giving them an opportunity to see the
children in their sponsored taxis.
In a year of economic uncertainty, we were worried
about the take up of sponsorship of the taxis and the
target of £160,000 that it costs to fund the trip. In
addition, market forces are against us with low interest
on our investments making our task even harder. I
am pleased to announce that we exceeded our target.
Each year we try to tweak and improve on what has
gone before while staying within the confines of
Disneyland, the constraints of Health & Safety issues
and the general health of the children involved.
The trip was very successful with no breakdown of
vehicles or major medical emergencies. The children,
whatever their medical conditions, had a weekend to
remember and were full of smiles. From the time they
arrived at Disneyland until they came off the ferry at
the end of the trip they were treated to many surprises.
The feedback we have received from the hospitals has
confirmed that the trip certainly has brought lots of
enjoyment to the children and made them feel very
special.
The next trip was due to take place on 2nd October
2020 but after lengthy discussions, the Disneyland
Organising Committee felt that the trip should be
cancelled. The decision was not taken lightly but due
to the current situation surrounding Coronavirus, it
is impossible to make any plans. We look forward to
organising the event in 2021.
The Disneyland Organising Committee
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