Harrison Funeral Home Founder and Managing Director, Mark Catchpole, has received Freedom of the City of London.
Freedom of the City of London is a recognition given to people who have achieved success, recognition or celebrity in their chosen field and today, 4 March 2014, Harrison Funeral Home founder, Mark Catchpole has received the honour.
With the ceremony taking place in the Chamberlain’s Court, Guildhall, today’s recipients and guests were welcomed into the Court Room. Recipients were then invited to step forward and read aloud the declaration of the Freeman and sign the Freedom’s Declaration Book. The Clerk presented recipients with a copy of the Freedom Certificate, along with “The Rules for the Conduct of Life,” written by a former Lord Mayor of London in the early part of the 18th Century.
Of the recognition, Mark said, “It is a great honour to receive Freedom of the City today.” He continued, “When I look at the list here of all the other people who have received this, I am genuinely humbled. My thanks to the City and the Clerk of the Chamberlain’s Court for acknowledging me with this today. I too would like to make an acknowledgement – to my team and staff at Harrison Funeral Home.”
Freedom of the City of London is one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies still in existence today, and is believed to have been first presented in 1237. Other notable recipients include Her Majesty The Queen, Elizabeth II; Lord Nelson; Florence Nightingale; Sir Winston Churchill; and Dame Judy Dench.
For a more in-depth look at what the Freedom of the City of London means, Murray Craig explains in this YouTube video.
To find out more about Harrison staff, including Mark, and their achievements, see here.
