PRESS RELEASE

DATE: 8.11.06

FROM: Powabyke

FOR ATTENTION OF: News Desk

A leading provider of electric bikes is delighted to be supporting the Lord Mayor’s Show in central London this weekend by providing vehicles for some of the parade.

With nearly 800 years of history, The Lord Mayor’s Show takes place on Saturday 11^th November and starts at 11am.  Powabyke are lending the City of London Solicitors Company 20 of their electric bikes for some of their members to take part in the parade complete in owl outfits and gowns.

The City of London Solicitors' Company is the Livery Company for City Solicitors.  It represents over 12,000 solicitors currently working in the City.  It was formed as a Company in 1908 and has been represented in the Show every year since 1980.  This year the Sheriff David Lewis is a member of their Company.

For their entry this year they have teamed up with Mahogany Carnival who are based in Harlesden and are specialists in producing costumes for the Notting Hill carnival.  They are producing 40 large humorous but studious owl heads for the Solicitors with mortar boards and glasses to reflect the wisdom of the solicitors profession.  These will be worn by the members who will be riding in formation on battery powered bikes kindly provided by Powabyke. 

Neil Cameron from the Solicitors Company said, “The wise owls on float 24 will have brightly coloured capes and flags in keeping with the theme of "A world in one City".   We will be accompanied as usual by the City Solicitors Jazz band which will help us to keep in time with our formation procession.   All of the participants will be City solicitors who happily give of their Saturday to support this great event.”

The Lord Mayor's Show winds through nearly 800 years of London's history, marching unscathed through everything from the black death to the blitz. In the 17th century it was inconvenienced by the building site that would later become St Paul's Cathedral. In the twentieth it was the first event ever to be broadcast live on television. In the 21st, it's a day out for half a million people, with millions more watching on the BBC.

The newly elected Mayor must make his way to the Royal Courts of Justice to pledge allegiance to the Crown, just as Dick Whittington did in 1397 (and again in 1406 and 1419). 

The procession will set off at 11.02am , after a two minute silence for Armistice Day, and it will take about an hour and a half to pass as it travels from Mansion House to the Royal Courts .

There will be over 6000 people taking part in the three mile long processions, including 2000 servicemen and women, 180 vehicles, 66 floats, 21 marching bands, 21 carriages including the glorious State Coach and of course the giant figures of the City's guardians Gog and Magog .

May participants will have put in hours of painstaking preparation to their floats and costumes, dance routines and musical masterpieces over the past year and Powabyke are delighted to be helping the Solicitors Company with their involvement.

Helen Plummer, Marketing Manager of Powabyke said, “We are really pleased to be able to help the Solicitors Company take part and get around in their specially made owl outfits with greater ease.  Last year we provided Powaglydas – our stand on golf buggies so this year we thought that it would be nice to vary this with our electric bikes.  We hope that everyone has a great day.”

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