A DAY WITH MARTIN HISCOCKS IN LONDON 12th December 2006.

Martin's "mate" Wally shakes hands with the PM

Martin, Wally and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Martin was invited to a reception at No. 10 DOWNING STREET to meet Mr Blair, the Prime Minister.

The reason for the visit was for his services to voluntary work as a stable hand for the RDA at the EAST HOLTON DRIVING CENTRE at Holton Lee.

Wally the Group Organiser arrived at 102 Chaldon Road to travel with Martin on his visit. After a short briefing, a pause for photos outside the house, we got into Peter’s car for the journey to Poole Station, and Martin was very excited.

At 10.40am the train arrived and we climbed on board. We got a seat facing the direction we were travelling. Martin looked out of the window not saying very much but taking it all in. He told me all the stations we were passing along the line; the only break was when he had to go to the toilet.

We arrived in Waterloo and I made a phone call to Harry Ramsdon’s in Piccadilly Circus but the waiting time to be served was 11/2 hours. We had decided on fish & chips because if we drop anything on our suits it would more than likely drop off without too much of a mess. So we found somewhere close to the station that was good; it was used by bus drivers and the like. That is always a good sign.

The meal finished and our stomachs full, we set our course for Hyde Park Barracks, the home of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. Martin went on a tour of the barracks. The horses are stabled on 2 floors, the Blues and Royals upstairs and the Life Guards down stairs. Martin is used to our horses but found horses 17+ hands high a little daunting. Rodney the drum horse was even larger, Martin was quite fascinated, when I explained how the reins for the Drummer go to the stirrups so that he can play the drums and be in control of the horse at the same time with his feet. Some of the horses were competing at Olympia the next day in the jumping, so the Horse walker machine was in use to loosen out any stiffness and keep them supple. Every stable now has a solarium for the drying and treatment of horses.
We saw the soldiers kit cleaning, “pleased nothing has changed much from my days.”

The tour over it was time to head for the Tube Station for, the journey back to Westminster. Just at the Hyde Park Corner side of the barracks a large building is being demolished and this is causing chaos to pedestrians and traffic alike, so we cross Knightsbridge, this made easy by the fact that nothing is moving. Going through the passage to Harvey Nicks, (we pass the Tattersall’s Pub, a scene of many a night out in the past… but this is about Martin.) eventually we arrive at Knightsbridge tube station on the Piccadilly Line we travel to Green Park, where we change to the Jubilee Line to get to Westminster.

After admiring the floodlit Big Ben and the houses of Parliament we decide to find somewhere to eat. We find a café in the bottom end of Whitehall and take out a mortgage for 2 large rolls and 2 black teas with lemon. It’s nice to sit down while we eat it. The pavements in London seem very hard after the grass of Holton Lee.

We move on in to Whitehall and I show Martin the Cenotaph and explain about it, and Remembrance Sunday. Next to it now is one for the Women who lost their lives serving our country - I hadn’t seen that before. We turned left to go through Horse Guards, we see the Household Cavalry sentries, more explanations of the duties the regiment do there, before going through the Arch and on to the parade ground. We head for the Guards Memorial, to St James’s Park. Its dark but as we walk through the park all the trees are floodlit; and we make our way through the park to Buckingham Palace, all floodlit of course with the Royal Standard flying which tells us that the Queen is in residence. Martin wonders which of the windows that is lit might the Queen be in, a question I can’t answer. I look at my watch which says 5.45pm. - time to stroll back to meet the PM at No 10 Downing Street. As we go up The Mall (“I think.... if only I had a pound for every time I have ridden a horse up and down here.” )


We eventually take a path into the park retracing our route back into Whitehall and Downing Street, straighten our ties, tuck in Martins shirt again for the umpteenth time, passes at the ready to be scrutinised. After this we proceed to the search area. This is an airport type procedure, and then on to the famous black door of No 10. Inside we are checked again coats and bags etc. have to be handed in, no cameras or mobile phones are allowed inside the building. This completed, we move to a table to find our labels to say who we are; then through the splendour and up the staircase to the State Rooms for the reception. (“Thoughts… what a lovely council house!” )

At the reception we meet many wonderful people like Ron the Rubbish, who, when he retired, got a black bag and a reaching stick, got up at 6am and picked litter from his street, then the next street, then the village. He then heard about the litter on Ben Nevis so he cleaned that, then Snowden, and in 2006 the base Camp on Everest. Some volunteer !!

Mr Blair said “That the people present were only a few of the 23,000,000 volunteers in the country and we were to pass on the governments thanks to other volunteers that we meet. Each organising volunteer is worth £150 a day and each volunteer £50 a day and we all improve other people’s lives by what we do. The money saved by voluntary work allows the government to spend that money on schools and hospitals. That is how valuable our efforts are.” Martin met and spoke to the Prime Minister handed him the Holton Lee Cook Book pointing out the recipe sent by him on page 83. I ask him about funding; he commented that “he knew he shouldn’t have left the silver out for the evening and would I go through the search area on the way out please.”

We were plied with Red or White Wine or as an option, Orange Juice, lots of canapés, Samosas, Asparagus with bacon round it, etc. Martin and I had one glass of White wine and then we both changed to juice. We had no shortage to eat though.

At 8pm we took our leave, to head back to Waterloo Station and the journey home. We caught the 8.51 train and arrived in Poole at 27 minutes to Midnight, a long tiring but very happy day. On return at Chaldon Road we were meat by Bob who made us a very welcome cup of tea, after handing back paper work, Martin’s Passport etc. I then made my way back to Wareham going to bed at 1am.

I must say that Martin is a delight to take out a credit to his parents and his carers. He looks on me as his mate. That is really cool. Thanks Martin.

Posted by Wally Pitt (The Driving Group Organiser EHDC.)