Materials handling services specialist Briggs Equipment took part in this year’s ancient ceremony of Cart Marking, providing a forklift truck for the procession and giving the youngest apprentice of the Carmen the chance to drive it.
Organised by the Worshipful Company of Carmen on behalf of the Corporation of the City of London, Cart Marking took place in the Guildhall Yard on July 16.
Branded vehicles are entitled to ply for trade in the City of London in the age old tradition of the guilds and some 50 commercial vehicles, including horse-drawn carts, steam-driven vehicles, veteran and vintage lorries plus modern trucks and tractor units, were branded with the licence letter W for 2014 by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Fiona Woolf. This year saw a forklift truck eligible to be marked for the first time.
Briggs Equipment pulled out all the stops for 17-year old Carmen apprentice Caitland Lomas, preparing a Hyster H2.0 diesel forklift truck from its short-term rental fleet resplendent in a Union Jack flag wrap. The company also supported Caitland at a familiarisation day held at Derby University’s Buxton & Leek College logistics site and then invited her to its Cannock headquarters so that she could take the controls of the vehicle prior to driving it in the Cart Marking ceremony.
Caitland, from Derbyshire, became an apprentice of the Worshipful Company of Carmen at the age of 14 and last summer stepped out of the classroom to take her RTITB forklift truck licence. She has also achieved the BTEC QCF Level 2 warehouse and storage qualification with City & Guilds.
“The pageantry of a City of London ceremony along with general transport industry excitement for an event that puts the commercial vehicles that work for hire providing logistics support across the UK under the spotlight makes Cart Marking very special and we were delighted to be part of it,” says Briggs Equipment’s Operations Director Gavin Wickham.
“Significantly, a forklift truck made its debut at Cart Marking, but we were especially pleased for Caitland Lomas, the first and youngest apprentice of the Carmen to take part in the ceremony, who acquitted herself so well. Hopefully, her achievement will inspire more young women to make their career in transport and logistics.”
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