The Wadworth dray will proudly be joining the procession for the Lord Mayor’s show today.

The company has been offered third place in the City of London event as it employs the only Master Cooper in the country, and the new Lord Mayor Ian Linder is a Member of the Worshipful Company of Coopers.

Wadworth’s cooper Alastair Simms will be carried on the back of the dray with some of his barrels in various stages of production.

“It’s a great honour to be taking part in the procession and displaying some of the tools of my trade,” he said.

“As we travel I will be working at some of the quieter aspects of barrel making, but I will not be doing anything too noisy as I don’t want to frighten the horses."

Taking the strain on the day will be five year-old Max and twelve year-old Royal, both dark bay Shire horse geldings.

The team will travel in the large Wadworth horsebox to London leaving very early in the morning so they can be prepared and settled before the show starts.

Although the horses are accustomed to the traffic and people of Devizes and local shows, this will be a big test for them, with the level of noise being far greater than they are used to.

Head Horseman Barry Petherick is confident however that they will rise to the challenge.

“We will have plenty of pockets-full of apples, carrots and mints to reward them with when it is all over,” he said.

“I think they will enjoy all the excitement, and I’m hoping that I will be a very proud horseman by the end of the day.”

The dray has been specially prepared for the show with a new sign painted by the Wadworth signwriting team depicting the Coat of Arms of the Worshipful Company of Coopers, surrounded by the trademarks of the Wadworth brews.