The Datebook datebook_summer18_digital_ARTWORK | Page 7

The Royal Anniversary Trust Dinner
I
t’s a freezing cold, late
February evening and we
are at the Guildhall City of
London with 400 other
guests for a dinner
celebrating the
achievements of 21 UK
universities and colleges.
The dinner, hosted by The Royal
Anniversary Trust, precedes an
honours ceremony the next
morning at Buckingham Palace,
where their Royal Highnesses
the Prince of Wales and the
Duchess of Cornwall formally
present awards to each
institution on behalf of Her
Majesty The Queen. The
Awards are for a wide range of
outstanding research and
education provision including
the culmination of a 40 year
study to raise milk yields
through to a project to discover
a vaccine against the Ebola
virus.
Guests at the dinner included
the chancellors and chairs,
vice-chancellors and principals
of the recipient universities and
colleges as well as
representatives from academia,
business and industry, NGOs
and the public sector,
government and the media.
The event followed a very
traditional British format for an
The Parade of Chancellors with each group introduced by ITV Newscaster Alistair Stewart.
academic dinner in the City of
London. The evening
commenced with a reception
for guests in the Old Library
where Chancellors, Vice
Chancellors and their college
equivalents wore ornate and
colourful academic gowns.
Once guests had been called
for dinner they processed into
the Great Hall led by students
from the Mid Kent College
Frontline Service, accompanied
by fanfares from the Band of
the Irish Guards and a
narration from Alastair Stewart,
ITV newscaster and journalist,
describing the winning work.
Guests were welcomed by Sir
Damon Buffini, Chairman of
the Royal Anniversary Trust and
Chairman of the National
Theatre. The principal speaker
was Nobel Prize-winner Sir
Paul Nurse FRS, Director of the
Francis Crick Institute.
Singers from Trinity Laban
Conservatoire of Music and
Drama added to the rich
pageantry of the evening by
performing short choral
interludes based on
Shakespeare’s works and a
splendid finale featuring
Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana.
The end of the evening was
signalled by the haunting
sound of a lone piper from the
1st Battalion Scots Guards
from the Ministrel’s Gallery.
The principal speaker, Sir Paul Nurse FRS, Director of the Francis Crick
Institute.
Visit The London & UK DatebooK on www.thedatebook.co.uk
The highlight of the evening
was a superb dinner catered by
Seasoned Events who excelled
themselves with a wonderful
array of dishes which were very
much in line with the aim of
the prizes scheme - world class
and innovative. The courses
were served by catering
students from a number of
colleges. All students, whether
catering, front of house or
singers, were provided by their
colleges – Westminster
Kingsway, Canterbury, Waltham
Forest and Mid Kent - to
provide opportunity to practice
vocational skills taught on their
training and education
programmes.
The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes
for Higher and Further
Education were established in
1994 with The Queen’s
consent and approval and all-
party support in Parliament.
They are a legacy of the
celebrations of Her Majesty the
Queen’s 40th Anniversary
accession to the throne. A
competitive Prizes scheme is
run every two years organised
by The Royal Anniversary Trust
and is open to invitation to
some 460 education
institutions throughout the
nation.
LIN KENNEDY
THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
5