The Guildhall Dinner served by catering students from a number of colleges , and all students – whether catering , front-of-house or singers – were using this national event to practice their skills .
The academic procession into the Great Hall .
It was a cold , crisp , late
February evening and we were at the Guildhall City of London , with 400 other guests , for a dinner celebrating the achievements of 21 UK universities and colleges . The dinner preceded the honours ceremony next morning at Buckingham Palace where their Royal Highnesses , the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall , formally presented awards to each institution , on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen , for a wide range of outstanding research and education provision .
Guests for the evening included the chancellors and chairs , vice-chancellors and principals of the recipient universities and colleges . In addition there were 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 academic dinner in the City of London . It commenced with a reception in the Old Library at which The Minister for Universities and Science , Jo Johnson , spoke briefly . Chancellors , Vice-Chancellors and their college equivalents wore ornate and colourful academic gowns and once guests had been called for dinner , they processed into the Great Hall . The procession was led by students from the Mid Kent College Frontliners Service accompanied by fanfares from State Trumpeters and a narration from Peter Purves of BBC Blue Peter fame describing the winning work .
Guests were welcomed by Damon Buffini , Chairman of the Royal Anniversary Trust and newly appointed Chairman of the National Theatre . Singers from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Drama added to the rich pageantry of the evening by performing short choral interludes and a splendid finale . The end of the evening was signalled by the haunting sound of a lone piper from the Minstrel ’ s Gallery .
The Queen ’ s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education were established in 1994 with The Queen ’ s consent and approval and allparty support in Parliament and are a legacy of the celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen ’ s 40th Anniversary accession to the throne . A competitive
L to R : Baroness Scotland , Chancellor of the University of Greenwich , Lord Drayson , a British businessman and owner of Drayson Technologies , and the Vice-Chancellor of Greenwich , Professor David J . Maguire .
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 procession was accompanied by fanfares from the State Trumpeters .
Throughout the evening – and what I was personally waiting for – was a superb dinner . Seasoned Events excelled themselves with a wonderful array of innovative dishes which were very much in line with the aim of the prizes scheme …. world class and innovative . The courses were
Jo Johnson MP , Minister for Science and Universities , spoke at the reception .
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