Annual Dinner 2009 Report
18 February 2009
The preparations for the Annual Dinner this year were against the additional uncertainties created by the current recession and, at the last minute, heavy snowfall, which meant there was considerable doubt about whether our speaker, Sir Robert Kerslake, would be able to come. As presidential panic set in, His Honour, Judge Mike Murphy, generously and without any hesitation, offered to speak if Sir Robert could not get to the Dinner. It was exactly this kind of spirit that made the Dinner such a great occasion. The general consensus seems to be that the right mix of grandeur and informality was achieved.
Sir Robert arrived and addressed us in his usual clear and passionate style and Judge Murphy was able to enjoy the evening. We had over 300 guests from a wide range of backgrounds. Younger members of the profession were well represented through the Next Generation Group, we were joined by many friends and colleagues from the business community and most firms in the City were well represented. It was a great pleasure to present Gemma Darwin with the Sidney Herbert-Clay Prize for achieving the highest marks in the Legal Practice Course.
We were pleased to welcome Linda Lee, the National Deputy Vice President who has strong connections with Sheffield and was very interested in our plans for the future of the Society.
Thanks were also due to the Cutler’s Hall who looked after us so well, prepared the room beautifully and gave us such an excellent meal.
My thanks also go to the Dinner Committee who worked so hard and planned (often in their own free time) for almost a year to make the evening a success. Sally, Julia, Jane, Anna, with the support of Gwen and Brenda and led formidably by our Manager, Katherine, made a massive contribution to making the evening a success.
We raised in excess of £1400 for my chosen charity, The Spirit of Sheffield Children’s Trust. Together with other funds raised during the year and including the Golf Day organised by the Past-President, Donald Coutts-Wood, have raised in excess of £1800 for the charity. We are planning to hold a public launch event in the early spring when books purchased with the money we have raised will be presented to children with the greatest need.
I would also like to record our thanks to the sponsors of the Dinner, Barclays, Barristers at Bank House, BPP Law School, CRA Consulting, Grant Thornton, Legal Costs Negotiators and South Yorkshire Investigations and for their generosity in providing prizes and to Oddbins, Cubley Hall and Tetley’s Brewery for supplying the wine and drinks.
Finally, many thanks to all of you who attended and also for all your messages of support prior to the Dinner and for taking the trouble to write afterwards and say you felt it had been a success and a lovely evening. I know that if Paul Clarke receives the same amount of support next year, next year’s Dinner will be even better and the profile of The Sheffield and District Law Society will remain high. |
