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| 50 Years and Going Strong [6th December 2007] |
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[6th December 2007] This is a report written by intern Cheryl Stevens about a reception held at The Stationers’ and Newspaper Makers’ Company for the Philharmonia Chorus. The location was classy. There were two rooms that the reception was held. The first was where everyone socialized. There was a lot of paraphernalia about the last 50 years. The second room was mainly for food and speeches. It was absolutely gorgeous with stained glass windows. I was definitely the youngest guest by far. Most guests were around the ages 60-70. One of the first people I met was an older woman. She was at the reception because her husband was in the chorus for 25 years. She told me a lot of the history of the building where the reception was held. Apparently, the building survived the wars during bombing while nearby buildings perished. I was then introduced to another woman who was with her husband. She was very interested in what I had to say. I spoke of the Warwick Leadership Foundation and she loves the idea. Her husband has been with the choir for a long time. He told me about his work teaching the youth for the choir. Food was then served. It was a mix of Mediterranean foods. There were vegetables, rice, chicken, etc. During the meal, people began giving speeches. Three speakers in all went to talk at the podium. They thanked Prince Charles of Wales. The speakers claimed that without the Prince, they would not be there. They recalled their memories while in the Philharmonia Chorus. They also spoke of how the chorus was started. The last speaker spoke of how the chorus sang for the king and queen a long time ago. Some interesting information was that from 1964-1981 there were 9-12 concerts per year. In that time, they also had 2-3 tours abroad. An older man then introduced himself. He has been with the chorus for only five years. He knows all about Lord Taylor of Warwick. He is very interested in the Warwick Leadership Foundation. A woman who works for CLIC Sargent (Caring for Children with Cancer) then approached me. She was very interested in what I had to say. She asked a lot of questions about the Warwick Leadership Foundation and what my role is. Her company seeks to help children with their recovery. They also are interested in helping families cope with a child with cancer. She gave me her business card and took down our information. People began to leave around 21:15. I was one of the last people to leave. I mentioned the Warwick Foundation to everyone I met. However, it was difficult to discuss anything other than the chorus throughout the night. The Prince of Wales was not in attendance. If I were to change anything it would be to have more tables. When they served food, some people were designated to lone chairs. I was one of those people. I had to put my drink on the floor and have my plate on my lap. It was not very comfortable at all. Also, when giving speeches, people should have mentioned what they want to happen in the future. They only mentioned their stories, accomplishments and that hopefully they will continue on. As interesting as they were, if I were a sponsor I would like to know what they will be doing in the future. All in all I had a great time. I would have never had such a great opportunity anywhere else. The location was beautiful. The people were very talkative. It was a great reception!
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