Town Mayor Spencer Harrison stands by as President Peter Roberts presents the Citizen of the Year Award for 95-year old Derek James, represented here by his son Rod.
Rotarian Arnold Bolton reads the citation to honour Derek Jones.
President Peter presents a cheque to the staff of the Ramada Hotel for their support throughout the year
Rotarian David Tall is in charge of the first part of the entertainment.
He announces that he will be assisted by Rotarian Philip Highley who used to produce shows, with David as Musical Director, over thirty years ago.
Wot, me. Guv?
The numbers one to twelve are given out around the tables,
President Peter is elected the big ‘P’ for President, Privileged, and Prompter. It is his duty to Prompt Producer Philip to show each verse of The Twelve Days of Christmas to the expectant audience.
Each verse is sung by the table with that number.
The motto of Rotary is ‘Service above Self’ and here the entertainment is part of the service.
As the verses increase, Producer Phil rallies the successive tables in their mellifluous fulminations.
Until all twelve verses have been sung, as a prelude to the real entertainment ...
The Barbershop Quartet Bianco and Friends.
Why ‘Bianco’? This lot will sing—in the words of the Martini Bianco advert—any time, any place, anywhere!
The Mayor of Kenilworth, Councillor Spencer Harrison then speaks of the relationship between Rotary and the Town, giving a vision of a new Kenilworth possibly with the Elizabethan mere around the castle once more.
The Rev Elizabeth Caswell closed the evening with the Christmas Message. ending with Betjeman’s poem, “That God was Man in Palestine and lives today in bread and wine.”