A Night to Remember

We had run a highly successful Antiques Night in the early years of this millennium along the theme of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, but with the addition of a fine meal and entertainment, so we decided to do it again.

Preparations

Malcolm Acors worked tirelessly to get the arrangements made, Brian Wellman confirmed the Ladybirds as our singers and Rev. Margaret Fowler made sure that Christ Church was booked for the evening.  Tickets were printed, a web page produced, and on-line ticketing facilities launched.  All was set for a great night out.
And our efforts were rewarded when we exceeded our target with 88 attendees on the night!

Starters

The first guests arrived at 6.30 pm, bringing their antiques for Mark to look at later in the evening and placed them on the table at the side of the hall for all to see.  Seven o’clock and everybody was called to the tables to be welcomed by President Roger. 

Malcolm Acors introduced the “Ladybirds” who entertained us all with their singing.  The food was provided by the Beauvoir Arms and waiters circulated round the tables during the singing, taking everybody’s orders for their food. 

The singing was excellent, the harmony outstanding and the five members of the group moved as one as they sung.  Especially enjoyable was their rendition of “Singing in the Rain” where they unfurled and twirled red umbrellas (with black polka dots) along with their singing.  The whole performance was highly entertaining.  Thank you Ladybirds for your performance and, apart from waiving their fees they also donated £200 to our charities. 

Time for the meal, and starters were soon delivered to every table.

The Main Course

A delicious meal prepared and served by staff from the Beauvoir Arms satisfied everybody, along with the drinks they brought along to accompany their food. 

First up was the raffle conducted by Malcolm and with tickets picked by Sarah Kettle for a series of prizes won by members of the audience including our Chandra and Stephen’s Mary. 

Then it was time for the main event.  It started with auctioning of some fine wines, a bottle of Dom Perignon 1985, and then a bottle of Mouton-Rothschild 1984.  These were followed by some high quality limited edition prints of Sunderland Flying boats as flown by our own recently departed member Norman Wilson, a Sunderland pilot in the second world war.  

Star item was the “Chummy Book”, a new print of this first children’s Annual, as produced by Malcolm Acors.  Two copies of this book went for over £100 each. 

Then finally a game of “good, better, best” as played on the Antiques Road Show, with Mark Stacey handing out printed photo sheets of various antiques, inviting the audience to value them …..  I think only one member got one item right!  Best for us to stick to the day job!

Not a Dessert, More a Highlight

Mark turned to the items brought along by the audience and slowly went along table, picking up items of interest, exploring their age and provenance, and valuing them conservatively based on his experience.  Music boxes, a silver toast rack, an Edwardian doll, vases, a Chinese cloisonné box (or was it Japanese), a hat-stretcher, a child’s sampler from 1800, pocket watches, clocks, ivory pieces, an HMV dog and much more…Nothing of great value, but interesting stories and backgrounds which kept us all entertained. 

Finally, he told us some interesting anecdotes from his life as an auctioneer, followed by questions. 

What a great evening, and to cap it all, we raised over £2000 for Little Havens and St. Luke’s Hospices from the ticket profits, auction and raffle.  Not bad for an evening which was so entertaining. 

President Roger summed it all up “This was a complex and ambitious event with so many factors to bring together, the location, the music, the dinner and of course the climax with Mark Stacey.   It worked so well due to determination of Malcolm and his immense work, drive and organisational skills, and the help of Margaret for the use of the excellent facilities of Christ Church.  Finally, the support of the Club in general with very nearly 100% support for tickets and of course, for meeting the usual request for raffle prizes and the help on the night itself.

As always the Ladybirds produced their usual excellent compilation of music that got the evening off to a flying start.  The nights climax was, as expected, Mark Stacey, and his professional but easy manner in assessing the “possible” antiques that we brought … in surprising numbers. Some lovely surprises, and the let-downs were done in such a way that no one could take offence. 

The deserved success of the event was highlighted for me by the number of guests who said how much they had enjoyed something different and indeed some asking if we were going to do it again next year.  However the compliments didn’t stop there, as the following morning I had several emails again congratulating the Club for a most enjoyable occasion.

Well done Malcolm, thank you Margaret and thanks to all the club for your support.”