Our very successful annual event was held, as usual, in the Palace Theatre in early February. Our friends from the Ransome Band again entertained us royally during a typically riotous second half of the concert and making their first appearance at the Last Night of the Proms, the RAF Cranwell Swing Wing Band were well received and treated us to such numbers as Sussudio, Body & Soul and For Once In My Life.
Without a small team “the Proms” could not take place. This year most of the hard graft prior to the night of the concert was undertaken by Val Picker and Len Wilkes and the Committee is grateful to them both for arranging another superb evening. Thanks are also offered to all members and friends for their assistance during the evening. Val has been the driving force behind the success of “the Proms” for most of its 24 years and as she said after the concert “Thank God that’s over for another year!” or to put it another way, Val, “thank goodness you can put your feet up for a couple of months before you start to organise next year’s event”. Incidentally, next years “Last Night of the Proms” will be on Saturday 30th January 2010 – put it in your diaries now!
A special mention must go to Ulrich Sommerhalter of Optic Rossit in Emmendingen, who enjoyed a previous “Proms” so much he kindly donated €500 towards the cost of this years event. Thanks, Uso – your kind contribution is very much appreciated.
In a more serious moment Val commented that “the last 24 years we have been doing “the Proms” they have been really good events. As next year will be our 25th anniversary I hope we will again have a great evening. In the past a lot of people have helped to make “the Proms” a highlight in Newark’s cultural calendar and I hope they will continue to give us their support. Once again, we are indebted to the Ransome Band who have been with us since the start and who are an integral part of the concert.”
The Twinning Association receives no external funding and the “Last Night of the Proms” is the main source of our annual income.