We were busy again this weekend photographing special events.

Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa has been in Europe for the last month travelling around with an enormous entourage pressing the flesh and visiting various European dignitaries including the Queen, and by all accounts he has had a very successful tour. A dinner at the Ritz Hotel in London was arranged by a friend of President Zuma’s and he booked us to cover the event. It was a fundraising dinner and there were a number of high profile guests in attendance.

On Saturday night I went to Lords Cricket Ground to photograph a retirement dinner. This was a black tie event to celebrate the retirement of Robin Butchard, the Practice Director of the law firm Zenith Chambers in Leeds.
Zenith Chambers have written this piece on Robs retirement:

Zenith Celebrates Rob’s Retirment in Style!!
(07-03-2010)

Those that know Rob know that he is an avid cricket fan: when he gave up playing the sport, he took up umpiring. Until 2009 he umpired for the Mid Yorkshire league, but on retiring will be heading south to be near to his family.He tells me he already has 45 umpiring fixtures in the diary for 2010, covering matches for the MCC and Cricket Society, as well as many schools both mid week and at weekends. There clearly couldn’t have been a more fitting setting for his retirement dinner!!!

An auspicious venue for an equally auspicious event with some very auspicious guests that included two of Rob’s former heads of chambers Alan Tyrrell QC and HHJ Patricia Deeley; as well as HH Trevor Kent Jones; HHJ Jeff Lewis; HHJ Angela Finnerty; DJ Simon Hickey; James Clappison MP; Andrew Campbell QC; Julian Goose QC; Clive Heaton QC; James Corbett QC; Timothy Lyons QC as well as most members of chambers and staff and their partners. Chambers also invited Rob’s two sons Matthew (1st Junior at Carmelite Chambers in London), their partners, other family members and quite a few close friends, including those whom Rob has met during his years as a clerk.

There was a buzz of excitement amongst the guests throughout the evening, and the meal was delicious. There was a reluctance to leave at the end, and guests were being shooed out of the door by the staff at Lords!!!

A night to remember for all who attended, especially those who are avid cricket fans, and most importantly Rob himself!