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St George's Day Celebrations 2007 The City of Birmingham Branch held their annual St George’s dinner on April 20th. The event was held in the splendid surroundings of 18th century Edgbaston Hall, which is now home to Edgbaston Golf Club. Guests were entertained during dinner by noted local pianist Mr Guy Rowland. The principal speaker was Sir Patrick Cormack, Member of Parliament for South Staffordshire who gave a memorable talk on the unity of the nations of the United Kingdom and the relationship between England, the English and the UK as a whole. He ended with a toast to England and St George. Among the guests at the celebration were former Mayor and Mayoress of Birmingham Councillor John and Councillor Mrs Diedre Alden. Councillor Mrs Alden proposed a toast to The Royal Society of St George. During the evening a raffle was held to raise money for the Royal Society of St George Charitable Trust. | |||||||
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Cllr. John Alden, Sir Patrick Cormack MP and Cllr. Mrs Diedre Alden | ||||
A view of the dining room with Sheila Moore, the Rev. Allan Townsend and Michael Hill in the foreground | ||||
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Guy Rowland at the piano | Sir Patrick Cormack MP in full flow | |||
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On Sunday 22nd April the City of Birmingham Branch held their annual service for St George’s Day, which once again was held in Birmingham Cathedral. The service was led by the Dean of Birmingham, the Very Reverend Robert Wilkes MA. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham Councillor Mike Sharpe and Chairman of the City of Birmingham Branch, Darren Reynolds, read the lessons. | ||
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The Choristers of Birmingham Cathedral | The Lord Mayor of Birmingham (centre) with Officers and Cadets from TS Sutton Coldfield | |||
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Among the many people present in the congregation were the Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Birmingham, the High Sheriff of the West Midlands, the Mayor and Mayoress of Solihull, the Deputy Mayor of Dudley and both the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police and the Chief Fire Officer of West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service. Contingents of Sea cadets from both TS Sutton Coldfield were also present as were representatives of a number of ex-service associations. Birmingham Cathedral is relatively small for a cathedral having been built originally as a parish church; the interior is thus quite intimate. The building is a Grade I listed building, designed by Thomas Archer in the English Baroque style and was built between 1709 and 1715 during the reign of Queen Anne. It became Birmingham Cathedral in 1905 when the Diocese of Birmingham was formed. | ||
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The Branch President, the High Sheriff of the West Midlands, the Mayor of Solihull, the Branch Chairman, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, the Dean of Birmingham and the Deputy Mayor of Dudley | ||
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