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A Busy Evening for Jane at LBV Burns Night

15 February 2018

On February 1st , 2018 – we held our annual Burns Supper at the Belmont Hotel, New Walk, Leicester. This popular event was well supported by Members and Guests from the Leicestershire business community.

For Jane Cowley the new Chair of LBV it was her first Burns Supper as host and with some last minute extra duties! The evening commenced with the normal welcome drink in the bar and then guests were piped to their tables by Nigel Wilson our resident Pipe Major.

Jane Cowley welcomed Guests to the event and Vice Chair Robin Pointon (native of Yorkshire) gave his best Caledonian impression while saying the Selkirk Grace. Nigel was back to Pipe in the Haggis (slightly small for over 80! …but luckily more Haggi in the Kitchen) and then the traditional address to the Haggis, a toast in Whisky to the Haggis then some gratuitous stabbing of the poor “wee beast”!

Nigel pipes the Haggis at LBVs Burns' Night

We then all enjoyed a fine Scottish Dinner with Nigel entertaining us with the toast to the Immortal Memory of Rabbie Burns and somehow fitting in some dubious verse about LBV board members! The main entertainment of the evening was the recent winner of the Leicestershire Stand Up Challenge – Rutland farmer and former High Sheriff – Andrew Brown who had the audience in stitches with comic stories old and new.

Roger Merchant, toast to the lassies

Roger Merchant – LBV Director and Board Member then steered the political correctness tightrope of the Toast to the Lassies with much aplomb even dusting off his best Scottish accent for a little verse of his own! And then bravely with only 24 hours’ notice after a late drop out Jane Cowley was back on her feet to give a witty response and toast on behalf of the Lassies.
We then all linked hands and sang Auld Lang Syne with great gusto to finish the night off and retired to the bar for one more “wee dram”.

Simon Whitaker
LBV Director

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