Last Thursday evening I attended our company's annual 'Achievement Awards Ceremony'. The theme of the night was 'Mystery of the Masquerade', which saw everyone don colourful masks for the journey from Central Manchester to our 'secret' venue.
We arrived at the incredible destination of Gorton Monastery in heavy rain and a howling gale - quite befitting the almost eerie setting.
The historic Monastery was built between 1863 and 1872 by Franciscan monks who had come to Manchester to serve the local Catholic community. Designed by Edward Pugin, whose father helped design the houses of Parliament, Gorton Monastery is considered one of his finest masterpieces.
The Monastery was for some 120 years the hub of religious, social and cultural activity - the Franciscans ran 3 schools, a theatre group, brass band, choir, youth club, successful football teams and numerous other activities for the community - it was sadly vacated by the Franciscans in 1989 and, after a false start for a new use, was left prey to significant vandalism and theft.
Following a 12 year fundraising campaign by a charity - The Monastery of St. Francis & Gorton Trust, a total of £6.5m was raised for the restoration, and the huge task began in December 2005, taking 18 months to complete.
Inside, the lighting and entertainment continued to fuel the 'wow!' factor.
The awards were hosted and presented by the charming and highly entertaining Fiona Bruce of the BBC News and Antiques Roadshow. Fiona is also famous for regular appearances on Children in Need!
It was a fabulous night, with members of my team winning a superb four out of ten awards, and rounded off with more great entertainment!
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