The Sponsors Club celebrated its 21st Birthday last week at the Great North Museum: Hancock by honouring 21 business people and businesses that are considered to have contributed the most to North East culture over the last 21 years.
The awardees were announced in an unusual way, via a specially written Shakespearean style speech delivered by David Faulkner – founder and former Director of The Sponsors Club, who unbeknownst to him was also to be honoured with one of the 21 awards. Can you spot the references the recipients in this text….
Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some
achieve greatness, and some….
some mark their presence in the world with banks,
shored to shape in northumberlandian clay
Some stage some play with children year on year
a dickens of delight delirium.
Some structure patterns made of stone and glass,
to find a voice, or give a voice, and then,
if Millican cannot, then Python will;
Creative space in every space on view.
A silver thread that links the arts with land.
Estates of art, the Pender Parson plan.
A lady tips towards tales seven stories high.
Sage men make music conjure cross the Tyne.
A challenge draws a Moth to light a flame.
A Squire escorts a project there on time.
Mowbray makes things work, reflective art,
and Muckles give their Gill to play her part.
Finn gives arts a true foundation stone,
whilst Buchan crosses oceans to find song.
Bailey excites the arts by sitting in a chair:
If it’s not Tim, Sir Ian’s sitting there.
John leads the march towards the day of light,
with Rami using biscuit tin as drum,
and Potts imprinting messages in mind,
and Lindsay gamboling that the cause is true.
This much is true;
These few, these happy few,
this band, true friends, but missing one ,
and David, truth be told, the missing one,
It’s you.
If you couldn’t spot them then they are:
Mark Dowdall and The Banks Group
Dickinson Dees
Peter Milican
Python Properties
John Mowbray and Northumbrian Water
Gillian Tiplady
Silverlink
Gill Gilthorpe
Tim Bailey
John Squires
Sir Ian Wrigglesworth
Peter Moth and Tyne Tees Television
Lindsay Williams and P&G
Peter Buchan
Potts Print UK
The Sage Group
John Orchard
Rami Zack
Leo Finn and Northern Rock
Tony Pender/Ron Parsons and English Estates
David Faulkner
Not everyone could make it but here are 18 of them (or their stand ins!)
Image : Chris Owens
