The 2023 Forest Summer Lunch & Awards take place in London today.
New banners, printed menus, and trophies have all been ordered and delivered. Now we’re busy with the last minute stuff. (I’ve been up since 4.00am!)
The most difficult thing is the seating plan because you're at the mercy of last minute call-offs that can lead to gaps appearing on tables.
I've been to events where a table of ten has been reduced, at the last minute, to just six or seven people and the hosts are frantically trying to rearrange the seating plan even as guests are being called to take their places.
So far we've only had a few guests cancel – and we were already over-subscribed – but it’s not unusual to lose more on the day.
Our venue, Boisdale of Belgravia, is not a large restaurant – it can accommodate up to 60 people in the main Macdonald restaurant, plus a further 12-16 in the adjacent Courtyard – but it's a slightly awkward shape.
As of yesterday we had 70 confirmed guests which means we will have to use the Courtyard (which is fully enclosed, despite its name), but the real issue begins when we start allocating guests to the various tables because I know from experience that it's impossible to keep everyone happy!
Anyway, that's my problem, not yours.
This year we have a guest speaker whose name I won't reveal just yet. He's not a household name but he has appeared on Live at the Apollo (BBC1) and The News Quiz (multiple times) on Radio 4, and I consider ourselves lucky to have him.
I won’t say any more because that would give the game away, but it's NOT Geoff Norcott! (Been there, done that, as they say.)
As for the awards, there are three categories this year.
First, there's the Voices of Freedom award which we have been presenting to various freedom fighters since 2016.
Recipients to date include David Hockney, Rod Liddle, Claire Fox, and Daily Mail columnist Tom Utley.
Second is the 'Nannies', a trophy that is awarded to the person (or persons) most associated with nanny state style diktats.
Last year we awarded a 'Nanny' to Javed Khan, author of The Khan Review. Sadly Dr Khan didn't collect it in person, although we did invite him to the lunch.
Instead it was accepted on his behalf by Chris Snowdon, editor of the Nanny State Index, who immediately gave it back to me and I still have it in my office. Occasionally, I even give it a quick dust.
This year a number of deserving people have been nominated for a 'Nanny' but you'll have to come back tomorrow to find out who they were
Third, we have a new trophy for those who deserve recognition for some outstanding achievement but fit neither of the other two categories.
Watch this space.