Devon and Cornwall

Drake Lecture 

Together with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress a record number of 351 members and guests gathered in the Plymouth Holiday Inn for the above annual event, no doubt drawn by the popularity of the speaker – Brian Blessed. There was a worrying start to the evening when 20 minutes after the proposed start to the dinner there was still no sign of Mr Blessed! Then, much to the relief of the Chairman and the organising Committee, he arrived, having rushed down from London after filling in on the Richard & Judy Show.

After a very nice meal, the Chairman – John Clamp – introduced the guest speaker Brian Blessed.

Utulising the whole stage area complete with standing on a spare chair he outlined his life to date.

He related that he was born in Yorkshire 72 years ago, living in the same street as Bruce Woodcock the boxer. He had a love of the railways and of climbing. At seven years old he read about Mallory and Irving in their attempts to climb Mount Everest and this ignited his desire to follow in their footsteps

After National Service he joined the Theatre and also did TV. People knew of his interest in climbing and said that he must attempt to climb Everest. Appearances in Z Cars was followed by various film roles with people still urging him to climb the big one.

So, he thought that if he made a documentary about Everest, he might be able to attract sponsorship. He went to Paul Getty, who promised him money and even went to see Everest Double Glazing! Anyway, the documentary was finally made and won lots of awards. It was during this time that he was told that his lung capacity was twice the norm and he reasoned that this would help him to conquer Everest.

He was tired of people saying that they were old, if you want to achieve something badly enough then go for it.

His idol is a man called Meisner who was the first man to climb Everest on his own and without oxygen. He went to see him and was told that he could spare him one minute – he stayed all day. He was as mad as he was, but a wonderful man.

After one failed attempt to climb to the top he finally achieved his lifetimes ambition by reaching the top without oxygen at the age of 64! He’s hoping to go back next year because his love for it is still there. He did say that it helps to be a little mad.

He also still loves acting and related various amusing tales of when acting with several famous actors.

He ended by saying that he now had an interest in space travel and next year hoped to go to the International Space Station!

Then, to top it all, he finished with his impression of Pavorotti at full volume.

His love of climbing and of life came over strongly and captivated the audience for well over an hour and fully deserved the standing ovation he received at the end.

Annual Award

There then followed the presentation of the annual FBE Building of the Year Award. This award has been running for a few years now and is quickly making its mark as one of worthy recognition.

The judges comprise several prominent members of the local construction industry. The award is designed to recognise buildings or construction projects that display qualities such as outstanding design, make a significant contribution to the local community, environmental impact and radical approach to construction or use of materials. A broad set of criteria in order to elicit a good response. The building must also have been completed in Devon or Cornwall within the last two years.

Out of a short list of six, the winner this year was The Innovation Centre Phase 2 Exeter University. The judges considered that it met the needs intended with its competent design and execution of a functional building. It was well constructed with quality materials and workmanship and had an eco friendly pedigree. Being sympathetic to its surroundings the Centre just seemed to belong on the campus. 

The winning team comprised the University of Exeter and SWERDA as Clients, Kier Western as Contractors, SMC Penrose as Architects, Cyrill Sweet as Quantity Surveyors, Clarke Bond as Structural Engineers and Halcrow as Mechanical and Electrical Engineers.  All received scrolls commemorating their part in the achievement and a plaque for erection on the building.

A cheque was then presented to a representative of the Chairman’s charity of the year - Ford Park Trust Charity- from monies raised at the Branch’s last event.

This was then followed by the raffle, after which all dispersed to the bars for more networking, etc.

The evening was most kindly sponsored by Setsquare Recruitment to whom we give our grateful thanks for their help and support.

Brian Cooper