The Caterer Blog

Well done to Toby Hartley, who was named winner of Springboard's 2007 Olive Barnett Awards at London's Langham Hotel on Monday night. The awards reward excellence in customer facing roles across hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, and Toby and his seven fellow finalists are clearly destined for great things in the hospitality industry.

Well done, also, to Duncan Palmer, Managing Director of the Langham, for delivering a speech that had guests laughing out loud - despite his early assertion that his slot would be "quick and painful".

To illustrate the Langham's venerable past, Duncan introduced a 90-second video featuring dramatisations of formative events from the hotel's history. When the video began without any sound, he ad-libbed expertly, providing a running commentary that any Grand national commentator would be proud of.

Springboard's annual Slingsby Cup takes place on Friday 19th September at Westminster Kingsway College and if anyone fancies pushing their work colleagues around London in a shopping trolley now is your chance.

The fund-raiser for the charitable trust, which works with young people, the unemployed and the disadvantaged in the hospitality industry,  will be awarding prizes for the most originally dressed trolley and the most creatively dressed trolley pushers.

The parade (it's not a race remember) takes place in Vincent Square, outside the Westminster Kingsway College.

To register, in teams of four, click here.