White Light Supplies The Gurkha Welfare Trust at Kensington Palace

On Wednesday 15^th November, a Remembrance Dinner was held at Kensington Palace to celebrate the vital work of The Gurkha Welfare Trust. The dinner was hosted by His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and took place in the State Apartments. As a cross-palace approved supplier to the Historic Royal Palaces, White Light was called upon to provide the complete technical solutions.

The event was overseen by WL’s Conference Account Manager Shrenik Singhavi. He comments: “We were contacted by The Gurkha Welfare Trust who informed us that they wanted to host a Dinner at Kensington Palace. Due to both the prestigious location and the guests attending on the evening, we wanted to ensure that we provided the best technical support possible”.

Shrenik worked closely with Katie Williams, Events Fundraising Manager at The Gurkha Welfare Trust, and the pair made several site visits to Kensington Palace. He comments: “The Gurkha Welfare team wanted to make it a fully immersive experience that utilised a variety of spaces within Kensington Palace. They wanted guests to feel part of the celebrations from the moment they entered the grounds; something we needed to make a reality”.

The event took place in the State Apartments and utilised five rooms: the Queen’s Room, Privy Room, Cupola Room, King’s Drawing Room and King’s Gallery. WL’s Project Manager Phil Gladman led the on-site team which included two lighting technicians, an audio technician and ten local crew. The company supplied bespoke production support in each of the spaces.

Shrenik explains: “When guests arrived on the evening, they walked through the Privy Room where we supplied atmospheric lighting. The drinks reception took place in the Cupola and Kings Drawing Room prior to the dinner. The Queen’s Room was used to host HRH Prince Harry and selected guests. The main dinner itself took place in the Kings Gallery.

He adds: “The dinner was the main highlight of the evening and, within the space, we provided the lighting, acoustic sound system, microphone, lectern along with a small staging area. HRH Prince Harry gave a speech to guests who included the charity’s ambassadors, patrons and supporters. With such an important individual speaking, we had to ensure that we provided a fully reliable system”.

Alongside this, WL used a custom-made gobo in order to project The Gurkha Welfare Trust logo onto the side of Kensington Palace for when guests arrived. WL also lit the pathway leading into Kensington Palace to ensure the event was fully immersive.

Guests in attendance on the evening included GWT Vice Patrons Joanna Lumley OBE, Field Marshal Sir John Chapple GCB CBE DL.

Katie comments: “This was one of the most important events in The Gurkha Welfare Trust’s calendar and we wanted to create something unforgettable for our guests, whilst at the same time making them aware of our important cause. Working closely with the team at WL, we were able to achieve this”.

Photos courtesy of Mark Brightwell/The Gurkha Welfare Trust.