Access All AreasOn Monday 15 June royalty, members of Parliament and other dignitaries gathered at Runnymede National Trust Park, to celebrate 800 years of the Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in British history.
The event involved unveiling a new sculpture by artist Hew Locke, several flypasts by a group of Red Arrows and performances from local schoolchildren and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Apollo Event Consultants Ltd built the arena and approached White Light to provide the lighting. Managing director at Apollo, Tim Hanbury, said: “This was a hugely significant event to work on. As it is extremely rare to be able to celebrate such an important landmark, we had to ensure that the standards we implemented were the highest possible – hence the reason why we contacted White Light.
“We had to provide the entire infrastructure for the event such as the main arena, which included the orbit stage, along with all of the other staging, the guests’ seating and the dozen marquees which were all of different sizes”.
White Light’s project manager Phil Gladman, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for White Light as we were essentially contributing to a part of British history. We worked closely with Apollo Event Consultants Ltd to not only ensure that we used the best equipment we had available but that this was the most appropriate in capturing the overall feel of the event.
“We were also asked to provide the riggers requested by the other entertainment providers working on the event. Not only that but we supplied 86 music stands for the orchestra meaning that we played a role in all aspects of the staging”.
4,000 guests were invited including Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Cambridge, Princess Anne, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Hanbury stated: “Those in attendance were some of the most important figures, not only in the UK but across the globe. We had to create a setting which would not only match their expectations but also celebrate what was such a historic event. Thankfully, with the help of White Light, we were able to achieve this”.
Gladman added: “It is always a pleasure working with Apollo Event Consultants Ltd. To provide a range of our extensive services on an event such as this was an absolute privilege and it was extremely satisfying knowing we were able to fulfill such a specific brief on such an important occasion.”
Words: Amelia Agostini