The Post office awards is the annual celebration of all things the Post Office has achieved over the past year. The event is held in the excellent art deco Troxy venue in East London. In a fun evening full of surprises the guests started with a route master bus tour through London and then onto the Troxy for a night of awards and celebration.
Guests of the Post Office awards board an old London Route Master bus. A pioneering design, the Routemaster outlasted several of its replacement types in London, survived the privatisation of the former London Transport bus operators and was used by other operators around the UK. In modern UK public transport bus operation, the old-fashioned features of the standard Routemaster were both praised and criticised. The open platform, while exposed to the elements, allowed boarding and alighting in places other than official stops; and the presence of a conductor allowed minimal boarding time and optimal security, but with greater labour costs. Despite the retirement of the original version, the Routemaster has retained iconic status, and is considered a British cultural icon. In 2006, the Routemaster was voted one of Britain's top 10 design icons which included Concorde, Mini, , London tube map, World Wide Web and the red telephone box.
Spotting famous London landmarks during a London guided tour on a Route Master bus.
Post Office awards guests get excited as they draw closer to the Troxy venue in East London
Champagne at the Troxy in East London
The Troxy first opened on the site of an old brewery. Costing £250,000 (16.5 million pounds in today's money!) to build and was designed by George Coles for Hyams & Gale Kinemas. The Troxy was lavishly equipped, and had a capacity of 3,520, making it the largest cinema in England.
As a London event photographer I often find myself needing to get a great photo of a very large group of people animated, excited and having a great time.
As a London portrait photographer I sometimes have to capture portraits of people when they are in the swing of things.
The Troxy East London
Audrey Hepburn face masks adorn some of the tables. At the Troxy there have been performances over the years from people such as Vera Lynn, Earl Cameron, Clarke Gable, Gracie Fields, Cliff Richard, Petula Clarke and the Andrews sisters. The Troxy even had the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, attend a performance of Dick Whittington at the venue on Boxing Day 1947.
The Troxy East London
Guest of the Post Office awards having fun at the Troxy.
A first class menu of food was provided by the Troxy
Guests of the Post Office awards at the Troxy
Employees of the Post Office enjoy the evening.
Different famous actors and actresses were on each table as masks.
Magicians at the Troxy. The best magians are members of the The Magic Circle, the premier magical society in the fascinating world of magic and illusion. They have an international membership of around 1500, all dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic, an entertainment as popular today as when their famous club was formed in 1905.
Employees of the Post Office enjoying themselves at the Troxy.
Beautiful flower arrangements adorned all the tables at the Troxy
Waiters serve delicious food at the Troxy
Post Office awards guests at the Troxy
Television star Gaby Roslin presents awards to winners of the Post Office awards at the Troxy
The CEO of the Post Office is talented Paula Vennells who has worked for Post Office Limited since 2007. She is also a Non-Executive Director of Morrisons plc, a Trustee for the Hymns Ancient and Modern Group and a member of the Future High Street Forum.
Television star Gaby Roslin with winners of the Post Office awards at the Troxy
A Post Office award
Post Office employees at the Post Office awards at the Troxy
The Post Office awards at the Troxy
A Post Office employee enjoys himself dancing at the Troxy
Guests of the Post Office awards dancing at the Troxy
Dancing at the Troxy late into the night