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The Open Weekend - a message from the Treasurer The two Inns of Court in the Temple joined forces with the Temple Church and the Royal Courts of Justice over the weekend of 19/20 January 2008. Despite occasional flurries of drizzle, over 25,000 visitors came to see what we had to offer. All went away thrilled with what they had learnt and seen. Our own Hall was one of the principal highlights but the Bench Apartments were also constantly thronged. Police dogs caught armed “burglars” in our garden and Shakespeare was performed by many sets of children all over the two Inns. In the RCJ, four courts were in use for mock trials, a children’s court and advocacy exercises. Four sets of Chambers in the Inn, and others in Inner, were staffed and open to visitors who went there in large numbers I personally was very pleased to see how much enthusiasm there was among the staff of the Inn and the students, both groups of which did great credit to the Inn for their wholehearted involvement. It was also very pleasant to see how benchers and members of Hall joined the staff and the students in carrying out the voluntary duties required. My thanks go to each and every one of them. The feedback from the Chambers that decided to open has been uniformly positive. It was also very heartening to see the degree of co-operation between the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple: some members of each staff have told me that they went and saw round the other Inn for the first time in their whole period of service. I hope to be able to post some pictures of the event on the website shortly, so please look at this part of it again in a few days This Open Weekend was an excellent start to the 2008 Temple Festival: I hope to see many members of the Inn and others during the rest of the year, whether at a concert, a symposium or a theatrical performance. Michael Blair QC Treasurer 2008 |