Reports of the annual St Basil's Sleep-Out are slowly reaching the Bright secret intelligence desk and my spooks tell me that the great and the good bedded down in record numbers this year; some 450 people I'm told.
Star appearances included our esteemed Lord Mayor and Llewella Bailey of Central TV fame.
But most impressive was David Urquhart sporting sweatshirt embellished on back with "The Bish" ...so no doubts there!
Our Rt Rev friend also bounced up to give the midnight address – in a manner very reminiscent of Zeberdee from the Magic Roundabout.
David is of course not the first member of the House of Bishops to do the Sleep-Out and certain irreverent parties are now bragging that they have slept with two bishops!
Others of our community partaking of the rain included ever-young Charles Barwell and the truly-young Graham Nicholl of Barclays Wealth Management. And PR guru Mark Triggs who was never more than four feet from the brazier all night.
Messrs Maskell and Chapman among the BHSF contingent were seen moseying around as if sun was shinning in middle of the night, but then it's five or six years running for this bunch.
However, the dedication award goes to Hammonds trainee lawyer Harj Samra who turned out hot from closing a deal at 2am, served tea all night and departed the scene at 5.30am to prepare for the Santa Fun Run later that morning.
But what of the elusive, St Basil's chief cash raker-in Nick Venning, I hear you ask?
Having lambasted him for mismanaging his Caribbean holiday to coincide with last year's Sleep-Out, Bright spies and character assassins were on the look out.
A Venning in the soup kitchen, I hear!
Nope; that's young Imogen V up from Linklaters to lend a hand.
Serving bacon butties then? Nope; that's Mrs V.
Ah, there's our man snoring away and keeping dry under a neatly constructed poly-tunnel.
Get ya next time my friend!
- - - - -
I feel for my old mucker Brian Roberts – you have these two daughters, you wait for years for an engagement... and then two come along at the same time.
First it was Dawn, part of Birmingham PR firm Headline, who announced earlier this year that she was finally going to marry long time partner Chris Tomlinson. They intend tying the knot in Las Vegas.
And now Kay, who works for Core Marketing, also in Birmingham, has got engaged to telecoms guru Richard Gregory after a two year romance.
Whisper it, but it will coincide with Kay's Big 40, so it is congratulations all round to the soon-to-become Gregory's Girl.
Actually, there's a third sister, Kim, an architect living in Northern Ireland, who got married a few years back... but that doesn't fit in with the theme of this dubious collection of tittle-tattle!
So, Brian, a Moseley rugby club stalwart, hope you've been saving up, mate.
- - - - -
You wander around the Christmas functions and come up with most extraordinary stories.
Who knew that Al Thorne, of Core Marketing, once came second in the Miss Gran Canaria contest.
"My lycra skirt split," he moans!
- - - - -
I gather that Sally Beavan, of accountants PKF, got inundated with emails after the recent story of her promotion to partner.
You know the sort – offering congratulations but also taking the mick.
Naturally the girl is delighted, but Bright can reveal why particularly.
For the pay rise? Nice to have but not that.
For the glory? Nice to have but not that.
It seems that after getting three tickets at £30-a-piece on the same day not so long ago, the titian-haired trailblazer is savouring finally getting her own car parking space!
- - - - -
Bright is grateful to celebrity snapper Tony Flanagan for once and for all laying to rest a dreadful calumny that crops up every Christmas.
Steve and Abby White, parents of his grandson Oliver, took their offspring to Lapland to see Father Christmas.
On his return, Oliver, aged six, tells Flan: “I used to think that Father Christmas was just someone dressed up, but now I have seen him I know that he is real.”
Meanwhile media guru Andy Skinner has been on the phone to the Little People – his partner’s four grand daughters.
It seems that Phoebe has rather been passed over when the best parts were handed out at the Christmas play.
“So what part have you got then, Pheebs?” enthuses Skinner.
“I’m a donkey,” comes the reply.
“Well done!” says Skinner, trying to inject as much enthusiasm as he can muster into his voice.
“So what do you have to do, do you have any lines?” he asks brightly.
The ether is silent for a moment.
Then, with all the contempt and resignation that a five-year-old can muster for the dull and ignorant such as Granddad, comes the reply.
“Granddad…..I’m a donkey!”
--------
David Richardson of Lloyds TSB in Birmingham has a Christmas invitation that must be the envy of us all.
This weekend he is the guest of the hotelier who is hosting Dame Shirley Bassey’s private party for just 300 or so intimate friends.
The venue is a state secret but Bright has some words of advice that he hopes reaches David’s ear before he tries “get this party started” to quote the Dame.
Give the karaoke a miss, mate.
Don’t try and do what the Dame does best!
------
It was off to Birmingham Business Breakfast Club for the farewell of Birmingham lawyer Andrew Sparrow.
It attracts a huge turnout – about 50 people – which may mean everyone is glad to see the back of him or, rather more likely, a tribute to the very significant contribution he has made to Birmingham down the years.
Done lots for Birmingham Forward, saved the Press Club, ran the BBBC for nine years, and done his best to drive this city forward, telling it as it is.
Which has won him a few enemies but also lots of friends.
Richard Brennan, chief executive of Birmingham Forward, was there doing a very good impression of being a wine waiter – well they tell me the organisation is supposed to be about serving the business community.
PR doyen David Clarke gave a ramble down memory lane about luminaries like Sir Digby Jones and Sir Michael Lyons who have either been club members or speakers.
Incidentally speech of the decade has apparently gone to Charles Flint for "How The Register Of Contaminated Land Will Affect All Our Lives".
Sparrow, now working in London, claims to have "seen off" five editors of The Birmingham Post and four city council leaders.
Only once in those nine years was there a club crisis – where a misunderstanding saw the Botanical Gardens venue shut up and locked. A frantic ring round – can you serve breakfast for 50, now, please – saw the Eton Hotel on Hagley Road bravely step into the breach.
Meanwhile business editor John Duckers drivelled on about how sparrows had become something of an endangered species in Britain, particularly now in Birmingham.
Anyway, I am told a satellite branch of the Birmingham Business Breakfast Club has been found alive and well meeting at the world famous Ivy Restaurant in London ... at lunchtime.
------
Congratulations to Ben Browning and wife Georgina whose number two youngster is on the way – they already have a son, Rupert.
John Duckers, business editor of this newspaper, purchases a turkey every Christmas off Browning who sources them out in the sticks where he lives.
A shocked Duckers remarked: "I only wanted the turkey, Ben, you can keep the child!"