Christmas parties can be bit much but Urban Design London (UDL) got theirs just right. For those of you who don’t know them, UDL is a small group of dedicated experts who run an amazing training programme; aimed primarily at local authorities and other public sector bodies. Set up originally in 2002, and led by Esther Kurland for the last ten years, they genuinely have no egos; they exist to share knowledge, build confidence and make London a better place.

A couple of months ago, they invited 15 of their regular speakers/contributors to become ‘wise friends’ – people who would help shape their programme, widen their speaker base and generally spread the word. We all accepted and the Christmas party, held last night at the Seven Dials Members Club in Covent Garden, was our inaugural ‘meeting’. Suffice to say that not much advising went on but we (and they) had a great time. Not a natural party goer, somehow I often end up being the last to leave…

Happy Christmas Catalina, Sue, Esther and Paul (left to right).