My night with the Queen

Last night I joined 400 pioneers at Buckingham Palace to celebrate our contribution to the Queen's reign. It was indeed a stunning list - everyone from Lord Attenborough (cinema) to Sir Magdi Yacoub (transplant surgery).

I crept in (for homeless initiatives) among the Bs, just before Sir Harrison Birtwistle (music). The list itself could be looked upon as amusing, with such Pythonesque touches as Terry Jones (performing arts) listed before Dr David Jones (waste management).

Did Ringo Starr (music), Baroness Thatcher (politics) or David Hockney (art) really turn up? Did Professor Hawking (astronomy) make it to the throng along with Delia Smith ( cookery) and Sir Roy Strong (art and gardening)?

Whatever, the place was crowded, but I tended to agree with Lord Winston (medical research) that there could have been some more young women. Or more young people.

Sir Cliff Richard struck an interesting note, commenting that he wasn't quite sure why he was there. "I mean, can a rock star be a pioneer?" he mused. He looked around at the crowd of performers, singers, mathematicians, horticulturalists, novelists, satellite technologists, politicians, etc., and I could see what he meant. Surely the old adage that "pioneers die and settlers prosper" did not fit many of the participants.

Yes, this was socially committed Britain. Also some of it was wealthy, privileged, and well heeled Britain.

But I divined some logic in the mix. Recently trumpeted in the press and on TV, Jane Tomlinson (community support) is a hardworking charity worker who has struggled against her own cancer. I grabbed a few minutes with her. I could see why she might be a pioneer with her commitment not to just accept the role of victim.

Pamela Adjei (cultural history) got me thinking about BBC TV's recent survey of 100 Great Britons. She and her business partner are working on a website to establish who are our hundred greatest black Britons.

Fascinating stuff, raising big questions about how Britain in Elizabeth's reign is so totally different from the one the young queen encountered back in 1953. What a shot in the arm it would be for many young black people looking for something to celebrate in this 50th anniversary year.

Antony Gormley (sculpture) had interesting points to make about royal patronage of the arts, which he thought there should be more of. He felt Buckingham Palace itself was a bit of a "frozen moment" and should break free from its Edwardian ambience.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester enjoyed the evening and seemed to have a good knowledge of The Big Issue. We discussed individual vendors and you could tell they had thought about our work.

To me, the crowning point of the evening was finding Mary Asprey and Janet Newman (missing persons) among the crowd. They are some of our hardest-working citizens. They definitely are pioneers, bringing forward the thought that you can get help when someone in your family goes missing.

I missed Sir Roger Bannister (athletics), a childhood hero of mine when running was my only skill. I would have liked to have met my old employer, Sir Richard Branson (entrepreneur), who had me selling his Student magazine back in the early 1970s. And it would have been great to meet Nelson Mandela.

I had the chance once a few years ago at the South African embassy. I refused to go because I didn't want to be just another one of those congratulatory white guys whose hand he would have had to shake. I've regretted that ever since. Aside from the Gloucesters, I missed the royal family. But I was pleased to be invited. And I have to say I felt every bit a pioneer.

I know it's not fashionable to pat yourself on the back, but I felt like it last night. Sir Cliff was right; there might have been few actual pioneers. But looking around I knew I was one.