David Suchet reprising Hercule Poirot to serve tea to the Chichester Observer's arts editor is recalled at fundraising lunch for dementia care

Diners raised thousands of pounds to support pioneering dementia care at Sage House, Tangmere, near Chichester. In addition, the lunch, organised by the High Sheriff of West Sussex Gary Shipton who is also Editor at Large of Sussex World, celebrated the arts in West Sussex and the importance of independent local journalism. For that reason it was held at the one-year-old Goodwood Art Foundation and featured as key-note speaker Dr Phil Hewitt – arts editor of prestigious titles like the Chichester Observer, Worthing Herald, and County Times – who shared what some of the stars were really like behind the scenes when they performed at world-renowned Chichester Festival Theatre and other Sussex venues. In this article, Gary gives an overview of the event.