GUNNING ON ALL FRONTS

IT'S been a tough old week - but I'm pleased to say it's finished on a high.

With a series of four front pages, which would rival any other local paper in the south-east, the team has done a top job.

With three reporters, the news editor and sports editor absent for a crucial chunk of the week, it was all hands to the deck.

The reporters were taking their seniors exams in Newcastle, and the news editor and sports editor had booked holidays to watch Liverpool lose in Athens. Never mind.

As well as being back on the newsdesk for most of this week, the other highlight for me this week was my visit to the Park Lane Hilton, for dinner on Wednesday night.

I was very kindly invited by the BBC Asian Network, to join their table at the annual Asian Women's Achievement Awards.

It certainly was a glittering affair - with the likes of Liz Hurley and her new husband only a table away. She obviously attracted a lot of attention looking resplendent in her sari. Cherie Booth, QC (that's the PM's wife) was also there in her role as the patron of the charity.

Top politicians like Tessa Jowell , Theresa May, as well as familiar TV news presenters like Katie Dereham, Mischal Hussein and Fiona Bruce were all present donning some fantastic Asian outfits. As Katie Dereham said: "It's a chance to lose the pin-stripes and the jackets, and put on the colour and sequins."

But really the evening was about people like Perminder Dhillon, who was shortlisted for an award. She is the boss of an anti-drugs and alcohol project based in Southall. So congratulations to her for the recognition she received for her incredible work with the community.