Sara Britcliffe, Member of Parliament for Hyndburn and Haslingden, welcomed 40 of her Hyndburn & Haslingden constituents to parliament on Friday 7 July for a tour and a question & answer session.
It was an early start at Accrington Stanley’s Wham Stadium for Hyndburn MPs constituents, with the coach departing at 6:30am for Westminster. Due to some heavy traffic on route they arrived in London just before 1pm, from when constituents were able to enjoy two hours of free time, taking in attractions like St James’ Park, 10 Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.
The tour started at 3pm, when the 40 constituents were split into groups and appraised of the history of Parliament’s Central Lobby, St Stephen’s Hall and Westminster Hall. Ms Britcliffe then held a one-hour Q&A in parliament’s Grand Committee Room, with guests sitting in the seats of MPs of years gone by.
After the Q&A guests returned to their groups so that they could be taken onto the floor of both the House of Commons and House of Lords, as well as the Commons Member’s Lobby and No Lobby and the Lords Prince’s Chamber, Royal Gallery and King’s Robing Room.
Before departing at 6:30pm, there was plenty of time for photos on Parliament’s terrace and in Westminster Hall.
In a show of community spirit, Accrington Stanley allowed guests to park for free while the coach was provided by Oswaldtwistle company Moving People, who provided two drivers as well as free water, tea, coffee, and biscuits.
The trip was £37 per person and covered the cost of the coach only, with the tour being free.
Sara Britcliffe MP said:
It was fantastic to bring so many people from Hyndburn and Haslingden down to Westminster for a memorable day and show them how our democracy operates and tell the story of its history.
It was a real team effort, and all constituents were fantastic. It took a lot of organisation but it was worth it and I will be looking to do it again.
Special thanks must go to Moving People, a Hyndburn company who provided us two brilliant drivers alongside refreshments for everyone, and also Accrington Stanley who allowed 40 constituents to use their car park for free.
