Two Scouts from 1st Ince and Elton headed to London with a contingnent of 38 Scouts on Tuesday 12th June for the annual prestigious Speaker’s reception. The event, hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Scout Group and the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, is a unique opportunity for young people in Scouting to experience meeting with their own and other MPs in the House of Commons to talk about the challenges facing Scouting, such as the lack of adult volunteers.
The Scouts got the opportunity to meet their local MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston Scouts, Andrew Miller and spoke to him about local issues in the local community and more importantly, if he was a Scout as a youngster himself.
One of the Scouts, James Leyland who was given the opportunity to attend the reception said:
"The trip to London gave me the opportunity to mingle with Scouts from all over the country and meet our local MP to discuss things that interest me. It also gave me the chance to visit Parliament and to talk to MP's; to find out what it was really like, not just as the media presents it. It was an amazing opportunity and experience which won't leave me for the rest of my life!"
Ashley Proctor, one of our Scout Leader's who also attended said:
"The Speakers Reception was a fantastic opportunity to meet other Scouts from all over the country and to also meet my local MP to discuss issues about Scouting and the local community. It gave me an insight into what goes on in Parliament and the chance to see what MP's are doing to help support Scouting across the country."
Andrew Miller MP said,
“I was delighted to meet some of the Scouts from Ellesmere Port and Neston at such a special event. It is clear that Scouting continues to be relevant and dynamic, providing young people the chance to try out new adventures, from hiking to snowboarding to working within their local communities. I have learned more about the challenges faced by the movement such as the lack of adult volunteers and I look forward to supporting the groups in my constituency through raising awareness of this issue in Parliament.”
