Alok Sharma, Member of Parliament for Reading West, visited the Wren School to speak about Parliament Week. Alok, who is Patron of the Wren School, was invited to speak to year 9 and year 10 students by Karin Kukkuk, Leader of Humanities & CPSHE Coordinator, and spoke to the students about the role of MPs, Parliament and the importance of voting.
Parliament Week is a UK-wide festival which aims to engage people, especially young people, from different backgrounds and communities, with the UK Parliament and empower them to get involved.
UK Parliament Week is part of the UK Parliament’s Vote 100 programme, celebrating equal voting rights and other milestones in the UK’s democratic history.
Other centenaries coming up this year include the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act which gave women over 21 the right to stand for election as an MP and the 1918 General Election when women over 30 and all men over 21 voted for the first time.
In 2017, UK Parliament Week reached more than 360,000 people, with over 4,500 events. This year’s UK Parliament Week festival is the largest ever and will see more than 7,000 registered events with over 500,000 people taking part. Participating organisations include Scouts, Girlguiding and the British Youth Council.
Alok Sharma MP said: “It was a pleasure to return to the Wren School and talk to the students about why actively participating in our democratic processes is so important. I am also delighted at the number of schools taking part in Parliament Week.”
David Clark, Head of Education and Engagement at UK Parliament, said: “There are many exciting events as part of this year’s UK Parliament Week, with many of those happening in Reading West. Schools, workplaces and community groups across Reading West have a chance to get involved in their democracy, and to also celebrate one of the most important centenaries in British democratic history. We can only work towards a more equal society if we all engage with democracy."
Photo: Alok Sharma MP speaking to pupils of The Wren School during Parliament Week
