Britain is Beautiful

‘Britain is beautiful’. That was the key message from Dawn Butler, the Labour MP who hosted the v Parliamentary Reception at the House of Commons yesterday. Her words summarised the views of several other speakers, who were to include MP’s from each of the main political parties, each praising v and its volunteers for improving Britain’s community culture and for proving what Britain’s youth are capable of.

Gordon Ballantyne, UK Sales and Services Director from T-Mobile, the company that sponsored the reception, put a special emphasis on the positive changes volunteering can make within the community. He spoke of the importance of active volunteering in inspiring a ‘deep sense of community’ and referred to the v challenge as a great way of strengthening this ethos.

The v challenge was a task set by v to MP’s throughout England during June’s volunteer week. v challenged every MP in England to go out into their constituency and volunteer alongside young people on a project of their choice. Two MP’s who participated in the challenge were Tim Farron, MP Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and Tim Loughton Conservative Shadow Minister for Children, who both spoke at the event yesterday. They each spoke of the pleasure they got out of being part of v’s initiative and in turn, from watching young people making such positive changes within their communities.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron spoke of the ability of volunteering to ‘break down barriers’ between young people who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to come together. He noted that on the conservation project that he had taken part in at Rydall Hall, there had been a hugely diverse group of people ‘from all different backgrounds working together as a team’. He also congratulated v on encouraging young people to develop their passions and interests through volunteering, saying that ‘the best skills you can learn, are those you learn accidentally because you have thrown yourself into something that you care about.

East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton spoke of a project that he had been involved in which saw him help to create a decorative mosaic on a local estate in Worthing. He spoke of how much he had enjoyed watching young people ‘roll up their sleeves and put this project together’ and how he thought it was ‘symbolic of the change that has happened on their estate’ since volunteers have come together to in a bid make a difference.

The reception proved to be a great success, giving volunteers from across England the opportunity to experience the grandeur of the House of Commons and the spectacular view over the Thames. More importantly, though, it gave them a chance to celebrate everything that they have achieved for themselves and for others in and around their community.