One of the things I will miss most of all after standing down as MP is my time with schools and young people. I have 28 schools within the constituency and most weeks I am doing something with pupils from one of them. It stretches back to my time as Minister for Children and Young People where one of my biggest missions was to give young people a voice and make sure those in positions of authority listened.
I remember many years ago, soon after Worthing became one of the first towns to elect a youth mayor, taking members of the Youth Cabinet to present to the Mayor and full Council in Worthing’s Council chamber to tell them what young people wanted for the town. They had done their research which showed an ice rink as top of the wish list, and even after the opening speaker boldly seized councillors attention by declaring that they had better listen carefully as they would be sitting in those seats in a few years’ time, they got their ice rink. And we have had one in Steyne Gardens just about every winter since.
So last Friday I visited one of my favourite schools, St Nics and St Mary’s where the pupils are always so polite and respectful even when they are asking some pretty fiendish questions. And I bumped into a teacher who had done work experience with me over 15 years ago and met her now husband on a constituency visit with me! On Monday a group of politics and history students from Shoreham Academy came up to Parliament for a tour, question time with me and mock debate in the education unit where they narrowly defeated a motion to legalise cannabis. Very bright students at our outstanding Shoreham Academy.
I started the morning on Worthing Pier at the launch of a brilliant new environment display masterminded by Nadia and Nessy of Creative Waves who have been very supportive of the EYE Project. Pupils from 5 local schools have produced panels of everything from bees and starfish to butterflies and moths with interactive QR codes. It’s there for 2 years so do pay a visit.
