Tuesday, December 11, 2007
In addition to my normal Parliamentary duties over the last week I visited a number of local Primary schools and met local schoolchildren.
On Wednesday I took the winner of my Christmas Card Competition, 8 year old Shanelle Taylor-Hutton, and her art teacher, Michaela Truscott, from Furzedown Primary School to meet the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. I had been bragging to other MPs about how talented children in Tooting are and how good my Christmas card design is, so the Prime Minister said he wanted to see it for himself and meet the young artist that designed it. I arranged for Shanelle and her teacher to come to Parliament for a special meeting with the Prime Minister. He was extremely impressed not only with the winning design on the front, but also the 8 runners up on the bak of the card.
To read more about my Christmas Card Competition and to see photos of the meeting with Gordon Brown, Click HERE.
During the week I also visited six different Primary Schools to present the runners up with their prizes and to award each child who entered my competition with a certificate.
The reception I received from staff and teachers at Swaffield Primary School (Click here to see a photo), Ravenstone primary School, Fransiscan Primary School, Furzedown Primary School (Click here to see a photo), Sellincourt Primary School and Fircroft Primary School was phenomenal. All the teachers and staff deserve special praise for their efforts in this year’s competition.
I also attended a General Committee of Tooting Labour Party for a festive evening of Question Time.
On Thursday I met a local constituent who is a volunteer with the Stop AIDS Campaign. We discussed the Government’s new AIDS strategy for developing countries as well as what can be done to tackle the disease in the UK. I have since made further representations on this issue to the Secretary of State for the Department for International Development. To read more about this issue click HERE.
On Saturday, I attended a demonstration outside the Sudanese Embassy to protest the conviction of volunteer teacher, Gillian Gibbons, by the Sudanese Authorities for allowing her pupils to name a class teddy bear after the Prophet Muhammad. I am pleased that the hard work of Lord Nasir Ahmed and diplomatic efforts from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office secured her safe release. I am also pleased that all the main British Muslim organisations, including the Muslim Council of Britain and the British Muslim Forum, have unreservedly condemned the actions of the Sudanese Authority. I was extremely disappointed that the religion I and many other residents of Tooting and the UK practice was misused in this way – the actions of the Sudanese Authorities has nothing to do with Islam as we know it.
On Wednesday I took the winner of my Christmas Card Competition, 8 year old Shanelle Taylor-Hutton, and her art teacher, Michaela Truscott, from Furzedown Primary School to meet the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. I had been bragging to other MPs about how talented children in Tooting are and how good my Christmas card design is, so the Prime Minister said he wanted to see it for himself and meet the young artist that designed it. I arranged for Shanelle and her teacher to come to Parliament for a special meeting with the Prime Minister. He was extremely impressed not only with the winning design on the front, but also the 8 runners up on the bak of the card.
To read more about my Christmas Card Competition and to see photos of the meeting with Gordon Brown, Click HERE.
During the week I also visited six different Primary Schools to present the runners up with their prizes and to award each child who entered my competition with a certificate.
The reception I received from staff and teachers at Swaffield Primary School (Click here to see a photo), Ravenstone primary School, Fransiscan Primary School, Furzedown Primary School (Click here to see a photo), Sellincourt Primary School and Fircroft Primary School was phenomenal. All the teachers and staff deserve special praise for their efforts in this year’s competition.
I also attended a General Committee of Tooting Labour Party for a festive evening of Question Time.
On Thursday I met a local constituent who is a volunteer with the Stop AIDS Campaign. We discussed the Government’s new AIDS strategy for developing countries as well as what can be done to tackle the disease in the UK. I have since made further representations on this issue to the Secretary of State for the Department for International Development. To read more about this issue click HERE.
On Saturday, I attended a demonstration outside the Sudanese Embassy to protest the conviction of volunteer teacher, Gillian Gibbons, by the Sudanese Authorities for allowing her pupils to name a class teddy bear after the Prophet Muhammad. I am pleased that the hard work of Lord Nasir Ahmed and diplomatic efforts from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office secured her safe release. I am also pleased that all the main British Muslim organisations, including the Muslim Council of Britain and the British Muslim Forum, have unreservedly condemned the actions of the Sudanese Authority. I was extremely disappointed that the religion I and many other residents of Tooting and the UK practice was misused in this way – the actions of the Sudanese Authorities has nothing to do with Islam as we know it.
