Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, recently welcomed the Up River Yacht Club to Westminster, where they were taken on an extensive tour of the Houses of Parliament, before holding a question and answer session with their local MP, Mark, in Westminster Hall.
Over 40 member of Up River Yacht Club made the journey from Essex to London in order to visit the Palace of Westminster; on what was the last day of the Parliamentary session as the House rose later the same day for Prorogation, before the State Opening of Parliament by Her Majesty the Queen, on Wednesday 9th May.
The Yacht Club, who are based in Hullbridge, assembled in Westminster Hall before being met by their personal tour guides who accompanied them throughout the morning while they took the chance to explore the famous sites, including both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, Central Lobby and St Stephen’s Hall.
The tour of Westminster also included a discussion on the history of the Houses of Parliament, as well as the chance to look at the Royal Robing Room which will be used by her Majesty the Queen during the State Opening of Parliament next week. At the end of the tour, Mark met up with the group to answer any questions, before taking the party for a group photograph.
Commenting on the event, Mark said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome members from the Up River Yacht Club to Westminster for their tour. I believe we are very privileged in the United Kingdom to have such a beautiful and iconic building as our Parliament and I always enjoy welcoming parties of constituents as I do feel it is a useful opportunity to learn more about what goes on in Westminster, whatever the visitors’ political affiliations may be. I hope that everyone enjoyed their day and I look forward to staying in contact with the Club in future.”
