A Deloitte Rabber’s Tale

could do this as each mile and day went by. I was always the first out and generally last in each day, spending around twelve hours a day in the saddle. I spoke to everyone as they passed me on the ride, but as each day went by I fought to be able to make it through and not be on the dreaded “Broom Wagon”. The best moment of 2016 was crossing the line at the Kyle of Sutherland. There was a huge cheer which I did not realise at the time was for me! Emotions were certainly high when I received the “The More is in You” award that evening.

The relationships which I have built from Deloitte Ride Across Britain are truly life-lasting. The focus has always been the finishing line. Because of the Threshold support Chaperones and the relationships I gained during the Ride I had developed the strength to complete the next day and cross the finishing line in John O’ Groats. I can’t even begin to describe the emotions which I felt when I saw my children supporting me over the finish.

Fast forward three years and I managed to get to camp every day around 3 or 3.30pm, and enjoy a warm shower, afternoon tea and time to relax! Each day I found myself feeling better than I did the day before. I also enjoyed playing the game with people whom I had met in 2016 who did not recognise me because I now weighed 14 stone as opposed to 27.

After the first two rides in 2016 and 2017 I realised the pressure I was putting on myself and on the support team during my rides. In August 2018 I made the conscious decision to change my lifestyle and decided that I wanted to lose 10 stone within a year. My weight loss was going well, cycling and running daily to improve my core fitness. Daily time in the saddle is definitely invaluable. A year later, by August 2019, I had lost 12 stone. I even challenged myself to run the Loch Ness Marathon in October just after completing the RAB. Emotionally Deloitte Ride Across Britain has delivered many highs and lows, the highs outweighing the lows threefold. The things you learn about yourself during this dedicated time are life-affirming. The fear running through you as you cross the start line to the ecstatic feeling of relief when crossing the finish line must be lived. Mentally, you have to “begin with the end in mind”.

An expression which has helped me on the rides which I have completed is “don’t get your imagination mixed up with your abilities. Deep down you know how much you have trained or not, so you must not get carried away. It is a tough nine days without putting extra pressure on yourself. You have to ride at your own pace and enjoy the experience. After the first few days you will meet people going at your pace and you join together to help each other through. I cycled 90% of the 2016 ride on my own due to my lack of confidence in myself and in my cycling ability. In 2019 after day four I was riding in a group daily and we all helped each other, which made a huge difference. But when all is said and done, it is only a bike ride. Enjoy it, it is life-changing and incredibly rewarding.

John Stevenson MP for Carlisle

John Stevenson (1975-81), son of former Head of Physical Education at the School, Andrew Stevenson, became the Member of Parliament for Carlisle at the 2010 General Election reflects on his role at Westminster.

To be a Member of Parliament is to accept a strange, unstructured, and unpredictable existence. It is an experience like no other – to be at the very centre of our national political life and to have the opportunity not just to help improve the lives of your constituents but also to influence national policy.

Each MP has their own experiences and journey to reflect on. I was first elected in 2010 with a majority of just 853, having won a seat which had been held by the Labour Party for the past fifty years. Believe it or not, after the General Election of 2015, in which my party finally won an overall majority after five years of coalition government, I (along with many others) thought that we would be in for a period of relative political stability. Well, that was not quite how things worked out!

The challenge for any MP in a marginal seat is always to try and hold on at the following election, but sometimes the political narrative is with you and so it has proved with me in my subsequent re-elections. During this time, I have experienced a coalition government, a small majority government, a minority government and now a comfortable majority government. From a backbencher’s perspective, I have to say that small majority government is the best, as it is then that you have the greatest ability to influence policy! A minority government is a completely different experience, and although it has its positives (it requires huge amounts of collaboration and transfers effective power from the Executive to the House) it is a delicate arrangement not suited for big decision-making. We saw this during the Brexit debate.

I remember that when I was first elected, someone described the House of Commons chamber to me as “the cockpit of the nation”. Some see it as more of a bun fight, but on the big occasions it is at the very centre of politics and the focus for our nation. It can at times appear a loud and competitive place (such as during Prime Minister’s Questions). However, at other times, it is a deliberate and serious debating chamber where divergent views can clash but in a respectful and democratic way.

The working hours in the House are unusual: we finish on Mondays at 10pm with votes that can go well beyond 11pm. Tuesday and Wednesday, the House finishes at 7pm and Thursday at 5pm. These timings are all dependent, of course, on what the government needs to get through the House and when it needs to get it through. In the past, sessions have gone on into the early hours of the morning. 31

The traditional aspects of the job and the rituals can also be unusual to say the least – bobbing up and down on the benches to catch the Speaker’s eye and ask a question, referring about (not to!) each other by the constituencies we represent rather than by our names, and of course, the voting system which requires us to walk through the “Aye” and “No” lobbies being tallied off as we do.

The vision of a herd of MPs being corralled and counted through the lobbies may look a little archaic (and quite familiar to a Cumbrian sheep farmer!) but it is through this system that a lot of work is done. Even Ministers (including the Prime Minister) have to vote by walking through the lobby and this presents an opportunity for backbenchers like me to have a quick word about a pressing issue or constituency matter, both of us in the knowledge that neither can escape.

There is much more that happens in Westminster; speaking in Parliament and sitting on Select Committees, Bill Committees, All-Party Groups, and meeting Ministers. But that is only part of an MP’s job. Being an MP also involves constituency work and local surgeries, attending functions and businesses locally, and campaigning in the hope of re-election.

For all the flaws and quirks of the system, we are fortunate to live in a country that has such robust traditions and strong democratic institutions – and I will always consider it the greatest of honour to serve in our Parliament.

MPs have their role to play in ensuring this institution continues, but so does the voter. No MP should ever feel that they have a seat for life and therefore as it is the job of MPs to hold government to account, it is incumbent on the voter to hold their MP to account because it is important that we continue to make sure that all MPs’ lives remain strange, unstructured and unpredictable.

Over the horizon…

Author note: Tim Rolfe (1982-86) enjoyed a 30-year career with Bristow Helicopters, predominantly as a pilot and instructor/examiner. In July 2020, he joined HeliOffshore – a not-for-profit international association focussed on achieving the highest levels of safety in offshore aviation.

Helicopters have been a familiar sight in the skies of NE Scotland since offshore drilling activities began in earnest in the 1970s. Aberdeen has benefitted from being a global centre of oil and gas expertise and the airport has been cited for decades as the ‘busiest heliport in the world’ with, at the height of activities in the 80s and 90s, over 100 flights a day disappearing over the horizon as they transported oil and gas workers to and from the 200+ platforms, rigs and boats that lie out of sight of the coastline. But other than those who work out there or support the many offshore locations in the UK sector, few have an insight into