Parliament News - Celebrating 150 Years Palace of Westminster Anniversary

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PARLIAMENT PARLIAMENTARY SOCIETY FOR ARTS FASHION AND SPORTS MAGAZINE

ArtSelection DEDICATED AND CELEBRATING DEMOCRACY & HISTORY

Activity Book PARLIAMENTARY SOCIETY

TYNE O’CONNELL

ISSUE 1 DECEMNER 2020

THE GREAT FIRE OF 1834 AND ITS IMPACT ON LIBERTY AND CULTURE

150 YEARS PALACE OF WESTMINSTER ANNIVERSARY

"Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." – Amy Poehler

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THIS IS NOT OVER, IT IS JUST THE BEGINNING

By Rebeca Riofrio , Director of the Parliamentary Society for Arts, Fashion & Sports It is no surprise that the current political atmosphere in the United Kingdom is gloomy. Many people are losing faith in the government and their policies. In 2020, Brexit and COVID came to the UK hand in hand, like the evil twins from a Hitchcock movie bringing terror to all of us. As the director of the Parliamentary Society for Arts, I feel the burden and desperation of many of our members, especially our artists who are losing their business and feel left behind fighting a lone battle. We all know that Arts funding isn’t any form of bailout. It’s essential for our nation. The UK’s creative industries have been one of our greatest success stories and an asset to this country and to our economy, and yet the government has failed us, specifically, failing to appreciate the complexity of our creative ecosystem. It is true that £1.57 billion investment has been allocated to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions, but Britain is not only made up of big institutions, it is also made of freelancers and limited companies.

During these months I have witnessed many hundreds of people losing their homes, attempting suicide, closing their business owing to the twin effects of finance and psychology.

I understand our government is trying to help everyone as much as they can, but I would like to address the frustration of many that are falling through the cracks with respect to the Government’s recovery plan. We must not forget that the creative industry in the UK represents a value of (as per figures given by www.gov.uk) £13 million per hour to the UK economy, and that’s equivalent to £306 million pounds every day. In 2018 it represented £111.7 billion pounds to the UK economy, and yet, I sometimes feel that many people including the government officials often perceive the creative industry as secondary and not as important.

Going forward, I am still hopeful that things will get better and I firmly believe that the UK will come out of this pandemic slowly perhaps but surely!!

I would like to remind our members and friends that our country has survived many catastrophic and devastating events; global occurrences that perhaps killed half our population. Despite that, we have stood and have confronted adversity in its face. Eventually we conquer! We have all won when we stand together – we just need unity, compassion and unconditional love.

In 1934 a devastating fire almost destroyed the Palace of Westminster. Shortly after a new building was built, this year, we celebrated and commemorated 150 years of the Palace of Westminster.

The 150th commemoration of Palace of Westminster really symbolises the tradition of democracy and the recognition of rights and equality. Britain has been a home to hundreds and thousands of immigrants who have now become part and parcel of the UK’s traditions and culture – a sign of true democracy all around.

We can and we will keep our heads up, hoping and praying that things will slowly improve, and that the government does not just ‘leave us behind’. Let us all believe that we will shine yet again, filling up arenas, bringing joy all around us, designing and painting and above all enriching the UK in the way that we so love.

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‘WE MUST NOT FORGET THAT THE

CREATIVE INDUSTRY IN THE UK

REPRESENTS A VALUE OF (AS PER FIGURES GIVEN BY GOV.UK £13 MILLION PER

HOUR TO THE UK ECONOMY,

AND THAT’S EQUIVALENT TO £306 MILLION POUNDS EVERY DAY…AND YET, I SOMETIMES FEEL THAT MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS OFTEN PERCEIVE THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY AS SECONDARY AND NOT AS IMPORTANT.’ Rebeca Riofrio, Director of the Parliamentary ociety for Arts, Fashion & Sports 3

THE GREAT FIRE OF 1834 AND ITS IMPACT ON LIBERTY AND CULTURE

BY TYNE O’CONNELL

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In 1834, my ancestor Daniel O’Connell was already an international figure in the fight against slavery. Known as The Liberator, he was hailed by the American abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, as ‘the greatest champion against slavery in the world’. O’Connell was famous for his uncompromising commitment to obtaining freeborn rights for all; regardless of skin pigment, creed or gender, by peaceful means. His ‘soul stirring’ oratory drew crowds of up to one million to his rallies in Ireland but by 1829 he was living on Albermarle Street in Mayfair, London.

O’Connell’s insistence that ‘all hearts are the same colour and the mind has no gender,’ inspired the cause of liberty throughout the age. He was a Catholic but no papist and campaigned for Catholic Emancipation in Ireland, becoming the first Catholic MP to win a seat in parliament. He was also a fervent monarchist but denounced ‘the marriage of church and state as an adulterous one’. The Liberator’s commitment to liberty was so mighty that he shocked his greatest supporters by refusing donations from wealthy slave owners in America, even in the height of the potato famine. The lasting greatness of O’Connell’s legacy was his refusal to polarise people into “them” and “us”. This is why the flame of his commitment to the pursuit of liberty through peaceful means, continued to burn so brightly in all those he inspired, such as Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.

By 1833 he had successfully persuaded parliament to vote for the Slavery Abolition Act. It finally came into effect on 1August 1834 but it by no means abolished slavery throughout all the Empire. Two months later, the Greatest Fire since 1666 consumed the 800 year old Palace of Westminster on 16th October 1834. The Great Fire, coming as it did after the Georgian Era and before the Victorian Era, when King William IV was on the throne, was viewed as a portent of the extraordinary changes sweeping the age.

FIRE AT WESTMINSTER PAINTING - UNKNOWN ARTIST

1834 was the same year the great eccentric, Countess Ada Lovelace began her work on creating the world’s first computer programme. Her father Lord Byron crowned her the “Princess of the Parallelograms” and the poetry of her ‘thinking machine’ far exceeded the imagination of her male colleague Charles Babbage. She predicted a day when computers would deliver facts and even have the capacity to think and compose music. Ada’s tutor was the famous scientist, astronomer, geographer and polymath, Mary Somerville (1780-1872) was hailed as ‘The Queen of Science’. Somerville was also a committed feminist who turned to Daniel O’Connell MP and the philosopher John Stuart Mill to support women’s suffrage as part of the 1832 Reform Act. Prior to the Act, women who owned property in their own name had been entitled to vote but the addition of the three words, ‘Male persons only’ which extended voting rights to most men, explicitly barred women from voting for the first time since the Magna Carta of 1215.

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Caption: Statue of Daniel O'Connell outside St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne

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This outrage triggered The Liberator to pronounce that “the mind has no gender” which became a key theme of the age, as he promoted the principle of liberty as a ‘free born right of women and men of all races and creeds.’

The destruction of the Palace of Westminster in the inferno of October 1834 had a profound impact on all aspects of British culture. The brutality and fear of the ideas born of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars had inspired the Romanticism of Wordsworth and Jane Austin. The destruction of the ancient Parliament trigged a new Age of Realism as expressed in the novels of George Elliot and Mary Shelley, the daughter of the famous scientist and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein; Or The Modern Prometheus” tapped into society’s fear of the rapid leaps being made in science and technology by contemplating that the boundary between life and death was imaginary, and might even be breached. Another author of the age, Charles Dickens, celebrated O’Connell’s campaign against slavery and liberty for all in his 1847 novel, Martin Chuzzlewit. The book immortalised O’Connell’s reputation both as the leading international political champion of the anti-slavery movement and as a fearless opponent of injustice in all its forms.

It was during this era of growing liberty and scientific change that the first fire ball exploded out of the side of Westminster Palace at 6pm, flaming towards the Abbey and lighting up London on the evening of the 16th October 1834. At 8pm another fireball blasted through the roof and blazed like a meteor across the sky. A collective gasp went up amongst the hundreds of thousands of Londoners already gathered on the street and the tens of thousands watching from hundreds of boats, crushed along the Thames.

Public and private firefighters worked side by side with hundreds of volunteers, including MPs, Peers, Dukes, the king’s sons and parliament workmen to quell the flames throughout the night. The oldest part of the Palace had been the home of kings since the reign of King Canute from 1016 and Edward the Confessor (1042-1056). A succession of monarchs had added to the architecture across the centuries. In 1534, King Henry VIII moved his residence next door to Whitehall and the Palace of Westminster became the permanent home of Parliamentary democracy. By the middle of that fateful night of 1834 the focus of the firefighters was on saving Westminster Hall (built by King William II in the 1090s).

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Caption: The Burning Of The Houses Of Parliament Painting by William Turner

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JMW Turner RA and John Constable RA were amongst the forty-four artists who set up their easels at the start of the fire. The artists captured each stage of the conflagration, from its explosive beginnings through to the glowing embers of the dawn. Their paintings have provided posterity with a visual record of the architectural splendour of its ancient parliamentary history, from the early Medieval through to the Baroque and the Georgian as it was overwhelmed by the flames.

Turner's paintings evolved through the night. His accurate strokes initially captured the architectural detail of the burning palace but later gave way to his emotional impressions of the event; his brushstrokes evoking the power of the flames to consume history. Turner’s Impressionist breakthrough on that October night in 1834 ensured the rapid progresses in photography, with the creation of the daguerreotype in 1839, posed no threat to the medium of painting.

One of the more notable architectural additions destroyed by the flames that night had been built by the world’s first formally trained woman Architect, Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham (1632-1705). In the late 1600s, Wilbraham had completely redesigned the House of Commons although at the time she had attributed her designs to her untrained building manager, Christopher Wren to avoid scandal, as her husband was a member of the king’s parliament. Alas Wilbraham’s designs, like the 16th Century Armada tapestries and the medieval paintings of King Henry III’s Painted Chamber (1216-1272) perished that night.

By 2 am the rising tide of the Thames finally enabled the London Fire Engine Establishment’s barge-mounted engine to position itself to extinguish the final flames. By then most of the palace was lost.

One of the onlookers that night was Augustus Pugin, who with Charles Barry won the architectural bid to rebuild the neo-gothic Palace of Westminster the following year. Unfortunately the construction was still not finished when Queen Victoria walked through the rubble in the grandeur of her royal regalia en route to her coronation on the 28th June 1838. One month after her coronation, Daniel O’Connell triumphed in finalising the Slavery Abolition Act to ensure the liberation of every slave, in every part of the Empire.

In 1846, the year before his death, O’Connell’s insistence that the British law, “De Judaismo," which prescribed a special dress for Jews and other restrictions based on religion, was repealed. A month after Victoria’s coronation, Daniel O’Connell triumphed in finalising the Slavery Abolition Act to ensure the liberation of every slave, in every part of the Empire. In 1846 at The Liberator’s insistence the British law, “De Judaismo" an anti-jewish law imposed by Edward which imposed a host of restrictions on Jews, including a dress code, was repealed.

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Pugin’s most famous contribution to the Neo gothic marvel of the new Palace was the four-faced clock tower, Big Ben which when completed in 1859 enabled everyone in London to see the time wherever they were. It was the largest and most accurate chiming clock in the world. For those who had witnessed the savage speed of almost a thousand years of history consumed in the great inferno, Big Ben came to symbolise the speed of progress and the urgency to create a better world for all, including women and nonAnglo-Saxons.

There was no more time to put off liberty. Everywhere new values, new ideas and new possibilities were impacting every aspect of British society via the cultural salons run by the leading women of the age; derisively referred to as “bluestocking salons” by their detractors. Since 1603 the intellectual rigours and richness of British salons had been crucibles for fashion, the arts and science as political and social spurs for change. British Salons unlike those on the continent were free of the barriers of class, welcoming artists and thinkers across every race and sexual spectrum.

In 1840, London hosted the world’s first International Anti-Slavery Convention. The organiser’s last-minute decision to refuse to allow female delegates only served to accelerate the cause of women’s suffrage. Daniel O’Connell and John Stuart Mill campaigned energetically for women to be allowed into the Convention. In the end a few leading feminists such as Lady Byron and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were permitted to attend but if anything, this only highlighted the exclusion of women and incited women to insist on the same freeborn rights being demanded by men.

By 1840, women’s impact on society was growing in all spheres. A woman was on the throne and the greatest chronicler of the age was a woman. Fanny Burney (1752-1840) was a novelist, diarist, biographer and playwright, hailed by Virginia Woolf as the ‘Mother of English Fiction.’ As the wife of the French General D’Arblay, adjunct general to Lafayette who had served both King Louis XVIII, King George IV William IV and Bonaparte, Fanny Burney was perfectly placed to chronicle the dream and the cruel impact of the French Revolution. She had witnessed the battle of Waterloo first-hand. Her “Waterloo Journal”, posthumously published with her letters in 1846, not only inspired Thackeray’s 1848 novel “Vanity Fair”, it shaped how British history viewed the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars and their social impact on British society.

It was the first time a woman’s recollection of a battlefield and its aftermath have ever defined public perceptions.

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In 1845, Frederick Douglas visited Daniel O’Connell in Ireland and attended one of his ‘monster rallies.’ Days later he wrote to W.L. Garrison describing the huge meeting. “At the close of this business, Mr. O’Connell rose and delivered a speech of about an hour and a quarter long. It was a great speech, skilfully delivered, powerful in its logic, majestic in its rhetoric, biting in its sarcasm, melting in its pathos, and burning in its rebukes. Upon the subject of slavery in general and American slavery in particular, Mr. O’Connell grew warm and energetic, defending his course on this subject. “I am the advocate of civil and religious liberty, all over the globe, and wherever tyranny exists, I am the foe of the tyrant; wherever oppression shows itself, I am the foe of the oppressor; wherever slavery rears its head, I am the enemy of the system, or the institution, call it by what name you will.

"I am the friend of liberty in every clime, class and color. My sympathy with distress is not confined within the narrow bounds of my own green island. No—it extends itself to every corner of the earth. My heart walks abroad, and wherever the miserable are to be succored, or the slave to be set free, there my spirit is at home, and I delight to dwell.”

By 1850 Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin’s Westminster Palace was complete. The grandeur of its gothicrevival splendour honoured the significance of Britain as the cradle of democracy and crystallised the cultural, social and political reforms towards liberty being made across every aspect of British society.

Many of these new ideas and emblems of cultural and social change sweeping the age were celebrated in the Great Exhibition the following year in1851 which was attended by Darwin, Marx, Lewis Carroll and women authors such as George Elliot and Charlotte Bronte. The male dominated committee decided that Ada Lovelace’s thinking machine, was ‘too far-fetched’ to be part of the exhibition. A hundred and fifty years later computers are an integral part of every aspect of our lives.

Daniel O’Connell’s ‘radical vision of liberty for all, regardless of race, creed or gender’ are now enshrined in the humanitarian values of the United Nations ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’.

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Caption: Tyne O’Connell artists and writer - descendant of Daniel O’Connells “The Liberator”

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MALAN BRETON HOMAGE GOWN TO THE UK PARLIAMENT

The

English Rose

THE ENGLISH ROSE GOWN Model: Model: Angel Angel Pai Pai Photographer: Thomas Thomas Concordia Concordia Photographer: Stylist: Stylist: Malan Malan Breton Breton Milliner: Milliner: Malan Malan Breton Breton

Peering across a vintage Lalique glass table sits a stack of watercolour sketches, each a homage to an era in British history, as interpreted in fashion by Malan Breton. This is a piece of history that has inspired Malan Breton for almost a quarter of a century in fashion. With an eye for creating the most detailed fashion, jewellery, and accessories for man, and woman, Malan Breton counts royal families of the world, and celebrities from all parts of the world as his clients. Before amassing a large following globally.

Breton once served as an apprentice on Savile Row, then as an apprentice to one of the foremost couturiers in the history of fashion, who dressed many from the British Royal Family, Arnold Scaasi, who was trained under the great English couturier Charles James, and French Couturier Paquin. Breton was also honoured to present a collection of couture to HRH Prince Edward the Duke of Kent, at his 84th Birthday celebration in 2019, in partnership with the Parliamentary Society for Arts, Fashion, and Sports. Breton creates from the heart, embracing the individuality of each of his clients, clients he has cultivated for many years, and knows every detail about them, as if he were a human encyclopedia The diversity of sculpted garments emerging through his design process, have been seen on the covers of hundreds of magazines, and featured globally. He has also served as a mentor to the Smithsonian Institute, Cooper Hewitt, Taiwan, Otis, Winchester School of Arts, FIT NYC and schools around the globe. But Breton may be best known for playing a successful part in fashion - pop television history, within the Top Model global franchise, and Project Runway franchises, he has also costumed almost one hundred international television programs, including fashion icon Priyanka Chopra on her ABC TV show Quantico. He is also the first fashion designer to be featured as a partner with Google, the first fashion designer to embrace crypto currency, and one of the pioneers of social media marketing for fashion, also being honoured in fashion, film, and TV by FGI, WGSN, and the governments of Taiwan, Austria, China, France, Bulgaria, and holding two government appointed ambassadorships.

DESIGNER MALAN BRETON Photographer: Sandra Vijandi

Though his Philanthropic efforts outnumber anything he has ever created, Breton as helped to build educational programs in many countries, raise money for children, and even closed the NASDAQ market to raise awareness for his charitable efforts in India. In creating this suite of three, Breton spent a year researching historical elements of Westminster Palace, the monarchy, and the history of the United Kingdom. His homage to the UK Parliament, a gown called the English Rose, is a visible foray to the senses, a dedication of hope to the world, and to the United Kingdom that has seen its heart tested by the current pandemic. Breton’s motto “wherever you go, shine…” is a testament to empowerment, finding the strength within.

For more on Malan Breton, please visit www.malanbreton.com

THE ENGLISH ROSE GOWN Model: Angel Pai Photographer: Thomas Concordia Stylist: Malan Breton Milliner: Malan Breton

COMMONWEALTH ROYAL GOWNS COLLECTORS SELECTION Model: Angel Pai Photographer: Thomas Concordia Stylist: Malan Breton Milliner: Malan Breton

COMMONWEALTH ROYAL GOWNS COLLECTORS SELECTION Model: Angel Pai Photographer: Thomas Concordia Stylist: Malan Breton Milliner: Malan Breton

COMMONWEALTH ROYAL GOWNS COLLECTORS SELECTION Model: Angel Pai Photographer: Thomas Concordia Stylist: Malan Breton Milliner: Malan Breton

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Efisio Cross CLASSICAL COMPOSER

Efisio Cross dedicates his latest music composition in commemoration of the 150 years anniversary of the Palace of Westminster and the Parliamentary Society for Arts, Fashion and Sports.

Born in France, the classical music composer, Efisio Cross, started his career in 2014.

ABOUT EFISIO

From 2016 to 2019, the composer released three albums, "Rose of Sharon, Tears from Heaven and The Vanquisher of Death", covering for the most part biblical contemplations and romantic themes.

He recently released his fourth album entitled "Crown of Thorns" which has as it’s purpose to honour and remember the sacrifice and the resurrection of Christ 2000 years ago. Efisio Cross says: ‘By changing the poles, the person of Christ taught the world a new way of understanding God’s personality.’

He quoted «...the greatest among you, should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. » By remembering human misery, human oppression, and accomplishing mercy, not only is God's work done, but God's blessing is on the way.

CROWN OF THORNS You can listen to this magnificent song on this link: EFISIO CROSS CHANNEL

Patronage link : EFISIO CROSS PATRONS

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Artist Natalia Kapchuk, UK Parliament Ambassador for the Arts, is dedicating this art piece ‘The Planet Made of Gold’ in commemoration of the 150 years anniversary of the Palace of Westminster.

She adds, “The UK government has a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% of 1990 levels by 2025 and 100% lower than the 1990 baseline by 2050.

In May 2019, Parliament declared a 'climate change emergency’.

"The Planet Made of Gold" Gold leaf, Resi-crete, diamond dust, acrylics on wooden panel, 2019 Mixed Media 26

THE PLANET MADE OF GOLD

BY NATALIA KAPCHUK

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One of the key pieces of “The Lost Planet” project of Natalia Kapchuk is dedicated to the themes of ecology, environment protection and conservation of natural resources. She shows our planet as a beautiful gem which we have to preserve and take care of. And it’s not a coincidence that she chooses gold as a main colour, symbol of abundance and richness.

Find more information on kapchuart.com

Caption: Natalia Kapchuk and “The winner Takes it All” piece on the background

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Joan of Arc (1882) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti This is the last painting upon which Rossetti worked, being finished within a few days of his death on 9 April 1882

ThePre-Raphaelite Brotherhood AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON PAINTING IN BRITAIN

The Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of young British painters who banded together in 1848 in reaction against what they conceived to be the unimaginative and artificial historical painting of the Royal Academy and who purportedly sought to express a new moral seriousness and sincerity in their works. They were inspired by Italian art of the 14th and 15th centuries, and their adoption of the name Pre-Raphaelite expressed their admiration for what they saw as the direct and uncomplicated depiction of nature typical of Italian painting before the High Renaissance and, particularly, before the time of Raphael. Although the Brotherhood’s active life lasted not quite five years, its influence on painting in Britain, and ultimately on the decorative arts and interior design, was profound.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed in 1848 by three Royal Academy students: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who was a gifted poet as well as a painter, William Holman Hunt, and John Everett Millais, all under 25 years of age. The painter James Collinson, the painter and critic F.G. Stephens, the sculptor Thomas Woolner, and the critic William Michael Rossetti (Dante Gabriel’s brother) joined them by invitation. The painters William Dyce and Ford Madox Brown, who acted in part as mentors to the younger men, came to adapt their own work to the Pre-Raphaelite style.

The Brotherhood immediately began to produce highly convincing and significant works. Their pictures of religious and medieval subjects strove to revive the deep religious feeling and naive, unadorned directness of 15th-century Florentine and Sienese painting. The style that Hunt and Millais evolved featured sharp and brilliant lighting, a clear atmosphere, and a near-photographic reproduction of minute details. They also frequently introduced a private poetic symbolism into their representations of biblical subjects and medieval literary themes. Rossetti’s work differed from that of the others in its more arcane aesthetic and in the artist’s general lack of interest in copying the precise appearance of objects in nature. Vitality and freshness of vision are the most admirable qualities of these early PreRaphaelite paintings.

Some of the founding members exhibited their first works anonymously, signing their paintings with the monogram PRB. When their identity and youth were discovered in 1850, their work was harshly criticised by the novelist Charles Dickens, among others, not only for its disregard of academic ideals of beauty but also for its apparent irreverence in treating religious themes with an uncompromising realism.

Nevertheless, the leading art critic of the day, John Ruskin, stoutly defended Pre-Raphaelite art, and the members of the group were never without patrons.

By 1854 the members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood had gone their individual ways, but their style had a wide influence and gained many followers during the 1850s and early ’60s. In the late 1850s Dante Gabriel Rossetti became associated with the younger painters Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris and moved closer to a sensual and almost mystical romanticism. Millais, the most technically gifted painter of the group, went on to become an academic success. Hunt alone pursued the same style throughout most of his career and remained true to Pre-Raphaelite principles. Pre-Raphaelitism in its later stage is epitomised by the paintings of Burne-Jones, characterised by a jewel-toned palette, elegantly attenuated figures, and highly imaginative subjects and settings.

Article Credit to Britannica Art - please click on links for more information.

Ophelia, 1851-52 by John Everett Millais Image Credit License on this link

THE PANDEMIC AND ITS IMPACT GLOBALLY

BY VICK KRISHNAN, BARRISTER PARLIAMENTARY SOCIETY COUNCIL MEMBER

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There is no denying that the coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the nations of the world in a way never experienced before. This no doubt has had a global impact and has in reality altered the pace, fabric and nature of our lives to say the least. This short article aims to reflect on the lasting global impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

As Albert Camus opined in ‘The Plague’, “Pestilence is in fact very common, but we find it hard to believe in a pestilence when it descends upon us. There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.”

When we look back we can only wonder in amazement at how quickly it hit us. This perhaps is one of the most common sentiments about the Covid-19 pandemic. We were all completely caught off guard in one way or another; in an instant, an obscure outbreak of pneumonia in an exotic foreign locale - in the next, a viral outbreak jumping from China to the heart of Italy, then to all of Europe, on to America - finally a plague that stopped the world. As the pandemic hit all countries of the globe, it became indisputably clear that everyone was connected - united against a viral scourge.

Again, in some ways, nature has prepared us (unsuspectingly, of course!) for what was to come! Despite the shock, there were plenty of warning signs. Since the beginning of the 21st century, recurring outbreaks and epidemics presaged what was coming - there was the first SARS outbreak in 2003, H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009, MERS coronavirus in 2011, Ebola in 2014−16; mosquito-borne Zika in 2016.

The startling reality as we now realise is that International cooperation and a unified strategy of pandemic preparedness were not a priority when it all began. In the end, there was no united response - a global leadership void painfully revealed at a moment when it was most needed. What resulted was an international cacophony of last moment efforts, strategies and opinions to suppress the viral pandemic after it was already upon the world.

Politically, all over the world, public and private funders across the globe seem to have (now) launched an unprecedented number of initiatives to support multidisciplinary projects addressing the detection, treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV2 infections. Most of the calls encourage collaboration between international scientists, industry, healthcare community, and government policy makers, to facilitate a well-integrated COVID-19 response. The dramatic effects of COVID-19 outbreak taught us that similar pandemics cannot be managed solely at the national level.

It has to be said in the same context, it has been remarkable how research groups and companies from all over the world have been “repurposing” equipment, facilities and product lines in a joint effort for a rapid response against the ongoing pandemic. Hence it was a joint effort from an economic and political perspective to ensure that efforts are put in place at a national, regional and global level to combat this dastardly virus.

As the pandemic spread throughout the world, countries took drastic measures to protect their citizens.

These measures focused on achieving a fragile balance between limiting virus spread from person to person and maintaining economic activity. As we have seen, it seems to be an impossible balance, although the timing of the implementation of these measures proved to be crucial, both for public health and SARS-CoV2 spread, as well as the economic impact on each country. Early lockdown and strict enforcement were seen to be the most effective strategies available to most countries.

With respect to the United Kingdom, rather than impose a lockdown of its population, the UK initially followed a mitigation strategy to build population immunity but abandoned this plan after realizing it would result in ‘hundreds of thousands of deaths,’. Despite ongoing restrictions in the UK, the number of cases continues to rise, the death rate is the highest in Europe and the curve of infections has yet to plateau – a reflection of the lag time before the start of the lockdown.

The sad thing is that, “Many continued hoping that the epidemic would soon die out and they and their families be spared. Thus, they felt under no obligation to make any change in their habits, as yet. Plague was an unwelcome visitant, bound to take its leave one day as unexpectedly as it had come.”

However, reality had a different plan altogether. What we need is an up-liftment of spirits on a massive scale having endured the adverse effects of the pandemic for almost nine months now.

Both I the UK and the world over, we are faced with the daily news of death and economic devastation caused by this uncontrollable ‘bully’ and people all over are desperate for some positive news of the beginning of the end of this deadly virus… The hope of a vaccine is still far from our grip as it appears…

Economic and political recession are but two consequences of this tragic and deadly virus.

Psychological impact, social divide, growing mental or social health issues are examples of others.

Despite widespread measures adopted by governments facing the pandemic crisis such as social distancing, country-wide lockdown, and restriction of traffic, numerous constitutionalists have argued that such measures violate human rights, as freedom of movement is a fundamental right directly linked to human nature. However, international human rights law does recognize that during serious public health threats and public emergencies that threaten the life of a nation, restrictions on some rights can be justified.

However, the other side of the coin (the positive impact!) is that the massive shutdown of industry, business, global travel, farming and personal movement produced an unanticipated beneficial effect on the environment. All over the world, the levels of air pollution dropped, there was a marked reduction in carbon emissions, cleaner air to breathe and an obvious decrease in emissions globally. It’s like nature decided to take matters into its own hands.

The stark reality is that the pandemic continues. Going forward, it is not clear whether the virus will continue to smoulder and ignite in different global regions, or perhaps retreat, only to return to new peaks in time to come. What we do know is that it does not seem to be going away anytime soon, and, experts predict that it will probably be with us for the next two years.

Continuous efforts at an individual, societal, regional and national level must subsist if we are to win against the pandemic. Let us begin each day with prayers and gratitude and a sincere wish to mother nature that she takes things back into control and bestows global peace and well-being to all in her custody.

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RAPHIA

THIS HOLIDAYS, UNWRAP RAPHIA’S LIMITED HOLIDAY HAMPERS COLLECTION WWW.RAPHIA.CO.UK

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Photography by Frederic Monceau

Royal

Gothic

KIERA CHAPLIN JA NAV I Caption

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Our Royal Gothic cape is inspired by the Gothic Revival architecture style of the Palace of Westminster, which was built by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin. Its sharp construction reimagines the grand building’s archways through geometric patterns, yet the placement of the sequins is a romanticised depiction of the river Thames flowing past.

Decadent, cascading folds of the cape in regal black, symbolise an interplay between soft femininity and worldly-wise boldness. A woman feels queen-like strength when draped in it, standing tall, powerful and timeless, just like the Palace of Westminster.

This cape is a part of the Kiera Chaplin and Janavi India creative partnership, a meeting of likeminded women and entrepreneurs who more than stand their ground in their creative self-expression, radiating inspiration wherever they go.

Jyotika Jhalani’s vision of sharing the magic of pure cashmere and Indian craftsmanship with Janavi, has made its presence felt the world over. “I’ve met many souls on my journey,” she says, “but Kiera Chaplin is a beautiful, gifted woman whose soul is goodness itself, which is why it’s such a pleasure to collaborate with her. “Kiera is a model, entrepreneur, activist, singer, and actress. She first gained attention through her modelling career in New York as a teenager, where she appeared in the pages of high fashion magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and In Style Magazine. She has graced the covers of Magazines such as Town and Country, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar to name but a few and has been in various ad campaigns such as United Colours of Benetton, Tommy Hilfiger, Asprey, Hogan by Karl Lagerfeld, Armani Exchange. She has even appeared in the Pirelli Calendar shot by Peter Lindberg.

Not satisfied with solely a modelling career, Kiera went on to star in a number of movies such as “The Importance of Being Ernest” featuring Reese Witherspoon, Rupert Everett, Judy Dench and Colin Firth; “The Year that Trembled” directed by Jay Craven; “Japan” featuring Peter Fonda and "InternoGiorno”, directed by Tommaso Rossellini, featuring Fanny Ardant.

Miss Chaplin was also a judge on Project Runway Allstars 2019 edition.

Then in the summer of 2020, Kiera released her first single "Not Easy But Crazy" after a very successful duet with Simone Tomassini for his hit single "Charlot".

In case you didn't know, this young lady is genuine “Hollywood Royalty,” with a grade “A” artistic DNA heritage, as a granddaughter of film legend Charlie Chaplin and Oona O’Neill, and a great- granddaughter of Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning playwright Eugene O’Neill but has always wanted to prove herself in her own right and started collaborations with different fashion brands as well as getting into production of TV and film. of ending poverty and FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).

The first "Kiera Chaplin Desert Flower School" opened January 2020 in Sierra Leone.

Miss Chaplin is also Ambassador to the "UK Parliamentary Society for Art, Fashion, and Sport". The Society aims to integrate creative minds from the Arts, Fashion & Sports within the UK government. @KIERACHAPLIN @JANAVIINDIA

Photography by Frederic Monceau

Zineb Faress Raphia Chocolatier’s founder.

RAPHIA VISIT THEIR ONLINE-SHOP 44

WWW.RAPHIA.CO.UK

RAPHIA FLAVOURS OF MOROCCO

BY WAY OF LONDON A frustration with what called itself Moroccan in London, inspired Zineb Faress to found Raphia. Zineb’s mission for Raphia is to keep alive the tradition of Moroccan hospitality, and to celebrate sharing a love of food, feasting, family and community. The value of togetherness is not just the bedrock of Raphia’s ethos, but of Moroccan culture. And food is the soundtrack to Moroccan family life.

Raphia launched online with a mouthwatering collection of 80 treasured artisan products that are a roll call of the finest Moroccan ingredients. There are locally sourced honey, dates, cinnamon, figs, oranges, lemons and limes, roses, ginger, almonds and pistachio — a wonderful way to indulge all five senses and lure in the taste buds.

The traditional Moroccan pastries on offer include the rather spectacular looking Gazelle Horns, best piled high on a Moroccan vintage metal plate and served with lots of mint tea — then stand back and watch as your guests proclaim they can really only manage one, only to make short work of four or five of these fellows.

And the chocolate lover is in for a treat. There’s something for everyone here. Choose from Mendiants, Pralines, Rochers, Calissous and Chocolate Fruits and if you can’t choose, Raphia has that covered, with a fabulous choice of pick and mix or luxuriously packaged assortment boxes.

The brand though is more than an exquisitely curated selection of local treats and delicacies.

From the get-go Raphia has been committed to supporting local producers and communities and is especially passionate about empowering women. Both socially and economically.

This is evidenced through Raphia’s much prized Argan oil (aka Moroccan gold) and first pressed lemon infused olive oil produced by the women’s co-operatives of Essaouira and the Souss Plain. The women earn a fair price for their endeavours which in turn benefits them, their families and their villages. It is through brands such as Raphia that the country’s co-operatives continue to grow and prosper.

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BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THE FRONTLINE WORKERS COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY SOCIETY HAS BEEN LOOK AFTER DURING THIS PANDEMIC BY YOUR HEALTH FIRST CLINIC 1 HARLEY ST, MARYLEBONE, LONDON W1G 9QD WWW.YOURHEALTHFIRSTCLINIC.UK

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Iva Jewels have dedicated this particular jewellery to the 150th anniversary of The Palace of Westminster. Home to the House of Commons and the House of Lords, Westminster is a symbol of the British Government, a historical monument of democracy. The historic building was designed by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in the 1830s.

Completed in 1870, its ground-breaking design included features such as a pioneering air-cooling system and the invention of an ingenious clock mechanism (the three-legged escapement mechanism) to ensure the accuracy of the Great Clock, housed within the Elizabeth Tower (also known as Big Ben).

Iva Jewels is a luxury jewellery company that provides one to one design services, where your bespoke jewellery can be transformed from thoughts to reality.

Our aim is to bring transparency, education and guidance towards the creation of your unique handcrafted piece by an in–house jeweller, who will work to your individual budget and timescales. IVA JEWELS founder Anastasia Iva, besides having a strong background as a TV presenter and journalist, is passionate about precious stones and is a graduate from the Coloured Stones Program of the Gemmologists Institute of America. She created Iva Jewels in order to fill the void in making custom jewellery easier, affordable, more accessible and a seamless experience. IVA JEWELS also organise jewellery educational events with the best jewellers, brands, and collectors from around the globe creating a community of knowledgeable and skilful jewellery lovers.

For more information and price of “The Crown of London”, the main item on this page, please contact: ivajewels.co.uk Email: contact@ivajewels.co.uk Phone number: +44703443100

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Photography by Maria Alperi

Ambassador for Arts, dancer Sergio Bernal recently debuted together with his own dance company in his latest production, a show called ‘SER”. The show comprised of 11 breathtaking segments accompanied by dancers Aitor Hernandez , Alba Dusmet and guest artist Aida Gomez.

Under the co-direction and choreography of Ricardo Cue, the until recently principal dancer of the Spanish National Ballet Sergio Bernal brought to life a powerful and intimate project that mesmerised the audience at the Madrid Teatro del Canal. This ambitious project was launched in the middle of a global pandemic and against all odds was a resounding success with consecutive sold-out box office and a culmination night of an over 10 minutes long standing ovation.

Bernal says, ‘Beauty is intimate, is a spiritual moment that quietly greets you and embraces you. I don’t intend to revolutionise anything or to do anything different… that’s what the masters are for. I just want to transport the public towards what, for me, is beauty.”.

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SERGIO BERNAL ‘SER’

AMBASSADOR OF ARTS

SERGIO BERNAL TRIUMPHS ONCE MORE

Photography by Maria Alperi

Furious Goose has created a collection of fine silk prints inspired by Britain’s magical woodlands and the artistry of William Morris and Augustus Pugin.

The forest played a strong strategic and industrial role throughout British history and is now deeply engrained in our cultural imagination. The wildwood of Albion has inspired everything from Shakespeare’s plays and the tales of Robin Hood, right up to the writings of Tolkien and the TV cartoon Willow the Wisp.

“Forests are places of transformation, where the boundary between human life and that of animals, plants or trees are likely to become confused, or even obliterated”.

Anne Barton, author of the Shakespearean Forest The Enchanted Forest collection of silk scarves and pocket squares focuses on three of the most recognisable and symbolic inhabitants of our forest realm, the hare, the fox and the stag. The Sunset Stags design (featured above) features a pair of noble deer drinking from a mirror-still lake in a glade of sycamore. It comes in four colour-ways, Sunrise, Day, Sunset and Night.

Furious Goose is a British luxury accessories brand made sustainably in Macclesfield, which is the famous ‘home of English silk’ and the official end of the Silk Road. The Furious in their name is for intense colours, crisp digital shapes, bold attitude and unshakeable confidence. The Goose represents tradition, luxury, quality and not taking oneself too seriously.

Website: www.furiousgoose.co.uk Email: hiss@furiousgoose.co.uk Instagram: @furiousgoose

ENCHANTED FOREST COLLECTION Caption

Say it with

Flowers

Caption: Lanesborough Hotel, Raphia’s Event - Flower centrepiece by Flower Collection

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After creating a Christmas wreath for number 10 Downing Street, Soad Halmstrabd won the New Covent Garden Student Group Award in 2013, shortly after the Swedish born established Flower Collection UK. During the last 7 years, this establishment has prospered and have participated in well-known competitions such as the Hampton Court Floristry, where she and her team created inspirational designs that came to the attention of Judith Blacklock, a leading figure in the Floristry Industry. Soad and her company had also been part of one of the biggest flower shows in the UK - Flowers@Oxford, where she worked closely with top floral designers, like Gregor Lersch, Per Benjamin and Dr Solomon Leong.

Due to her recognised celebrity clientele Flower Collection UK has featured in many international publications like Wedding Magazine Confetti, giving Soad the opportunity to expand. In early 2016, Flower Collection UK opened its first branch in Finchley Central, North London.

During the last few years, Flower Collection UK has acquired an extensive portfolio of corporate clients, catering for conferences and private events all around the country. Her latest event was in cooperation with Raphia Chocolatiers at the Lanesborough Hotel celebrating the International women's day. On that occasion, Flower Collection UK created a 15-meter-long table centrepiece with scented Lilacs, Roses, Delphiniums, Viburnums and Hydrangeas in shades of blues and greens with a touch of white.

Flower Collection UK takes pride in trading from within central London, as London is a city full of history and inspiration. This year in commemoration of the150 years anniversary of the Palace of Westminster, Flower Collection UK Floristries will be adopting a Victorian Christmas theme.

If you wish to be transported to the magical Victorian era, as if you were inside Charles Dickens or Lewis Carroll books, come and visit and feel the velvet ribbons, thick green Christmas pine and smell the aromatic garlands and wreaths at 78 Ballards Lane, London

Find more information on www.flowercollectionuk.com 57

Should models have rights?

Is fashion debatable?

BY ROSALIE NELSON, FASHION MODEL AND AMBASSADOR FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY SOCIETY OF ARTS & FASHION

Photo credit on the front left International Decoy

Politics and fashion don’t go hand in hand, and there’s never really been any public reasons for that to change. Until the #MeToo movement many of us were under the impression that Hollywood was all glitz and glam, but now it’s time for the fashion industry to be exposed for what it is. The fashion industry is always rapidly adapting to the ever-changing demand of the consumer, and with this - the way models are treated has become increasingly worse, and I can only hope that things will change, fast.

A model career usually starts around the age of 16. To give an example - an aspiring model will visit a modelling agency, be advised to lose weight to fit the 'made up' criteria of the industry, never be assured of work or any income, but be expected to be readily available at any time of day, any day of the week, to travel abroad to countries where they don’t speak the local language or visit a photographer home late at night with no supervision. There are no questions on whether the model is physically or mentally fit to work, or if they’re comfortable with the places they’re being sent to.

I’ve worked in the fashion industry for almost a decade and during this time I’ve personally seen and experienced the way models aren’t treated like any other worker.

Before the age of 25 I had been published in Vogue, walked in London, Paris and Sydney Fashion Weeks, travelled internationally for countless photoshoots, been offered modelling contracts which others would die for (literally, die from malnutrition for), but at what expense? Before the age of 25 I had been told to lose weight to the extent that I was visibly malnourished, I was asked to “get down to the bone” by my agency, I had been forced to change clothes on the street in front of crowds of people, I had been away from home for months without any stable or secure income, staying in older men houses for ‘free’. I had been scratched, stabbed by pins, had my hair and scalp burnt and scarred, been touched inappropriately on photoshoots, and I’ve always been told “it’s part of the job”.

When I was asked to lose weight and “get done to the bone” I was not guaranteed work, I was not given a diet plan or exercise regime. I was expected to lose weight, any way possible, and then maybe I’d book a photoshoot. When I lived abroad in strangers’ homes, I was never asked if I felt comfortable, I was never asked about my mental health, I was never given any advice.These scenarios are ones that majority of models face.

I was once sent abroad to stay in an older man’s apartment for three months, the apartment was paid for up front by my modelling agency on the agreement that the work I did abroad would pay off the costs. I didn’t know this man, he was in his 30s or 40s, he was a photographer who often was out at bars until the early hours of the morning and would come home drunk with friends to continue partying. I told my agency I felt uncomfortable staying at this man’s house, and the only option I was offered was to pay for an absurdly expensive hotel for the remainder of my stay, then I would need to pay off the cost when I returned home. I was on a contract, which my agency told me I couldn’t break because I had my reputation on the line. I was stuck. If I decided to travel home and break my contract, I would be jeopardising my whole career.

As models we’re told if something makes us uncomfortable then it’s our job to keep quiet, we are on zero-hour contracts with no guaranteed work, we’re expected to always comply with the situations we’re in. We’re expected to maintain the physique of a teenager, with no regard to our health whatsoever, never step out of line or complain, but be treated like slaves, so we can churn out photos for fast-fashion and consumer goods. Our workplaces range from dimly lit photo-studios, the basement of abandoned buildings, the back alleys of random streets and sometimes the middles of the woods, hours away from the nearest town. We are put in many situations which would be considered unsafe and often dangerous, with no concern for our safety or wellbeing.

This is at the expense of our health, our careers, our pride. There is no HR team for models, there is no union, there are no rules.

I started a petition five years ago which outlined many of the issues within the fashion industry, as well as the impact it has on the public as consumers. The photos of models that we see in magazines and on billboards have been heavily photoshopped, and often extra ‘weight’ is added to models to make them look larger and healthier than they are in real life.

See this shiny new handbag, being held by the beautiful leggy blonde with perfect teeth? You could look like her too if you buy this bag. But in reality, that leggy blonde has an eating disorder, is staying in a small two-bedroom apartment with seven other models and has been told she can only eat two boiled eggs per day to keep her “perfect shape”.

It’s easy to say, ‘well don’t be a model then, quit complaining’, but if this was any other industry this sort of behaviour would be considered wildly inappropriate and downright disgusting.

Without legislation the fashion industry has been able to run rampant on what it can get away with.

Not only are models deemed replaceable and unworthy of protection, but they’re also expected to keep their mouths shut whenever they’re in an uncomfortable situation. The result of this has created an industry which is based upon misleading imagery and unhealthy role models. The fashion industry needs to have an intervention, and without the governments help there will never be a change.

CHANGE PETITION < CLICK HERE Caption For more information contact: rosie.nelson@live.com @rosalienelson

“…WE ARE ON ZERO-HOUR CONTRACTS WITH NO GUARANTEED WORK, WE’RE EXPECTED TO ALWAYS COMPLY WITH THE SITUATIONS WE’RE IN. WE’RE EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN THE PHYSIQUE OF A TEENAGER, WITH NO REGARD TO OUR HEALTH WHATSOEVER, NEVER STEP OUT OF LINE OR COMPLAIN, BUT BE TREATED LIKE SLAVES…”

CHRISTMAS MUST HAVE WITH PEGAH STYLIST AND FASHION INFLUENCER INSTAGRAM: @PEGAHPOURMAND

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM YEARS PAST, BUT THAT’S MORE REASON TO CELEBRATE THOSE NEAR AND DEAR TO US WITH CAREFULLY CHOSEN GIFTS… AND OF COURSE CONSIDER TREATING YOURSELF AS YOU WOULD TREAT OTHERS. This season we could all use a little sparkle, and who could resist this dazzling rhinestoneencrusted Michael Costello Jumpsuit from Revolve.

CLICK HERE TO FIND MORE

PHOTOGRAPHY GMDMEDIA.TV

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CAPTION:LORD YOUNG AND THE CEO NATIONAL MENTORING DAY CHELSEY BAKER AT THE HOUSE OF LORDS PHOTO CREDIT PETER SCHNEITER

OVER 100 MPS AND PEERS MENTOR FOR NATIONAL MENTORING DAY

Government agencies, MPs, Peers and organisations across all sectors of the UK celebrated in an overwhelming response to this year’s National Mentoring Day (taking place each year on 27th October). The initiative aims to celebrate the impact of mentoring and campaigns to make mentoring accessible to everyone, regardless of age, background, or ethnicity.

National Mentoring Day was inaugurated in the House of Lords with Lord David Young as the patron.

Founded by Chelsey Baker, a prominent business mentor to educate, connect, inspire and support all forms of mentoring to effect positive change to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The initiative asks everyone to commit one hour to mentor someone and to recognise mentors and mentoring initiatives that are making a difference. Support came in far and wide from UK Government, the NHS, BBC, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, British Army, Princes Trust, Google, FSB, Institute of Directors, Stephen Kelly (TechNation), Dame Kelly Hoppen, Lord Hastings CBE, Sherry Coutu CBE, LBC, philosopher Professor Dr Ervin Laszlo alongside hundreds of organisations, businesses and charities who took part in the national day.

Chelsey Baker is one of the UK’s leading business mentors who launched the campaign to raise awareness on the mentoring opportunities available and to inspire more people to become a mentor and seek mentoring. Chelsey says, “As a nation we urgently need to embrace mentoring for all and support businesses and individuals being left behind during the pandemic. Everyone has life skills and experience to share as a mentor. One word, one hour can be all that's needed to effect a positive change in someone.”

Over 100 MP’s and Peers across the UK gave their time to mentor a young person to support the Diana Award’s ‘One Hour, One Young Person, One Parliamentarian’ campaign’.

Dr Lisa Cameron MP highlighted the campaign in the House of Commons and said, “As chair of the APPG for Mentoring I’m delighted to be supporting National Mentoring Day. Mentoring plays a vital role in the lives of our young people, particularly those who are vulnerable. As a Parliamentarian, I believe it’s important we lead by example and provide mentoring opportunities across the UK, accessible to all."

Tessy Ojo CBE, CEO of The Diana Award comments: “We are delighted with the overwhelming response from MP’s to support youth mentoring. We know that mentoring can be life-changing for a young person and enhances their future prospects.”

Dr Lisa Cameron MP

Tessy Ojo CBE, CEO of The Diana Award

Trudy Harrison MP for Copeland took part in a virtual one-hour mentoring session with politics student, Emily Tidey. Emily said: “The opportunity to receive mentoring from an MP for National Mentoring Day is incredible. It can be so difficult to get first-hand experience and insight into politics, I’m incredibly grateful.”

Praise poured in on #nationalmentoringday trending on twitter thanking mentors from all walks of life. This year saw a huge increase in organisations giving back by launching mentoring initiatives to coincide with the day.

Google in partnership with Digital Boost, committed to providing 10,000 hours of free mentoring to small business owners and charities in the UK. Ronan Harris, Managing Director, Google UK, comments: "Local businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. Like millions up and down the country, we want to help small businesses both survive and thrive. That's why in partnership with Digital Boost, we've committed to providing 10,000 hours of free mentoring for small business owners, charities and individuals to help people upskill and adapt to operating in the ever-changing current climate. Despite the ongoing uncertainty, we want to show that having an online presence can have a transformative impact on offline businesses”.

NatWest partnered with Be the Business to launch a free mentoring service in response to findings that show female business owners are at a disadvantage. Alison Rose, chief executive of NatWest said, “Women are less likely than men to know other entrepreneurs or to have access to sponsors, mentors, or professional supporter networks. For female entrepreneurs, and the UK economy to truly prosper, this balance must be reset.”

Robert Halfon MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee teamed up with Ronel Lehmann to launch #LegUp asking those in employment to help just one person back into work. “We’re asking the Country to become mentors to help assist those who need it most.” said Ronel Lehmann, CEO, Finito, The Employability Experts. Speaking about the importance of mentoring Robert Halfon MP said: “Mentoring helps improve focus and attainment, raises aspirations and provides valuable support – especially for those who are underachieving or at risk of dropping out of education.”

Lord Dr Michael Hastings CBE, Professor of Leadership, Chancellor at Regent’s University and Vice President of UNICEF commented “Companies are full of people with immense skills. These are skills which can be gifted by the act of mentorship to empower others to be fruitful and effective - by gifting our skills so that other people can thrive.”

“I’m very keen on National Mentoring Day. I'm very keen on mentoring as a wholesome experience. I'm very keen that hundreds of thousands of people come forward to be mentors with wide-open ears, but hundreds of thousands of others come forward to mentor and say, "I’ve really got some good knowledge to pass on here. I'm going to get out there and give time and life to others".

Lord Dr Michael Hastings CBE National Mentoring Day UK was marked by a celebration event held in partnership with the Diana Award giving young mentees the opportunity to have conversations with Lord Michael Hastings, Tessy Ojo CBE, Chelsey Baker (CEO National Mentoring Day) and leading professionals across sectors to understand how to best support young people with practical mentoring solutions.

“ I BELIEVE IN MENTORING AS A VEHICLE FOR PEOPLE TO DEVELOP THEIR SKILLS AND FULFIL THEIR POTENTIAL. I AM PROUD TO CHAMPION MENTORING IN PARLIAMENT AND IN MY CONSTITUENCY.” PREET GILL (MP) FOR BIRMINGHAM EDGBASTON AND SHADOW SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Institute of Directors joined in by recognising the work being done by all their volunteer mentors to help small businesses with a call for more members to sign up to their scheme. In sport, West Ham United Foundation launched their new ‘Training Ground’ Mentoring programme to encourage career and personal development for young people in East London.

Requests for mentoring for the suffering hospitality industry flooded in. The Institute of Hospitality offered their MentorMe scheme. Francisco Macedo, (GM of Cliveden House) supported with a plea “As industry professionals we have a duty of giving back by mentoring.” The Craft Guild of Chefs launched their new UK wide mentoring scheme on the day. Michelin starred chef Chris Galvin, pleaded with chefs to sign up to mentor. Chef Paul Askew tweeted “It’s great there’s a day celebrating this priceless part of developing the next generation.”

Worldwide virtual events also took place in English, Spanish and Arabic, organised in partnership with Viola Edward founder of Grit Academy. Top leaders from education, business, sustainability, leadership and the caring economy joined Chelsey Baker to discuss best practices and connect mentoring initiatives around the world to encourage global participation in mentoring.

Throughout the year the initiative continues to encourage the development of more mentoring schemes and recognise the invaluable contribution of mentorship in business, education, sport and society. Chelsey Baker closes by saying “These incredible initiatives that were launched on National Mentoring Day will have a lasting effect to peoples’ lives and to wider society. This is a significant boost for business development in the UK and towards helping us reach our goal of making mentoring accessible to everyone. Mentoring means 'making a difference' and this is exactly what National Mentoring Day is all about.”

“We want this initiative to carry on throughout the year. Mentoring gives a sense of purpose to both parties, it’s not only good for business but also good for the soul!”

Event Date for your diary - 27th October. Don’t wait until then to explore mentorship. Start planning now to be a mentor or find a mentor Why? Because Mentoring Matters.

Join in the mentoring conversations on #nationalmentoringday Website - www.NationalMentoringDay.org

Twitter @Mentoringrocks Facebook: @Nationalmentoringday

Instagram @Mentoringrocks

PARLIAMENTAR

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PARLIAMENTARY SOCIETY FOR ARTS, FASHION & SPORTS FOR MEMBERSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS @parliamentary_society www.parliamentarysociety.com SPECIAL THANKS TO CHRISTIAN VINATE ELVIJS PLUGIS MARK STANNARD ZINEB FARES

You will never get to the end of the journey if you stop to shy a stone at every dog that barks.

Winston Churchill