To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March 2012, Mark Pawsey, MP for Rugby, invited a young woman from his Constituency to shadow him in Parliament for the day.
Danielle Malin, a Year 12 pupil at Rugby High School, was invited to join Mark at Rugby train station on Thursday morning and travel down to London with him to participate in a full day, shadowing his daily routine and taking part in other planned activities organised by the All Party Group for Women in Parliament.
Danielle was able to help in the office, watch proceedings in the House of Commons Chamber, attend a photo opportunity with other MPs and their visitors, and have afternoon tea in the Speaker’s House by kind permission of Mr Speaker, Rt Hon. John Bercow MP.
Mark, who was happy to be involved in the initiative, said:
“This was a great opportunity for Danielle to experience political life and to see how Parliament works. She was able to witness first-hand a typical day in the life of an MP.”
Mark added:
“I hope that she was inspired by the visit, and that her experiences will assist with her A’Level studies in the subjects of Politics and Citizenship.”
Mark concluded:
“International Women’s Day was celebrated on 8th March in many different ways, and I was glad that I was able to participate by making the connection with a young lady from a school in my Constituency in this way.”
At the end of her visit, Danielle thanked Mark, saying:
“Thank you so much for having me down to shadow you today, I have had such a wonderful time and I can't believe how much I've seen - I feel hugely privileged to have had such an opportunity to celebrate International Women's Day. It was amazing to watch the House of Commons debate and to have afternoon tea in the Speaker's house.”
She went on to say:
“You made me feel so welcome in your office, and you were fantastic in showing me the jobs you undertake and making sure I got the most out of the day.”
Mark Pawsey MP with Danielle Malin
