Parliamentary Fellowship Scheme reflects on success

Sport England recently marked the successful conclusion of the latest round of the Parliamentary Fellowship scheme with a dinner hosted by the House of Commons Speaker John Bercow MP, and Derek Wyatt MP.

The Fellowship was set up in 2005 on the suggestion of Derek Wyatt MP, with cross party support from Hugh Robertson MP and Bob Russell MP. It aims to build a better understanding of sport within Parliament, and a stronger partnership between the worlds of sport and politics.

Parliamentarians are matched to a sport and are invited to spend seven days with the governing body to gain an insider’s view on the work they do. In return, employees from the governing body spend three days shadowing the parliamentarian to gain a better understanding of how Parliament works and identify opportunities to work with MPs and peers.

The latest round matched 10 parliamentarians to 10 national governing bodies. Partnerships included:

• Angela Smith MP and the British Mountaineering Council
  During her time on the scheme Angela learned how to rock climb and took part in a simulated mountain rescue. This helped to raise public awareness of mountain rescue teams.
• Stephen Hammond MP and the Amateur Swimming Association
  Stephen visited swimming pools across London to learn about the issues affecting their planning, design and operation and strategies needed to support community and elite use. Colleagues from London Swimming spent three days with him in Parliament, attending briefing sessions and analysing an MP’s case load.
• Andrew George MP and British Cycling
  Andrew joined Peter King, British Cycling’s Chief Executive on a sponsored cycle ride in aid of prostate cancer. He also promoted cycling events on the highway and provision for traffic-free areas. As a result the Department of Transport set up a Cycling on the Highways Working Group.

“The breadth and variety of activity undertaken by the current Fellows and sports is a testament to the commitment and support of all those involved,” said Sport England Chair, Richard Lewis. “We look forward to building on all that has been achieved by the Fellows and the sports in the future, and will be relaunching the Fellowship after the general election. We look forward to welcoming Fellows, old and new.”

For more information about the scheme, download our Parliamentary Fellowship Scheme newsletter