I turned to get off the bus having negotiated a pick up point with the driver to discover that the group had disappeared. Not any group, but 4 ambassadors / high commissioners and 9 other diplomats from across South East Asia. The biggest worry of the day was what might go wrong; not would they like Sheffield and my constituency. I rushed round the corner to discover the group wending its way up to my local mosque, led confidently by the Malaysian High Commissioner. It wasn’t so much the pull of Islam, but he had quickly come to appreciate that wherever I took them in Sheffield it involved walking up hill.
I don’t really remember the genesis of the idea of the visit to Sheffield, but as the Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for our relationships with South East Asia I had clearly mentioned several times to the group how they should get out of London and see more of the country. With so much of the UK’s diplomacy traditionally based in London, I am always keen to make sure that the foreign diplomats I work with see more of the UK than just the capital. I was delighted to show this group our civic buildings now situated in a city centre transformed over the past few years. A visit to Sheffield Hallam University demonstrated world class teaching in health sciences. It gave them an opportunity to hear first hand from South East Asian students what they think about Sheffield, and to see some of the many education links between the UK and the region in action.
Then in the afternoon onto the constituency and a chance to learn about my role as a local MP. As well as the mosque they visited Heeley City Farm and saw the wide variety of neighbourhoods that I represent. Sheffield is England’s greenest city and we saw parks, woodlands and the wonderful views across to the nearby Derbyshire hills. We passed the schools I went to and ended up at a local church where they got an opportunity to meet and hear from local people who I work regularly with, constituents I’ve helped and my mum.
By the end of the afternoon the diplomats knew not only the place I come from and represent, but also the place I go back to when my job in London is finished. Speaking for the group the Singaporean High Commissioner thanked us for the day and said he could now see why the people of Sheffield didn’t want to go to London – maybe he was being polite, but I hope they’ll be back for a longer visit. Not least to play a round of golf – the one thing missing from the programme they said they would really have liked!
Posted at 15:28 22 July 2008 by Meg Munn | Comments[2]
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