What happened when MP and village resident Pippa Heylings met with 90 H&I Brownies and Guides recently? Lucy Callington hears from some of the young women and girls who were there as they discuss the future, the environment and female-to-male ratios in Parliament.
Being a Rainbow, a Brownie or a Guide means being part of a movement bigger than yourself – it means taking an interest in other people, getting involved in your community and looking after the environment – and thanks to the leadership of some wonderful volunteers, the girls of H&I’s guiding units embody this in spades.
That’s also what Pippa Heylings, local resident and MP for neighbouring South Cambridgeshire, discovered when she paid them a visit at Histon Baptist Church last Thursday.
During the two sessions – to which all members of Histon District Brownies and Guides were invited – Pippa met and answered questions from the switched-on youngsters, presented many of the Guides with an Eco Award they had been working towards, and even had time to get involved in some Brownie crafts!
Pippa spoke to the 40 assembled Brownies, 50 Guides, their leaders and parents about the challenges and highlights she has faced in her political career so far; her previous life as a teacher and her environmental work in the Galapagos islands and Zanzibar, as well as closer to home.
Telling tales from Parliament
First Histon Brownie and Guides Leader Kimberly Cole says the visit was a huge hit: “Pippa was great with the girls”, she shares, “they were really engaged and asked a lot of questions about what it’s like to be an MP. They were also keen to hear about Pippa’s environmental work – a subject that really resonates with them”.
The MP also shared with the girls her experiences of being a woman in politics. Describing how things used to be quite different for female MPs back when they were first allowed into Parliament, Pippa told how shocked she was to find that there was an ironing board in the female MPs’ room (which was tucked away in the basement), while the men had comfy armchairs in the library!
Bright futures
Since the visit Kimberly has had messages from parents of girls who attended, saying that Pippa has inspired their daughters to be politicians. The busy volunteer says: “Girls, if you do become politicians when you grow up, please do come back to share your story with us… Thanks again to Pippa for spending the evening with all of our girls!”
A few of those who met Pippa share their thoughts:
IC, First Histon Guides
I want to say a massive thank you to Pippa Heylings, and our guide leaders for organising this inspiring event. I absolutely loved getting to hear from an MP about how parliament works and the way that it is evolving alongside changes in society.
It was amazing to listen to Pippa’s life experiences as well as some slightly frightening statistics about the ratio of men and women in Parliament. Pippa was patient and tried her best to answer all our questions. I really enjoyed having the chance to hear from her and she has definitely given me a new perspective on the way parliament works and how important it is as a woman to speak up and have your say in society.
Jess, First Histon Guides
I really liked seeing Pippa as she is a very nice person and into the environment, just like me.
Maddie, ex-Guide and young leader with First Histon Guides
I really enjoyed getting to know Pippa Heylings. In a government mainly full of men, she is helping to turn the number to make it more equal for women.
It’s very clear that she cares about the people in Cambridgeshire and the environment as a whole. It’s nice to see people in power who genuinely care, especially with the way politics is going currently.
Polly, First Histon Brownies (submitted by her mum)
Polly burst through the door absolutely buzzing and announced, ‘I want to be a politician.’ She said Pippa had inspired her! I asked her, ‘inspired to do what?’ She said that was all I was getting out of her…pretty good for an MP in the making!
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