Parliament hosts Commonwealth Games exhibition
© UK Parliament / Jessica Taylor
3 min read
In the latest issue of the magazine, we offer parliamentary news from a Commonwealth Games exhibition in Portcullis House to the NHS Parliamentary Awards 2022...
Parliament is hosting an exhibition to promote the Commonwealth Games as part of Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s “Roots to Parliament” initiative celebrating the backgrounds and interests of those who work in Westminster.
The exhibition in Portcullis House, which runs until 12 August, features photographs and stories of around 20 MPs and staff members who have spoken about their enjoyment of sport. It is encircled by a running track.
The special display was opened by the Commons Speaker alongside Paralympian Georgie Bullen, who plays goalball, a team sport played by visually impaired people. Her team came sixth in the London 2012 Paralympics.
Bullen, a 28-year-old Parliamentary Digital Service worker who is partially sighted due to a rare form of macular degeneration, said: “Not many people have heard of our sport, so I am used to playing in front of a few hundred people in a major tournament.
“But at the Paralympics, we had 7,000 spectators cheering us on – the wall of noise swallowed me up and it was incredible.”
Sir Lindsay said: “Hearing how Georgie used the game of goalball to overcome adversity, but to also achieve Paralympian status, is incredible.
“I now look forward to reading what sport means to the many other members of our parliamentary village.”
MPs celebrate health workers at NHS Parliamentary Awards 2022
MPs and peers gathered to celebrate the achievements of NHS trusts and healthcare workers at the NHS Parliamentary Awards on 6 July, following a particularly challenging period during the pandemic.
Almost 800 nominations were received from parliamentarians across both Houses for awards in 10 categories, including “Excellence in Mental Health Care, “Nursing and Midwifery”, “Covid Response” and “NHS Rising Star”.
Regional and overall winners were picked by a panel of judges featuring NHS national medical director Professor Steve Powis, NHS England communications director James Lyons and Age UK director Caroline Abrahams.
In a video message played at the awards, Boris Johnson said: “While much about the NHS has changed over three quarters of a century, one thing remains just as it did back in 1948: the skill and dedication and professionalism of its staff.
“It is the people of the NHS who make the service what it is, and that’s why I’m delighted, once again, to see the very best among them, from right across England celebrated at the NHS Parliamentary Awards.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer nominated an NHS team in his constituency for an award, which it won. He said: “There’s an urgent need in our society for mental health to be given the same parity as physical health and what better example of excellent mental health care than the Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust?”
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