MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands Ranger Guides meet the Speaker of the House of Commons

Lindsay Hoyle MP, speaker of the House of Commons and a good friend of the Falklands, which he has visited, addresses the Girl Guides

On Tuesday 30th July, a group of Ranger Guides from the Falkland Islands visited the Houses of Parliament to meet with the Speaker of the House of Commons, The Rt. Hon Lindsay Hoyle MP.

The Guides were invited to Speaker’s House in Westminster to meet with Mr Speaker; he spoke to the Guides about his fondness for the Falklands, which he previously visited in 2022, and welcomed the recent decision from Girlguiding UK to integrate Girlguiding British Overseas Territories into Girlguiding North West (England) following a longstanding campaign.

During their visit to Parliament, the Guides were presented with special commemorative pens and other gifts by the Speaker, and they also enjoyed a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament.

Michael Betts, the Deputy Representative, and Will Bateman, Communications & Media Officer, from the Falkland Islands Government Office accompanied the Ranger Guides during their visit to the UK Parliament.

Deputy Representative, Michael Betts said, “It was a pleasure to accompany the group of Ranger Guides from the Falkland Islands to the UK Parliament for their meeting with the Speaker of the House of Commons, The Rt. Hon Lindsay Hoyle MP. This was a very positive meeting with the Speaker who was most welcoming in expressing his enthusiasm for the Falkland Islands. The Guides also thanked the Speaker for all of his efforts in helping to ensure that Girlguiding continues in the Falklands, and the other UK Overseas Territories, as his support was instrumental in seeing that Girlguiding British Overseas Territories was integrated into Girlguiding North West. We very much hope that the Ranger Guides from the Falklands have enjoyed their time the UK, and we look forward to welcoming them back very soon”.

Falklands Girl Guide Ranger Leader, Nikki Murphy said, “We had a very lovely meeting with the Speaker who gave the Ranger Guides some lovely gifts, and it was wonderful to hear of his strong support for the Falklands and we were grateful for the opportunity to thank him in person for his help in safeguarding the future of girlguiding in the Islands. Girlguiding is about a feeling of sisterhood and building connections and our visit to the UK has definitely provided that”.