THE deputy speaker of the House of Lords, Baroness Angela Harris, has visited Richmond School and Sixth Form College to speak about her role.

Baroness Harris was a guest speaker to herald the start of Parliament Week. In 1999, Baroness Harris was created a Liberal Democrat life peer and is a Deputy Speaker in the House of Lords.

Baroness Harris explained about a typical day in the House of Lords.

The students were fascinated by her account of life in the House of Lords and at the end of each presentation they were invited to put forward questions for her to answer.

She said: “The students are the future and it is important they learn from our mistakes and make the world a better place."

Joe Mawer, Year 13 Student, said his week’s work experience with Baroness Harris:” I spent five days working alongside Baroness Harris and had the incredible opportunity of going to the House of Lords every day. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it was a real privilege to go.”

Clare Clish, Lead Teacher of Business Studies at Richmond School and Sixth Form is spearheading Parliament Week, a nationwide initiative, at Richmond School and Sixth Form College. Throughout the week, Clare has organised a host of activities, including a mock-referendum on lowering the voting age to 16, as well as a visit from a second high-profile guest, from the House of Commons, at the end of the week.

To find out more about UK Parliament Week, the annual festival that engages people from across the UK with Parliament visit www.ukparliamentweek.org