On Tuesday 27th March, a group of students from Woodford County High School made their way to the House of Lords in order to watch a debate on the "Practicalities of Charging Electric Vehicles". The girls were exposed to an atmosphere they had never experienced before- Mahak Polani (resident of Ilford) described it as "very, very posh" and exclaimed that she had never witnessed "anything like it"! Every detail was spectacular, from the magnificent chandeliers hanging down to the splendid crimson coloured walls and carpets. 

Upon the girls' arrival, they were shown through to a room in which they were offered an array of drinks by numerous butlers. They conversed with Lords and Baronesses in this room about what interested them in the debate to be showcased on the day; for many it was a prospective future in engineering whilst for others it was the experience of visiting the House of Lords and seeing the debate itself, the topic of which intrigued many. 

It was not before long that lunch was announced and guests were shown through to the dining room. At this point the girls were separated and shown to separate tables. "It was unnerving at first, but everyone was so nice and conversational that it was not long before we were having interesting conversations as if we had known each other from the start" (anonymous). The guests were of diverse ethnicities and there were almost as many women as men, which made it more welcoming as the event seemed like it was for everyone. 

A three-course meal was laid out- each course was spectacularly presented and had extravagant flavours. "The menu consisted of foods we had never even heard of" such as South coast baked sea bass fillet and clams, white bean ragout, garlic tortellini, samphire, ruby chard, and plum treacle tart. 

During lunch, the speakers presented their arguments and allowed students and guests to get involved by asking questions regarding the topic of debate. The students from Woodford County did not hesitate to get involved and were enlightened on the "Practicalities of Charging Electric Vehicles" through the excellent questions asked and arguments presented. The students learned that changes to how vehicles work could affect the wider population greatly, in terms of social inequality and cyber security (something most people had not even considered). 

The guests then left the premises, with a box of 'House of Lords Chocolate Truffles' to take home as a souvenir. The Woodford girls were grateful for being given the amazing opportunity and had a great time, all in all! "For someone from Ilford (like me), this was not an opportunity that comes around easily, and so I was very grateful!" (Mahak). The initiative that the House of Lords took in inviting students to this event proves that they are encouraging younger people to take part in such events, and so hopefully there will be more events such as this magnificent one in the future! 

By: Mahnoor Shoaib, Woodford County High School