Pink Shoes on the Terrace

For our second summer lunch we were lucky enough to be on the Terrace again, to which we were welcomed by Davina with glasses of proscecco in the glorious sunshine.








Ambassadors and guests were then able to enjoy poached salmon with a variety of super salads, all created especially for us by chef John. Conversation flowed and guests lingered in the excellent company. Another very special Pink Shoe event!

Ambassadors' Summer Luncheon

In convivial company Pink Shoe Ambassadors enjoyed the food and atmosphere for our formal summer luncheon. 

Huge thanks to the Terrace Pavilion team for a stupendous buffet and top notch service. 

Aperitivo

Pink Shoe Ambassadors gathered at Parliament Street for our final Aperitivo of the season.

As ever it was a lively evening with an especially warm welcome for new Ambassador Mina Rahman.

Chelsea Physic Garden

To raise funds for Save the Children,the Kensington Commitee organised a fascinating tour and lunch at the Chelsea Physic Garden.

 

Pink Shoes at Henley Royal Regatta

Such a lovely day at this quintessentially English event. The weather was kind and it was great to see some excellent rowing, we were very glad to discover the badges that day in the Stewards' enclosure were pink!

Here is our very own Sheila enjoying the afternoon and for once she's not on duty!

Pink Shoe LiberTea

To our delight we had the chance to hold a LiberTea in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta on Monday the 15th of June- the only LiberTea celebration that was held in Westminster on the anniversary of this momentous event. 

We all wrote what we were thankful for or inspired by and created our own Pink Shoe thought board! 

We heard from Parliamentary Archivist Kirsty Fife on the century long battle for female suffrage in the UK. We learnt that by the time the ‘Representation of the People Act’ was passed in 1918 parliament had received no fewer than 1600 petitions on this subject containing the signatures of some 3 million women. We were also intrigued to find out that 4 of the 63 clauses of the Magna Carta written on the 15th of June 1215 are still in fact law today.

We also had the pleasure of hearing from Parliamentary Curator Melanie Unwin on the stages involved in designing a wonderful piece of artwork to commemorate the fight of our grandmothers and great-grandmother’s for female suffrage in the UK. 

The artwork will be revealed in early 2016 and will sit in Westminster itself. We are very much looking forward to seeing this at the big unveiling! (See the sneak preview to the right)

Hong Tan concluded the addresses with a short discussion on the ‘Likeness of Justice’ art exhibition which will focus on contemporary issues of justice. The project aims to develop images for individuals, institutions and bodies concerned about the justice system.

Then we all enjoyed tea and scones hosted by Baroness Jenkin of Kennington in the Peers' Dining Room. Pink Shoe would like to thank Lady Jenkin and each of our wonderful speakers, as well as everyone involved for making the day such a great success.

#ScaleUpEurope

We were delighted to support a stunning event at the House of Lords, when Alex Mitchell of the Young Brits Network brought together The European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs, StartUp Europe and The European Youth Forum with the support of the IoD and his own company Causarma.

Graciously hosted by The Earl of Erroll, the debate focused on the key issue of youth entrepreneurship and was organised in collaboration with The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Entrepreneurship.

Lord Erroll and Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna played leading roles, speaking passionately about the importance of entrepreneurship and how to design a financial eco-system that would enable businesses to thrive. Their speeches captured everyone’s attention- so much so by the time the event started it was standing room only!

Successful young entrepreneurs came from the UK, the EU and much further afield. Guests shared their stories and business strategies. We even had flags to represent the many diverse countries represented by the young entrepreneurs.

At the end everyone enjoyed a question and answer session, before sharing nibbles and wine along with plenty of international networking.

Huge thanks to everyone involved for organising such a successful event.