Tuesday, 02 January 2007 PRESS RELEASEThe Peel Society goes to the European ParliamentOne of the exciting events that the Peel Society is organising next year in September is a visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The Parliament alternates between Brussels and Strasbourg. The visit will be hosted by West Midlands M E P Philip Bradbourn. Love it or loathe it, the European Parliament does influence our lives and it is important to understand it. The visit will give members a chance to question M E Ps from the UK and other countries, watch the proceedings and then enjoy a reception at the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) in Strasbourg followed by a dinner with members of Parliament and their staff. The visit to the Parliament will be combined with a week's tour of Eastern France, including Alsace and a visit to the Battlefield of Agincourt. Members and others interested in joining the visit should contact Nigel Morris before December 31st. In April, The Society is visiting Bury in Greater Manchester, the birthplace of Sir Robert Peel, who was twice Home Secretary and Prime Minister. Soon after his birth, his Father bought Drayton Manor and they both became MPs for Tamworth. The visit will consist of a Mayoral Reception by the Mayor of Bury followed by a tour of Peel sites. The following day, the Society has a private tour of Knowsley Hall, the seat of the Earls of Derby. The 14th Earl was in Peel's cabinet. The Society will also organise local events. They are looking forward to the publication of a new biography of Sir Robert Peel by Lord Hurd of Westwell. Lord Hurd as Douglas Hurd was Home Secretary at the time of the bicentenary of Peel's birth and came to speak to the Society at Drayton Manor. End |