A Breath of Fresh Air
This weekend is officially the start of Meteorological Spring; a time where we can see the positive signs of better times to come. Milder fresh air sweeping across our land has an expectation that Spring is just around the corner.
A few days ago, a breath of fresh air swept into the Constituency Office where I was awaiting to meet Tonia Antoniazzi MP.
Tonia is Member of Parliament for Gower and I asked if I could meet her to discuss the Save Our Seals from Flying Rings Campaign.
A mug of coffee in hand we discussed the campaign; Tonia fervently writing notes as I spewed out like an AI generated machine the many challenges facing our native seals and how flying rings were another deadly challenge. I soon realised my coffee had gone cold as I was totally in ‘flow’ a term used in psychology to describe a state of mental immersion where your focus on a subject loses all sense of time. Finally, it was done.
I had said my bit and Tonia had scribbled plenty of notes. The situation was clear and we discussed a way forward. She was totally engaged and grasped what needed to be done.
It was now my turn to scribble as Tonia suggested a range of options which she would support wholeheartedly.
One of these was an opportunity for her to address Parliament on our Campaign. This was in a few days’ time during a Backbench Business: General Debate on St Davids Day and Welsh Affairs.
I was speechless (a personal trait which my wife says is a rarity). Tonia was adamant that she would highlight the issues discussed over that earlier cold mug of coffee.
It was an opportunity for her to speak with fellow Members of Parliament in the House of Commons and before Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (Secretary of State for Wales) who sat at the Despatch Box.
After some obligatory photos, I left leaving Tonia with a copy of an amazing book called Sammy and the Flying Ring written and illustrated by two concerned members of the public who wanted to support us.
Tonia and Gareth holding Sammy and the Flying Ring book
It would be amiss of me not to mention that Sammy and the Flying Ring is on sale via the Seal Research Trust website.
A few days later I watched Parliament Live TV as Tonia stood up clutching her notes AND a copy of Sammy and the Flying Ring book in hand.
Over the next seven minutes Tonia addressed the House of Commons with an impressive and passionate speech covering every aspect of the campaign in her allotted time.
It was a call to arms and her proud Welsh heritage came across urging colleagues that Wales could be the first Country in the World to ban flying rings.
It resembled a half time team talk at a Welsh Rugby International but of course Tonia has previously played international rugby for Wales and has nine caps! Now I realise where she gets it from!
It will be recorded in Hansard and just one other thing I must mention, she named me! I nearly fell off my chair.
Our Campaign aimed at stopping the unnecessary harm and suffering inflicted on seals and other marine mammals by entanglement in lost or discarded flying rings, has received its first hearing in the very seat of Government.
There is a long way to go but this is a significant step forward thanks to the passion of a Welsh MP who made no apology for my coffee going cold because we were both in flow.
Going back to my earlier reference to Meteorological Spring and the fresh air blowing…I now realise that the fresh air was in fact, Tonia Antoniazzi MP.
I’m extremely indebted and proud of her being my local Member of Parliament.
If you would like to join Tonia and nearly 55,000 members of the public who signed our Campaign Petition then please visit this link: https://www.change.org/SaveOurSealsFromFlyingRings
Thank you
Gareth Richards
Vice Chair UK Seal Alliance Executive
