When did you first attend the SODEM protest outside Parliament and why did you come? 

14 February 2019 – Cake not Hate 

Roughly how old are you?

61

How frequently did you come and when was the last time you attended?

3 – the other two were consecutive days – Stop the Coup July 2019

How far from Westminster do you live and what was your travelling time?

2 hours by train, plus 30 minutes each end.

What’s your favourite memory?

On 14 February one of the Stratford/Warwick group arranged for us to go into Parliament and it coincided with the result of a vote which TERESA MAY LOST. 🙂 And it was wonderful to hear John Bercow call “order” in person.  But also, it was great singing “We’re not going to Brexit” outside the Cabinet office just before we left there in July 2019

Tell me your story

I was obsessed with the idea of learning languages from the age of about 8.  I’ve had French penfriend since 1971, who had French/English (D-Day soldier) relatives living near me in England. Spent 7 weeks in France in 1976, partially with that French Family.  Have had lots of penfriends all over Europe (and world). Visited mostly France, but also other European countries (have relative in Switzerland). Interailed round Eastern Europe and down to Greece in 1985.  Studied some German and Spanish, then more seriously Italian from 1985.  2019, went alone to Italy to study Italian for 3 weeks in Florence, Siena and Milan.  Fantastic experience mixing with so many people from Europe and all over the world.  Felt 18 again!  Have brought our children up as Europeans, even the way we put food on the table, and our conversations are splattered with many European words, just randomly.  Daughter teaches French and Spanish, speaks some German and understands Italian.  Son reasonable with French, has some German.  Latvian girlfriend.  We have been on lots of the marches and I’m proud to have marched with my children, husband and sons’s girlfriend and my nephew and his wife and so many other wonderful people.  I cried on New Year’s Eve 2020.  We went on a vigil in Derby on 31 January 2020.  Totally devastated that our rights are being taken away due to lies and manipulation.  

I will always be European in my heart, and hope that my children will be able to have their European rights back again.  Europeans, indeed people from round the world have brought huge improvements to the UK compared to what it was like in the 1970s.  Britain is a beautiful place, has excellent beer, pies etc.  But it has been ruined by racism and pettiness and I don’t wish to classify myself as English nor British again, despite my DNA, to my shame, being 73% Midlands and North West  of England!  

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