Deputy Mayor of Elmbridge, Councillor Mary Sheldon, and Consort John Sheldon joined the 6th Walton Guides to celebrate the first National Democracy Week.
The week is aimed at highlighting and promoting the importance of democratic engagement within the UK. This year it celebrates the 100th anniversary since women were first given the right to vote and the 90th anniversary since women were given the same voting rights as men.
Led by officers from Elmbridge Borough Council, the girls discussed how to register to vote, the voting process and the role of the Suffragettes and Suffragists. Elmbridge Museum joined in by helping the Guides make their own ‘Vote for Women’ Rosette. The event finished with the Guides planting flowers in pots, all brightly decorated in the Suffragette colours. These pots were then kindly donated to the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher.
Cllr Mrs Sheldon, a Conservative councillor for Hersham, said: "Elmbridge Borough Council is delighted to be involved in celebrating the UK’s first National Democracy Week. It is vital that we recognise the importance of our democratic right to vote, and to appreciate the sacrifices some have made for this to happen. Instilling the importance of registering to vote at a young age is essential in ensuring their voices are heard in the future."