Inspiring Wrexham woman enjoys ‘dream’ visit to Westminster as guest of MP

A Wrexham woman recently had the chance to shadow her MP around the corridors of power during an event aimed at encouraging more women to stand for election.

Wanjiku Ngotho, head of regional services at Bawso on Grosvenor Road, said her first ever visit to Westminster was ‘a dream come true’.

Wanjiku was invited by Wrexham MP Ian Lucas as part of the Ask Her to Stand initiative, which saw more than 250 inspiring women from all parts of the country descend on Parliament to highlight the need for more women in politics.

Currently, men outnumber women by more than 2:1 in the Commons while only 33% of councillors in the UK are female.

The Ask Her to Stand Day was held on Wednesday, November 21, on the 100th anniversary of the passing of the Qualification of Women Act, which allowed women to stand for Parliament for the first time.

The day was intended to be both a celebration of the anniversary, and also a call for more women to come into politics.

Wanjiku, 44, who is originally from Kenya but has lived in Wrexham since 2006, said: “I enjoyed the day so much. It was really surreal to be there as I never thought I’d get the opportunity to see what I saw.

“I’m really grateful to Ian for thinking of me. As a black woman living in Wrexham, I never thought I’d get the chance to do something like this. It was inspiring – a dream come true for me.”

Mr Lucas took Wanjiku on a tour of Westminster and also arranged for her to watch Prime Minister’s Questions from the public gallery.

Wanjiku said it was an ‘eye-opener’ seeing how Parliament works, and was interested to hear questions about modern-day slavery and sexual and domestic violence crop up during PMQs. She deals with such issues on a regular basis in her role at Bawso, which provides specialist services for the BME (black, minority, ethnic) community in Wrexham.

Wanjiku also attended a workshop called Breaking Down Barriers, attended by female politicians who spoke about what inspired them to move into politics. Wanjiku is now considering taking such a step herself.

Mr Lucas said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Wanjiku to Westminster and I am pleased she enjoyed the day so much. She is an inspiration through her work at Bawso and a role model within the Wrexham community.

“We need more women to stand for public office, at all levels in politics from the grass roots to Westminster.

“I hope Ask Her to Stand Day inspired Wanjiku and other women like her to stand for election and give us all broader and more representative decision-making.”

The day was organised by campaigners Frances Scott, 50:50 Parliament, Helen Pankhurst and the Centenary Action Group, the Fawcett Society and the Jo Cox Foundation.