Yesterday I had the honorable duty of visiting No. 11 Downing Street to attend a drinks reception to celebrate some of the fastest growing and creative companies in the UK.
Suited and booted I arrived at the Downing Street gates on Whitehall at 4.50pm and my first buzz was the experience of walking through all the tourists who only could dream of going inside.
I then went through the security checks which were akin to going through Heathrow airport security. I was worried my oversized electronic cigarette would send them into an alert frenzy but fear not they let me through.
I then proceeded to walk past No. 10 and convinced the Policeman to let me do a selfie (see the leading picture). I felt rather regal at this point and almost out of place but was enjoying my moment of fame.
Upon entering No. 11 (some 20 photos later) I was greeted by the butler who ushered me in and was very keen for me to instantly depart from my mobile phone! I was gutted, I wanted to live tweet from inside, post pictures to Facebook but apparently it was a security risk! My mobile never leaves my side and I was suffering from FOMO (fear of missing out), but this moment was bigger that my eddiction (technology addiction) so I sadly parted company with my trusted Windows phone :( The only good news was that the butler wasn’t wearing a tie so instantly I removed mine and enjoyed the ability to be able to breathe again!
I then went up the stairs towards the drawing room and on the staircase the walls were littered with political satire cartoons that I assume were taken from the broadsheets over the past 50+ years. I found this rather bemusing as I was hoping to see a Van Gogh or even a Picasso but no such luck. Clearly comedy in politics is a big thing and I couldn't help but think how ironic this was.
I was then ushered in to the drawing room and was greeted with White Wine, Water, Orange Juice or Elder Flower water. I guess Mojito's and B52's are the drink of choice with our country’s finest. I decided on water as the last thing I needed to be was drunk and for those that know me, 1 drink and I am in trouble. This is the only time in my life I become a lightweight :)
I mingled with all the guests and MP’s and met with some amazing people from across the country including a teacher of Shakespeare to under privileged kid’s right through to a young kid who has won the contract from Google to do their street view images for inside businesses.
After about an hour we were then greeted by the rather youthful looking George Osborne. He was the consummate professional and whilst he was not able to give us much air time I genuinely felt he was proud of our success and was sincere in his praise. We did however manage to get a picture with him which will make my mum and dad happy! I also found out the George's father and uncle own Osborne and Little which is apparently a famous wallpaper manufacturers. Who knew?
After about 30 mins he left the room and I continued to work the room in my normal introvert way! I met with a great guy called Simon Marcus who is the conservative candidate for Hampstead. He was not only a true gentlemen but also gave me a lift in his taxi to my car so he absolutely gets my vote! After spending 20 mins in a taxi with him and his entourage I came to two definitive conclusions, Firstly I know nothing about politics and the language they were speaking was probably as alien to me as it is to my clients when I speak to about IT. Secondly I realised that there is so much bureaucracy in politics that I definitely wouldn’t enjoy it! Thanks Simon for the lift, I really appreciated it.
All in all this was a once in a lifetime experience and I really enjoyed it. I really felt honoured, humbled but at the same time really proud of myself for all that I have achieved in such a short space of time. I look forward to what the future has in store for me and Cloudamour next.
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