On Sunday 12th December 2010 Dr Phillip Lee took part in the BBC Politics Show – South, broadcasted live on BBC1. The programme was transmitted from Wellington Public School in Crowthorne and was presented by Peter Henley. The panel consisted of Peter Skinner, Labour MEP (South East), Dr Ian Morris (a clinical psychologist who teaches “Well Being” at Wellington College), Mitch Benn (satirist and comedian) and Dr Phillip Lee, MP for Bracknell.

In the programme the group discussed “Happiness” – what it is, if and how it can be quantified and if it is right that we spend public money on measuring what makes people happy? The topic was chosen as the Prime Minister announced in November of this year that the Government would be investing £2m into a scheme to measure the nation’s happiness. This policy is rooted in the Government’s view that money is not the only indicator of what makes people happy, and therefore want a measure that can be used alongside GDP to measure how the country is doing. From April, the Office for National Statistics will ask people to rate their own well-being with the first official happiness index due in 2012.

In response to the programme’s discussion Dr Lee commented: “I was very pleased to take part in the debate. Although I fully recognized that we are living through tough times I think it is more than appropriate for the Government to consider how its future policies could affect people’s happiness.”

MP for Bracknell, Dr Phillip Lee, is pleased to have been appointed as member of the ColaLife’s Advisory Board.

You can buy a Coca-Cola virtually anywhere in developing countries but in these same places 1 in 5 children die before their 5th birthday from simple, preventable causes like dehydration from diarrhoea.

ColaLife, an independent non-profit organisation, is talking to Coca-Cola about opening up its distribution channels in developing countries to save lives, especially children’s lives, by carrying much needed ’social products’ such as oral rehydration salts and high-dose vitamin A tablets.

Using an ‘AidPod’, designed by ColaLife to fit between bottles in crates, local agencies can ‘piggy-back’ on established supply chains, offering real, affordable ‘last mile’ reach, SMS tracking, impactful CSR opportunities, and improved carbon footprints.

Dr Lee commented: “Simon’s idea of using the distribution network of Coca-Cola to deliver much needed rehydration packs to young children is a great example of how the power of a multinational company can be harnessed to provide much needed care for vulnerable human beings. As a practising doctor, I am very pleased to associate myself with a development programme for sub-Saharan Africa that is both effective and sustainable. ColaLife is an inspiring idea that deserves much support.”

For more information on ColaLife please visit: http://www.colalife.org/

Photos:
The crate: Tim Dench
The child: Ellie Stoneley

On Friday 12th November, Dr Phillip Lee, was the official starter at the Bracknell Forest Primary Schools Cross Country Boys’ relay race.

Almost every Primary school in Bracknell Forest was represented at the Cross Country Relay competition, which is held over a challenging course at South Hill Park. It was a damp and muddy day, but the enthusiasm of the crowd and the skill and courage of all the runners made this a really impressive occasion.

Dr Lee was delighted to be invited to start the boys’ race. He also joined the Mayor in presenting the trophies. He commented: “It was fantastic to be starting the Bracknell Forest Primary Schools Cross Country Boys’ relay race. It is a wonderful annual event which allows for healthy competition between local schools.”

On Friday 12th November schools in the Bracknell Constituency received new equipment for IT and sports trough Tesco’s School Voucher Scheme. Dr Lee was pleased to join Tesco’s Martins Heron Store Manager in presenting equipment to children, teachers and governors of the three schools most local to Martins Heron, the Pine School, Harmans Water Primary School and Birch Hill Primary School.

The Tesco School Vouchers Scheme enables UK schools and clubs to redeem vouchers from Tesco purchases for a variety of useful items. All schools in the UK can take part in the scheme – nursery, infant, primary, junior, middle, secondary and special needs. Customers of the schemes currently receive one voucher for every £10 they spend in a large Tesco store and £5 in a Tesco Express store. The original IT-provision scheme was launched by the supermarket in 1992, while the sport-themed programme followed in 2005.

Dr Lee commented: “I was very pleased to present the schools with the equipment. Having a good understanding of IT is obviously of great importance to our childrens’ future“.

On Friday 12th November Dr Phillip Lee visited Ranelagh School in the Bracknell Constituency. The visit was part of the MP’s programme of visiting all the schools in the constituency.

During the visit, Mrs Kathy Winrow, the Head teacher at Ranelagh organised a Question & Answer session for the MP. Dr Lee answered questions on tuition fees and other topical issues from a very well-informed and interested group of students.

Ranelagh School is a High Performing Specialist School with specialism in Visual Arts, Business and Enterprise and Mathematics and Computing. It has also recently been authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School.

This year, Ranelagh School celebrated 100 years on its Bracknell site and has had much to celebrate. The School has received three outstanding OFSTED reports and is identified in the Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector as a ‘particularly successful school’.

Dr Lee commented: “It was a pleasure to visit Ranelagh School. The Question & Answer session with the 6th formers proved to be very challenging! The school is outstanding in so many ways and the students are very fortunate to have an opportunity to receive such a wonderful education.”