NINE young people were treated to a tour around the Houses of Parliament by MP Stephen Metcalfe.

The youngsters, aged between 16 and 25, belong to Swan Housing Associations supported housing schemes and were given the opportunity to travel to London after Mr Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, visited the Swan House Foyer in Vange.

Foyer resident Nkosinathi Ogundiya said: “It was a great day! To learn about the origins of democracy in the UK has given me a real appreciation for it.

"I found out that not only can you come and talk directly to your MP here; you can also come and watch the House of Commons sessions, which I will definitely be coming back again to watch.”

During their visit the residents were given a tour of the building including the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Sandra Fawcett, Executive Director of Operations at Swan said: “We are very grateful to Stephen Metcalfe MP, who is a great support to our Foyers, for organising this visit.

"This was a fantastic opportunity for our Foyer residents to be able to discover more about politics and understand how their voice and vote counts in the way our country is run.

"This is a key part of their individual development and another milestone in the support our Foyer Team give them in their journey to independence.

"I am delighted they were given this opportunity and I hope we can carry out more visits like this in the future.”