Speaking after the visit, Carla Lockhart said:

“It was an absolute pleasure to welcome such a fantastic group of young people from Banbridge Academy to Westminster. Despite being up at the crack of dawn to travel, they arrived full of enthusiasm, energy, armed with brilliant questions.

Lord Dodds and I were certainly put through our paces.  Their curiosity and insight were incredibly impressive. I have no doubt there are future leaders among them.

A big well done and thank you to the teaching staff, for making the visit happen and helping to inspire such strong interest in politics and public life. Encouraging this kind of engagement with our democratic institutions is vital and days like this show just how switched-on and capable our next generation really is.”