Prime Minister Gordon Brown, along with his wife Sarah and the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson visited Stevenage as part of the General Election campaign. Mr Brown visited the Mentoring Basketball Association at The Oval to speak to young people involved in the scheme there before heading to the Oval Community Centre to have a chat to local residents and community volunteers.
He was in town to champion the DNA database and was also joined by Linda Bowman, the mother of murdered model Sally Anne Bowman – whose killer was only caught after his DNA was checked after being arrested for an unrelated incident.
Mr Brown said:
“It’s a privilege for me and Sarah to be here in Stevenage today.
“A community is made up of thousands of acts of friendship and caring and support for each other, and each one of you here today has contributed to the strength and resilience of the community.
“I’m very proud of Stevenage and the message it sends out about what can be done if people pull together.
“I have come to Stevenage many times to see so many great projects at work.”
Sharon said:
“It’s great that Gordon took the time to come back to Stevenage and this time visit The Oval. The volunteers and staff at the Mentoring Basketball Association and the Community Centre make a real difference to their community and deserve the recognition they got today.”