Baroness (Jenny) Tonge has agreed to become Patron of the Electrical Safety Council. In 2004 she lost her daughter in a tragic electrical accident, and began campaigning for better electrical safety. She was subsequently raised to the House of Lords, where she continues her campaigning activity directly with politicians. The role of patron was created for her, and we are delighted she has chosen to accept. It is hoped that with Baroness Tonge as patron we can create greater awareness of electrical safety issues, particularly amongst politicians in Westminster and with civil servants, to achieve our mission of reducing electrical accidents and injuries. Baroness Tonge has had a long political career which began in 1981 when she was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. She stepped down as a councillor in 1990, and fought the 1992 General Election in the Richmond Park constituency. She was elected at the second attempt in 1997. She was rapidly promoted to become Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for International Development between 1999 and 2003 before moving on to take up the children’s brief, which she held until 2004. After the death of her daughter in 2004, she made the decision not to contest the following General Election, and left the House of Commons in 2005. In June of that year she was made a life peer as Baroness Tonge of Kew in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and took a seat in the House of Lords. Roles of patrons vary greatly between charities, from those that use the patron as a high profile name for the charity, to those where the patron is actively involved in the work and campaigns of the organisation. Baroness Tonge will provide a vital personal link between the charity and the heart of politics in the UK. This will increase our ability to access the corridors of power and influence key decisions and thinking in political circles. With our ongoing campaigning work to improve home safety, support in Parliament will be vital to help us further improve safety for tenants and landlords. Baroness Tonge was a key figure at our parliamentary reception at Westminster in March.
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