To continue along the same vein as my last ‘Charities’ post, another common use of peers’ time is the activities of the various All-Party Parlimentary Groups (APPGs). These range from the very serious (Genocide Prevention) to the social (Beer – ‘to promote the wholesomeness and enjoyment of beer and the unique role of the pub in UK society’) to the specialist (Non-Profitmaking Members’ Clubs). These are unofficial groups for anyone working in parliament with a specific interest, regardless of party lines. Each group has an AGM, meets as regularly as it likes and most have receptions or events to raise the profile of their subject.

One of my personal interests is photography. The aim of the APPG on Photography is ‘to promote interest in photography among Members of both Houses and to mount an annual exhibition of photographs by Members of this House that subsequently tours the country’. This year’s exhibition is currently being organised and all parliamentarians were recently invited to submit photographs. I submitted 5 and was surprised to discovered that at least one of these will be displayed in the exhibition of 130 – and one has been chosen as one of 7 ‘Judge’s Choice’ photographs. I am very much looking forward to finding out which has been chosen when I visit the exhibition on the 21st April.