Angie and I spent last weekend with other members of the All Party Gibraltar Group as guests of the Gibraltar Government. The group aims to promote and protect the interests of the people of Gibraltar within Parliament as they have no direct representation of their own. I was pleased to join this group because the people of Gibraltar throughout history have given so much for this country. They are fiercely proud to be British, 95% having voted to remain such in a recent referendum. They are self sufficient and don’t ask us for money – all they ask is to remain British.
Each year they celebrate on their National Day. This year it was on September 10th and festivities started in the morning with a Rally at which the Chief Minister addressed the people followed by a few choice words of support from our group, this year, from Simon Hughes, Eric Pickles and Lindsay Hoyle. There was such a wonderful atmosphere with the sun shining and almost 99% of the Gibraltarians dressed in their traditional red and white. The day continued in a party atmosphere with parades, concerts and parties. The Pubs were open all day and everyone really enjoyed themselves without one sign any yobbish behaviour. Festivities for us ended with a spectacular firework display after a formal reception dinner.
Legend has it that as long as there are apes on Gibraltar it would remain British. During WW2 Churchill found out that their numbers had fallen below twenty and ordered the immediate restocking of the dwindling ape colony. Today they are thriving and they now number almost 300. Angie and I have holidayed many times in Gibraltar but this year is a little special as it is the 200th anniversary of our magnificent victory at Trafalgar. On our trip we saw again the original dockyard into which Nelson’s fleet anchored after the battle. It was here that Nelson’s body was placed in a barrel filled with brandy to preserve it over the journey home to England. If you have not yet visited Gibraltar, I urge you to do so and enjoy the wealth of history that forms so much of the British heritage. | 
