In my role as your Member of Parliament, I try and visit as many of our excellent South Northants businesses as possible.

I am therefore delighted to announce that Silverstone Circuits Ltd has been named as South Northamptonshire’s Responsible Business Champion 2017 in a competition run by the All-Party Parliamentary Corporate Responsibility Group. Earlier today I visited the Jimmy Brown Centre and caught up with Stuart Pringle, Silverstone's Sporting Director, to present him with the certificate from the APPG, as well as to hear more about the Circuit's exciting plans for 2018 and beyond.

Silverstone, owned by the British Racing Drivers' Club, is home to the British Grand Prix and is the premier motor racing venue in the UK. As well as hosting the UK's only round of both the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the World Endurance Championship, Silverstone also hosts some of the most exciting motorsport championships across the year including MotoGP, British Touring Car Championship, F3, GT and British Super Bikes. For historic fans, the Silverstone Classic weekend provides spectacular historic motor racing on the world famous circuit, free access to the paddocks and grandstands, displays from over 100 car clubs featuring more than 10,000 classic cars over the weekend, plus interactive driving activities and dynamic demonstrations. (In a nice coincidence, the Silverstone Classic weekend, as well as other events at the circuit, is supported by the Silverstone Real Ale Company which I hosted in Parliament last year to celebrate their Ignition beer being the "Ale of the Week" in the MPs' bar).

In addition to motor racing, Silverstone operates a broad range of engagement events including educational programmes, testing, circuit hire, driver training programmes, corporate and retail driving days, international conferences, consumer and business exhibitions and fund-raising events for charities. The company also provides free passes for local residents and donates tickets and prizes to numerous local and national charities, as well as investing in a healthy workplace by encouraging all employees to cycle or walk around the circuit regularly. There are currently two apprentices working in the workshops, taken from the National College of Motorsport, and the company also offers work experience placements to students from local schools and colleges. 

In November last year my team welcomed Luke Evans, Assistant Club Secretary at the British Racing Drivers Club, to Westminster to attend the APPG's awards ceremony where they had the opportunity to learn more about the great work that the company is doing. Unfortunately for us, we were pipped at the post by Zurich Insurance for the National Responsible Business Champion award!

However, my warmest congratulations to Stuart, Luke and everyone at Silverstone for their excellent hard-work!