The Patchwork Foundation do amazing work promoting, encouraging and supporting the active participation of young people from under-represented, disadvantaged and minority communities in democracy and civil society. 

Their MP of the Year awards celebrate and recognise those MPs that uphold the values of the Foundation, to champion disadvantaged groups.  The awards are adjudicated on by an independent panel who choose a winner from the public nominees. 

It was a huge honour to be the first recipient of this award and I'm very grateful to Patchwork for giving it to me.  As the sole representative of the Green party in Parliament, I can sometimes feel like a lone voice, but this award shows that even one voice can make a difference.

This has been an extraordinary year, with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic weighing most heavily on young people. Patchwork does a brilliant job working with them so that their voices are heard, and they have a real say in helping make the decisions that will affect their future.