Downing Street
Monday 14 December 2009
What goes on at Downing Street? Alex Holmes was invited there to accept a special award.
Top facts about Downing Street
No.10 Downing Street is one of the most famous addresses in the world.
- No. 10 and No. 11 are the homes of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling.
- Next door are No.9 and No. 12, which are the offices for staff and colleagues in Government.
- The first person that lived in No. 10 was Sir Robert Walpole, the First Lord of the Treasury.
- The house was given to him as a gift from King George II in 1732. Sir Robert didn't want to accept the house as a present and instead asked if the King could make it available to him and future First Lords as a work place.
- No.10 has housed 51 PMs since 1732.
- In 1828, No. 11 became the official house of the Second Lord - today that person is Alistair Darling.
- 10 Downing Street isn't just a home, it's also an office. On Tuesdays the PM and the Cabinet meet to discuss the latest issues affecting the public and make important decisions affecting the country.
Want to know what No. 10 looks like inside? Take the official tour.
A day at No.11
Anti-Bullying hero Alex Holmes recently visited 11 Downing Street to receive a special award. Here’s what happened.
Why were you visiting Downing Street?
Alistair Darling invited me to Downing Street as one of 10 of the UK’s most inspirational young people. We were all honoured with the new 10th Anniversary Gold Diana Award for our impact on society. This award was also handed out to celebrate the other 27,000 award holders.
Did you see any familiar faces?
Alistair Darling was there. Gordon Brown’s wife, Sarah Brown was there too. I saw X Factor contestant Diana Vickers as well. Legend.
What were your aims for the day?
I was really excited and nervous about the day and wanted to get as much out of it as possible. I tried to speak to everyone and enjoy the day as much as I could because I'd never been to No. 11 before. I was so pleased to be chosen.
What were the other 10 inspirational young people like? How did they find their day?
There were all sorts of people. A girl called Betty was there and she had come from Africa to mentor other young people. Another girl called Kirsty had raised thousands of pounds to help wishes come true for children with life threatening illnesses – even though she was ill herself.
There was 19 year old Roper Peckham Cooper from Kent. At 14 he was the youngest person to complete a solo cycle ride from Lands End to John O'Groats in memory of his mother.
An award was given to Liam Fairhurst, who died this year. In his lifetime, he raised over £300,000 for CLIC Sargent and other young people with cancer. I was happy to hear that Liam's brother had decided to continue the work. I was really inspired.
Were there any funny stories from your day?
Alistair Darling was accidentally introduced as Alistair Brown! He saw the funny side though.
Did you talk to any important figures?
I spoke to Sarah Brown. She was really interested in the work I do, and was really nice and chatty too. She said that meeting inspirational people was the best part of her job.
What did you learn?
I think the day showed just how amazing young people are and how much of an impact they can have on society. I was really inspired by all the stories I heard.
I learnt that one small campaign against bullying can reach exciting heights.
