On Friday 22 September, Lancing College hosted BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? in the College Chapel. Jonathan Dimbleby welcomed the audience of over three hundred and fifty to the historic Chapel, describing its features to guests both familiar and new.
The BBC’s popular topical radio programme invites some of the most notable names in politics, media and business to discuss the salient and controversial issues of the day. Friday evening was no exception, with lively debate between panellists Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott MP, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work Penny Mordaunt MP, columnist and author Charles Moore, and political commentator and broadcaster Steve Richards.
Guests for Friday’s broadcast gathered from across the local Hove, Shoreham and Worthing community, including students from Worthing College, Sir Robert Woodard Academy, Steyning Grammar School and Shoreham Academy. Unsurprisingly, Brexit dominated much of the discussion following Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech in Florence earlier in the day. The panel, featuring both supporters and opponents of Britain’s exit from the European Union, fiercely debated what the Prime Minister’s speech meant for the future of the country. Irrespective of where the listeners’ sympathies lay, the debate was gripping and set the tone for successive topics.
As the night progressed, other current issues were addressed, including the recent verbal dispute between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, the Uber licence and the charitable status of independent schools.
Lancing Chapel is open to the public daily and is a regular feature on tours of the Sussex coast. It welcomes over 4,000 people every year.