50th ANNIVERSARY OF BBC TELEVISION'S SONGS OF PRAISE

Early day motion 2182, tabled 14 September 2011 by Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 24 members.

That this House congratulates all involved over the past 50 years with Songs of Praise on BBC Television; notes that the first programme was broadcast on 1 October 1961 from the Tabernacl Baptist Chapel in Cardiff and that the 50th Anniversary programme will be broadcast from Alexandra Palace, London, on 2 October2011; registers with admiration that it is one of the longest-running television programmes in the world; pays tribute to the team behind each week's production and observes that some 200 people have presented it during the last five decades; records with acclaim that Songs of Praise has for 50 years beena familiar and much-loved part of the nation's television viewing, with more than 1,800 congregations involved in productions in cathedrals, churches, chapels and iconic settings throughout the UK and some overseas; and looks forward to many more years of programmes providing a unique blend of vibrant hymn-singing and uplifting human stories broadcast from beautiful locations around the British Isles.

Signatures by party: Liberal Democrat 7, Labour 6, Conservative 5, DUP 4, Alliance 1, Independent 1.