A capital day out for six

My life goes from the sublime to the ridiculous, writes Star blogger Emma Suddaby.

As avid Star readers will already know, the guest speaker at the last Star Woman of the Year Awards was Baroness Sayeeda Warsi . . . Minister for Cohesion, also know as “Liberator of the Teddy-Bear Teacher of Sudan”.

But what readers may not know is that she also generously extended an invitation to all of the finalists to join her for high tea at the House of Lords.

So, last Monday I spent sitting in an NHS waiting-room, while Tuesday I found myself mingling with the movers and the shakers in the House of Lords!

Isn’t life strange . . .

And what a place! It’s like stepping through a tear in the time/space continuum and finding oneself in a sort of surreal Hogwarts set, populated by the cast from The 39 Steps. I swear I spotted Dumbledore at one point . . .

It is utterly, unmistakably British. A place for bowler hats and cane umbrellas, the history and sense of faded drama, imbued into the ancient walls.

And sceptical though I was about whether the nation really needs a Minister for Cohesion or not, I predict that - whatever her title - Sayeeda Warsi will only prove to be a credit to the Government.

Gutsy, determined and ambitious, but tempered with a bubbly, down-to-earth sense of humour, she represents all that the Star Woman of the Year awards strive to encourage. No wonder her own personal star is very much in the ascendant - she’s one to watch.

But perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the day for me was to have the chance to properly get to know the other finalists. We were all a bit dazzled at the awards, back in November, by the unaccustomed praise and publicity.

We stood, stiff in our best frocks and shoes, clutching glasses of champagne with that rabbit-in-the-headlights look.

But our trip to London was like our own personal reward. A whole day, closeted in a bubble of luxury, courtesy of the Shropshire Star. We were given a fascinating and privileged glimpse into the workings of the corridors of power, and an equally fascinating and privileged glimpse into the lives, hopes and dreams of each other.

A celebration of feminine strength. A gaggle of girl-power.

I’m just waiting to see what life throws up next. I’ve gone from pottering around my shrinking world, ever more confined by the limitations of my condition, to flying aeroplanes (I’d have settled for flying in an aeroplane!), becoming joint runner-up in Star Woman of the Year, and sharing high tea and strawberry tarts at the House of Lords, with a Baroness.

Thinking about it, maybe I did slip through a tear in the time/space continuum!

• Inspirational Emma Suddaby shares her ” highs, lows - and various murky places inbetween” - with her weekly blog. Emma, a finalist in the 2007 Shropshire Star Woman of the Year competition, was diagnosed with aggressive, destructive rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 22. She has since won a dream flying scholarship with the charity Flying Scholarships for the Disabled and is now training for a National Private Pilot’s Licence.