Sarah Binstead-Chapman

_{Senior Doorkeeper, Sarah Binstead-Chapman became the first woman to lead the Speaker’s Procession at Parliament’s State Opening in 2017. She speaks about her journey to becoming Senior Bar Doorkeeper after feeling stuck in a rut in a previous job, how she’s used exercise to improve her mental wellbeing, and how the pandemic has impacted her role.}

Growing up

“I was born and raised in Sevenoaks in Kent. I’m an only child and I grew up with my mum and dad.

We lived on a lovely road where everyone knew each other, my best friend lived down the road, as did family and other friends, and all of us kids would play together. We’d disappear all day on our bikes. I always had a supportive bubble which gave me a good grounding.

I knew I was gay from a young age. I was diagnosed with ADHD much later in life, so I had my own personal struggles growing up.

I was brought up to have a good work ethic, to be polite, have manners, to respect people; and to be compassionate and empathetic. My mum was a beautiful person and a truly great mum, and she instilled those values in me. She’d talk to and help everyone, my dad too. He was in the Merchant Navy until he met my mum. Then he worked unloading lorries at a cold storage company, until he retired. He always polished his shoes, and made sure he looked the part when he went out.

My mum worked in a chemist, later becoming a cleaner when she had me. When I was old enough I’d go to work with her. We had an open house and my friends were always round. Mum would always make room for one or two more at the dinner table - she loved to feed everyone. "

"My parents were incredibly proud of me for completing my studies and getting a job in Parliament."

My previous jobs

“Prior to being a doorkeeper, I was an attendant here for a couple of years, and then moved onto the role of Doorkeeper in 2010. I’ve been working here ever since. Prior to that I worked for a glazing firm for eight years. My first real job was working in a jewellery design studio, so I’ve dabbled in a range of fields and can turn my hand to anything.

Working in jewellery design I was able to learn every aspect of design work through to model making, stone setting, enamelling, and production. We produced pieces for Vivienne Westwood and other big names. Prior to that I had loads of little jobs; including working in a fish and chip shop during sixth form, working in a market, and for my families auction business. I’ve been able to bring the skills I learnt in previous jobs to my current role as Bar Doorkeeper. For example, the role is customer facing and customer service along with ensuring security are both top priorities for me and my team."

Working in Parliament

"I applied for a job at Parliament in 2008 at a time when I felt stuck in a rut in my job at a glazing firm, which was meant to be a temporary job after being made redundant. My best mate’s mum worked in the office and said they needed someone in the workshop. I designed and produced stained glass windows, learnt to cut glass sheets, and would go out and face up windows.

Then I met my future wife and she lived in London, and it all went from there. I thought I better get a job in London we saw a job advert for the Attendant role at the House of Commons."

"First, I thought, wow a job at the House of Commons, I’d never get that in a million years. It was my first job interview in about 12 years but I managed to get it, that was a very proud moment for me."

Being a female Senior Doorkeeper

“It was on the 30th October 2015 that I became the first lady Bar Doorkeeper, and with that I joined a team of three Senior Doorkeepers within the wider team of thirty-six, who work the Bar area of the House of Commons Chamber. This means sitting within the Chamber and just outside under Churchill’s Arch.  

The three of us rotate the Lead-In for the Speaker’s Procession each week. I became the first woman in history to do so. I can’t explain how humbled I was by that, and how incredibly proud. Leading the Procession feels quite magical. The first time I did State Opening was in 2017 and that was an incredible moment – you can’t really beat it, seeing the Queen on The Throne, leading all the MP’s out from the Commons down to the Lords to hear Her Majesty deliver The Queen’s Speech is just incredible.

Now we have eight women in our team, which is more than when I first joined. I think at one point the role did have the image of only being older men who had served in the military but that has changed. I think we’ve got the most diverse team we’ve ever had, and I hope that we can become even more diverse in the future, with more women and BAME colleagues holding senior doorkeeper roles such as Principal or Deputy Principal. We’ve made progress with the first black Serjeant at Arms, Ugbana Oyet, as well as previous people who held the role such as the first Muslim Serjeant at Arms, Kamal El-Hajji and the first female Serjeant at Arms, Jill Pay in 2008.

I would say to any woman thinking of applying to go for it! We’re a very welcoming bunch. I love my job.

"For me it’s the best job I’ve ever had, so I would encourage anyone, even if they wanted to come and talk to us to ask a few questions about our roles and get an idea. "

"What I enjoy most about my job has to be the camaraderie. We are close-knit and proud of the positions that we hold. It’s a historic role and our badges form part of the Crown Jewels. We’re all able to rely on our team members and get one another through the - sometimes - very long working day. I feel like we are one big family.

One of the challenges, is juggling work and home life because of our irregular hours I don't always have time to see friends and loved one’s during the week. Of course, the top priority in my role is security, being prepared to respond to situations that could happen at any time.

I’ve dealt with an MP attempting to walk out the Chamber with the Mace, protests, and I was on duty during the Westminster terror attack. For me, and I’m sure for many others, that was a very difficult day to deal with, so it can be hard."

How the pandemic has changed the way the House of Commons operates

"The covid-19 pandemic has meant that like everyone else my job has been affected. Everything is regimented now to ensure we are covid compliant and keep everyone safe. Normally the life of a Senior Doorkeeper involves a lot of guess work around the times of votes and debates, advising Members on House business, covering committees and high-profile events, and having varied, often late work hours.

Now we have a clear idea of when business is going to end, and what time votes are likely to be. A lot of our work revolves around physically doing things like delivering Hansards to MPs in the Chamber, doing the divisions, working in the Public and Special Galleries, and some of that has obviously had to be stripped back.

"It is very different as Parliament thrives on the people, and now of course there aren’t as many people as there would usually be here, so it is a bit like a ghost town."

"I think the current situation we’re in due to the pandemic has shown us things we once thought couldn’t change, can change, but it’s also highlighted what shouldn’t be tampered with. I do think there are a lot of things we can learn from the past year, and hopefully in the future we’re able to use this as a learning curve."

Using boxing and exercise to maintain good mental health

I love boxing, but due to the pandemic I haven’t been able to go to the gym. I discovered my love for the sport back in 2017 after experiencing a difficult and turbulent period in my life which impacted my mental health, including my Mum passing away soon after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. I sought professional help and whilst in the process I saw an advert for beginners boxing training.  It was then that I joined 12 Rounds Boxing Club and discovered how sport can aid in recovery. Boxing gave me much needed focus, and I’ve continued with it.

During lockdown I started doing virtual walking challenges instead. I’ve walked the distance from Calais to London (for charity), Hadrian’s Wall, Mount Fuji, the Ring of Kerry, 312 miles from Florence to the Vatican along St Francis Way, and my friend and I are currently walking 280 miles along the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River, and as someone who’s experienced what it’s like to have mental health issues, dealing with bereavement and post-trauma, I’d say that what’s helped me greatly is getting out and doing exercise. It’s my outlet and walking to work every day really helps."