Sir Hilary Benn (left) presents Andaman Discoveries director Tui Chomphusri with the SEED award.

Demonstrating that our message of sustainable development is resonating up to the highest levels, the Andaman Discoveries team enjoyed a private meeting with The Right Honorable Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The forum at Westminster allowed us to briefly describe our success at creating an effective model of ground-level change.

Sir Benn was very interested in learning about our work, and was particularly keen to hear from our Thai director about her experiences with Andaman Discoveries, showing that his interest really does lie with Thai people. The event also served to officially commence our partnership with the SEED Initiative. At the end of our meeting, Sir Benn presented us with the SEED award, which now proudly adorns the display area of our office in Kuraburi.