10 Things You Might Have Thought The British Embassy In Washington Would Never Do

You might very well think that we’d never (oh, but we did)…

10. Invite a Dalek to the ambassador’s residence

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

On 11 May 2013 our embassy opened its doors to the public for the annual EU Open House Day with a few special guests, including Dalek Bob!

9. Host a ping pong match between Ambassador Westmacott and NBC's Chuck Todd

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

Ambassador Peter Westmacott challenged NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd to a friendly table tennis match at the office. Sport is GREAT!

8. Park a car on the ambassador’s lawn (off roading is GREAT!)

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

Land Rover North America celebrated the launch of the 2012 Range Rover Evoque at the ambassador's residence.

7. Bring the Scots Guards to play at the Lincoln Memorial

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

The Pipes and Drums of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards came to Washington, DC for a series of performances—including this one in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

6. Organise ‘Embassy Olympics’ to mark 100 days to go to London 2012

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

To celebrate 100 days until London 2012, we hosted a mini-Olympics. Staff from former host-country embassies and the US State Department gathered at American University’s Reeves Field to test their abilities in events from the 100-metre dash to penalty kicks, shot-put to basketball.

5. Show our pride at DC’s Capital Pride Parade

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

In 2013 we became the first foreign embassy to participate in the Annual Capital Pride Parade. Our tea-themed float won the Harvey Milk Award for Best Public Sector Contingent!

4. Run the Marine Corps Marathon in a bomb disposal suit

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

A group of British Army servicemen and women competed in the 37th Annual Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. One of them, Major Iain Church, broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon run while wearing a 65+ lbs protective bomb disposal suit.

3. Grow our Mos for a cause

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

Each November the British Embassy becomes notably hairier as we grow our mos to raise awareness and funds for men's health charity Movember. Over the last three years we've raised almost $30,000 for this excellent cause.

2. Rock a Comic-Con

British Embassy Washington / Via Flickr: ukinusa

We exhibited at the 2012 Baltimore Comic-Con, showcasing what is GREAT about the UK's creative industries, from Doctor Who to Game of Thrones to Wallace & Gromit, and British contributions to the American creative scene. British comic book artists Mark Buckingham, Barry Kitson and Brian Bolland participated in a panel on the ‘British Invasion’ of American comics.

1. Join Buzzfeed!

British Prime Minister David Cameron introduces President Barack Obama to Larry the cat Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at 10 Downing Street in London. Photo by: Pete Souza, White House Photographer / Via flickr.com

"What are you doing on Buzzfeed?" you ask. Simple: enriching the global conversation with a winning combo of UK-US relations and cat pictures (see above)!