A huge “thank you” to Monique S. for having organised the May Day Walk 2025. Beautiful sunshine and temperatures higher than the norm for the time of year combined with an amazing setting to make it a special day for all who attended. 25 members and friends set off on the walk at a leisurely pace, chatting and making new acquaintances as they covered approximately 5 km through woodland surrounding the Château de Pignerolle near St. Barthelemy-d’Anjou. Wildflowers and birdsong were plentiful, confirming that spring had truly arrived. Amongst the greenery, several abandoned bunkers were reminders that the Château had been requisitioned by German Marines during WW2 to be used as a base for handling communications with Atlantic ports.
Arriving back at the starting point several members were waiting to join the walkers for a convivial picnic lunch in the picnic area in parkland facing the neoclassical style Château. Built in 1776, and resembling the Petit Trianon at Versailles, prior to the Revolution the Château was owned by Marcel Avril de Pignerolles, director of the Royal Equestrian Academy in Angers.
The AGM took place the morning of Saturday 12 April in a meeting room at the Maison des Associations in Saumur. 28 members were present, and others unable to attend had forwarded proxy votes in advance. During the meeting, the chairman raised several issues currently proving challenging to the committee and requested help from the membership regarding ideas for events and venues and for assistance in our aims to promote communication skills, in particular among young people. All ideas put forward will be investigated further by committee members.
The serious business of the day over, after the meeting attendees were joined by members and friends to relax together over an aperitif before sitting down to enjoy an excellent lunch in the restaurant “Le Cinq 7”, just a few minutes’ walk from the Maison des Associations.
Saturday 22 March at lunchtime, members and guests gathered at the Auberge de la Rose in Doué-la-Fontaine for an excellent meal preceded by a talk by member Chris Taylor. In a previous life Chris toured England and Wales delivering after dinner speeches to raise money for charity. Chris’s experience in this field was evident when he entertained everyone with an amusing talk entitled “Allegory”.
Starting with Moses, Chris explained how the prophet had used allegory to persuade his people to escape Egyptian slavery and cross the red sea to freedom. Authors and artists have used allegory throughout history to illustrate or convey complex ideas and concepts in ways easily understood by all. Allegories were used by Shakespeare in ‘the Tempest’, by George Orwell in ‘Animal Farm’. Even children’s nursery rhymes are often based on true stories. We learned that ‘Baa, baa, black sheep’ tells of the medieval wool tax introduced by King Edward 1 whilst ‘Ring o Ring of Roses’ tells of the Great Plague and the two characters in ‘Jack and Jill’ stand for Louis XVI and his wife Maire Antoinette who both died at the guillotine in 1793.
We have come to expect excellent food and service from the Auberge de la Rose. We weren’t disappointed on this occasion, and with friends and guests had a convivial, enjoyable meeting learning about ‘allegory’ from an experienced and entertaining speaker.
A great deal of fun was had by all those who attended the branch annual quiz and photographic competition, which took place 15 February over lunch at the “Auberge de la Rose” in Doué-la-Fontaine.
Whilst relaxing over an aperitif, 34 members and friends had time to catch up with each other and cast their votes in the annual photographic competition. The aim of the competition is to select several scenes that reflect the beauty and history of the area we live in, to be featured on our website and Facebook page during the course of the year 2025. There were 14 entries in total, but with a score of 21 points, the winner was Colin Morison with his entry “Sunrise”. There were 3 entries tied for 2nd place with a score of 19 points, Colin Browning with “The Loire Poppy”, and Maureen Sargent, with her photos “Murmuration” and “Rainbow”. Congratulations to the winner and runners up, and well done to everyone else who entered.
It was soon time to settle down in teams at table to enjoy the excellent meal and answer questions that would tax the brain cells of everyone present. Teams had been chosen to mix nationalities so all would have a good chance of answering the questions. These, which covered a variety of themes, had been set by the branch Treasurer, Roy Powell, and assistant Secretary, Patricia Nickels. Inevitably noise levels rose, particularly when the answers were revealed. Question master, Terry Orner, managed somehow to control the noise and the inevitable haggling and arguing over the allocation of marks. The winning team displayed a great deal of general knowledge especially of rules and regulations, French landmarks, music and films. Our thanks to all concerned for their hard work and patience and to the proprietors for allowing us sole use of their restaurant.
Saturday 18 January, over lunch in Angers, 46 members, friends, teachers and students had the pleasure of listening to Michael Naouri, the 2024 winner of the ESU International Public Speaking Competition. Mickael had come from his home in Paris to share his experiences leading up to and during the competition week in London at Dartmouth House, the ESU headquarters in London.
Just 16 years old and in his first year of lycée studies, Mickael quite remarkably attended the national finals at the Assemblée Nationale in Paris as an independent candidate, without the support of his teachers and not representing a branch of the ESU in France. The judges selected him to represent France in London last May, where he would be the youngest candidate of the 40 from around the world who gathered at Dartmouth House to compete for the international title.
The format for the week-long competition is the same every year: candidates arrive in London on Monday and spend the next two days getting to know each other and the team of young mentors at Dartmouth House whilst attending workshops, perfectioning their speeches, sightseeing around the capital, and generally having a good time. Then on Thursday the competition starts. Following the heats, the judges select 6 candidates to present their speeches in front of a large audience at the Royal Institution on the Friday afternoon.
Winning the competition is no mean feat and on his return to France, in recognition of his achievement, Mickael received a handwritten letter of congratulations from President Macron.
All those who attended 18 January to listen to Michael, expressed admiration for this remarkable young speaker – the first candidate ever to bring home the trophy to France.
The importance of the London competition goes much further than public speaking and reaches the heart of the aims of the ESU, established in 1918 to improve communication worldwide. As Mickael explained to our members, the competition is just one side of the London experience. The other is the opportunity to forge friendships, to appreciate different cultures, and to understand together the challenges facing the world. The friendships made over 5 days remain firm and lasting.
To quote a 2023 finalist at the end of his week at the IPSC:
“I have changed. I now believe that we can change the world. I now believe that humanity can move mountains. These people are set to change the world in their own countries and I’m excited about that.”
Mohamed Suhail, IPSC 2023 Finalist, Mauritius
