Newsletter – ESU Loire Valley

ESU LOIRE VALLEY NEWS

January 2026

“MINDSET MATTERS: The Anglo-Saxon and French Educational Influence on Business Behaviour”

28 members and friends met for lunch 17 January at the Acropole Restaurant on the outskirts of Angers, to welcome Edward Archer, an ESU member who had travelled from Paris to talk about the differences between the Anglo-Saxon and the French education systems and the effects these can have on students’ future lives.

Having had experience of three education systems (American, British, and French), and having worked in London, New York and Paris, Edward has firsthand experience of how these different education systems affect the way people work and get business done.

Edward outlined several major differences previously unknown to many among those present. By providing personal family examples, he was able to illustrate effects of different systems on different personalities. Edward’s content was informative and thought provoking, yet humorous and light-hearted, and was followed by a lively question time.

The Acropole provided a warm welcome and good food that was enjoyed by all. Edward is a first-class speaker. The only disappointment was that there were no students preparing for the IPSC 2026 present to listen and learn from him.

The committee would like to thank Edward for his entertaining, stimulating, talk and look forward to welcoming him at a future date.

December 2025

Christmas Meeting 2025

The final meeting of 2025 was the traditional Christmas lunch which took place Saturday 6 December at the Restaurant “Le Tablier de Marie” in Juigné-sur-Loire. The welcome was warm and friendly. The meal was excellent and great fun was had by all 59 members and friends who attended.

Tables around the room had been beautifully decorated by several members with greenery, baubles and fir cones in abundance: a perfect setting for the entertainment which was provided initially by the musical trio “Swing Coleporteurs”, following which several members contributed readings and sketches and a most original rendering of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Communal carol singing, mince pies and Christmas crackers all added to the fun.

A huge “thank you” to all who contributed to the great success of this event that was so enjoyable for all who attended and a huge “Happy Christmas” to all who read this

The ESU Patron’s Dinner

On Thursday, 9 December we were honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, to Dartmouth House for our Patron’s Dinner. The evening brought together a wide range of the young people we have been working with, alongside many of our members and supporters. The evening was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the impact of our programmes.

In her speech, Her Royal Highness highlighted the vital importance of speaking, listening and debating skills, noting how central the ESU’s mission is at a time when clear, confident communication is needed more than ever.

This year’s International Council Meeting will be held in London from 13-17 July 2026. Planned to coincide with our International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC), the week will give attendees the chance not only to mix with other ESU members from around the globe, but to experience our work first-hand, too. Tickets cost £550 for the full week (plus transport and accommodation). You can find out more on our website here.

The programme begins with a welcome dinner at Dartmouth House on the Monday evening and includes a range of quintessentially British activities such as tours of London’s cultural landmarks and a theatre performance. The Highlight will of course be the grand final of the IPSC where the best young speakers in the world take to the stage at the Royal Institution. Always an inspiring, high-octane event, it attracts a truly multi-cultural audience and is a great example of our mission to build a more collaborative world. 39 national ESUs are now registered for the IPSC 2026. This year’s national finals are now underway, and it has been wonderful to see the energy and enthusiasm coming through from across the network.

May 2025 Annual Walk

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.

May 2025

Musée des Pommes Tapées du Val de Loire

Venue: 11 rue des Ducs d’Anjou, 49730 Turquant. See Google maps

Date: 31 May

Time: 10h30, followed by apero and lunch at 12h00

Cost for members 36 Euros per head, non-members 42 Euros per head, to include the guided tour, aperitif, meal and wine.

By the end of the 19^th century, troglodyte dwellers in Turquant had transformed their little village into a major centre for producing “pommes tapées”. Using a traditional village recipe, apples were first dried, then flattened with a hammer.

The method had been forgotten by the mid-20^th century, to be revived in 1980 by the founder of the museum which is situated in troglodyte caves in the hillside overlooking the river Loire. Visitors are invited to discover the secrets of the traditional recipe and sample the lives of people who once inhabited the caves. The visit lasts roughly an hour and ends with a short 15-minute film

April 2025 – AGM

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.

April 2025

National Public Speaking Competition

Venue: Salons at the Assemblée Nationale, Paris

Date: 5 April

Time: TBA

Final details are TBA.

March 2025

Allegory – An entertaining talk by member Chris Taylor

Venue: L’Auberge de la Rose, 12 Place de Gennes, 49700 Doué-la-Fontaine- see Google maps

Date: 22 March

Time: 12h00

Cost: members 29.50€, non-members 33.50€

After retiring from the legal profession in Cambridgeshire, Chris and his wife Felicity took the decision to move to France. They have been here now for over 20 years. Before their move Chris had 2 passions that took him all over England and Wales: repairing and restoring church organs as a hobby and delivering after-dinner speeches to raise money for charity.

Chris has assured us that we don’t need to do any homework prior to his talk in order to enjoy ourselves. However, it may help to know that authors and artists have used allegory throughout history to illustrate or convey complex ideas and concepts in ways that are comprehensible or striking to viewers, readers, or listeners

Allegories have been used by many well-known authors: George Orwell in ‘Animal Farm’, William Shakespeare in ‘The Tempest’, and Edgar Allan Poe in ‘The Crucible’.

One thing is guaranteed: Chris has promised that his talk will be entertaining and will bring laughter to all of us.

Invitations have been circulated. Please email Dorothy Morison with the details requested on the form, plus menu selections for yourself and your party, and details of how you intend to pay.

If returnng the form and details by post, please do so before the deadline of 17 March 2025, remembering that mail may take over a week to arrive

March 2025 A talk by Chris Taylor

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.

February 2025

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 2^nd 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.

REGIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

Bibliothèque Anglophone d’Angers

English-Speaking Union Loire Valley

Maison de l’Europe Maine-et-Loire – Europe Directe

The 2025 Regional Public Speaking Competition in English took place in the Salons de la Présidence at the Préfecture, Place Michel Debré, Angers, during the afternoon of 15 March 2025, when 10 candidates presented their speeches on the theme “We know what we are, but not what we may be”, words expressed by Ophelia in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”.

In 2024 – 2025, teachers from 7 lycées in the region worked with their students towards the competition:

Emmanuel Mounier, Joachim du Bellay, and Saint Benoît, in Angers
Dom Sortais in Beaupréau-en-Mauges
Léonard de Vinci in Montaigu, in La Vendée
Saint Louis in Saumur

3 candidates were selected by the jury to represent the ESU Loire Valley in the national finals, 5^th April, at the Assemblée Nationale in Paris, when a total of 8 candidates representing this region, Aix-Marseille, and the Paris region, will compete to represent France in London at the ESU international public speaking competition between 12 and 17 May.

Our thanks to the judges and teachers involved and to our partners, the Bibliothèque Anglophone in Angers, and the Maison de l’Europe Maine et Loire – Europe Direct, for their work prior to, and during the competition.

NATIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

NATIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

The National Competition for 2025 took place in the Salons at the Assemblée Nationale, Paris, during the afternoon of Saturday 5 April.

The regional competition 2025 took place 15 March 2025, and the lycées involved were: the Lycées Emmanuel Mounier, Joachim du Bellay, and Saint Benoît, in Angers, the Lycée Dom Sortais in Beaupréau-en-Mauges, and the Lycée Saint-Louis in Saumur. The theme was: “We know what we are, but not what we may be”.

Head Office, Dartmouth House

Our Head Office, Dartmouth House, is open to members and their friends from Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 18h00.

The in-house catering is provided by Graysons who serve delicious menus with mouth-watering options for breakfast, with an array of tempting small plates and sharing dishes at lunchtime, not to mention cakes and afternoon tea and tipples. There is something for every occasion and every appetite and the excellent food on offer helps make Dartmouth House the vibrant and inclusive setting for the ESU’s charitable work it has always been.

International Council Meeting

ESU Malaysia hosted this year’s International Council Meeting (ICM) in Kuala Lumpur, where international delegates from around the world came together for three days of engaging and lively discussions. Outside the meeting room, they enjoyed the best of Malaysian food and a variety of amazing social events all organised by their hosts. The ICM 2026 will take place in London between 13^th and 18^th July: the organising team will find it hard to compete with what has been described by several attendees as the best ICM ever.

Other French Branches

Paris branch

Awaiting upgrade

Bordeaux branch

Awaiting update

Aix-Marseille branch

Awaiting update.