Our Head Office, Dartmouth House, is open to members and their friends from Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 18h00.
Mix together a stunning location, plenty of sunshine and 30 people determined to have fun, and the result was an outstanding day out for the members and friends who met at the Château de la Boussinière on the bank of the river Loire near Gennes, 23rd June.
The terrace of the 17th century Château was kindly lent to us by the owner, Madame Jouan-Rambeau, who over the past two years has added a magical touch to the property by placing unusual and fascinating objects at every turn, in every nook and cranny: objects that can’t fail to catch the eye and rouse curiosity in all who pause to visit the Château shop and terrace.
Lunch took the form of a bring and share picnic and the large buffet table was covered with a variety of interesting dishes to suite everyone’s taste. A dessert of ice-cream was supplied by the proprietor and was most welcome in the warm sunshine on the terrace overlooking the stunning view down to the river below.
The highlight was the inhouse entertainment. Our thanks to Tony Oakley for providing the sound system and also for entertaining us with his guitar, sometimes alone and sometimes accompanied by his carefully selected backing group. Other members contributed to the entertainment by reciting poems, stories, and singing, and inevitably hidden talents were revealed – Bernard with his musical instruments and Fran with the story of taking her 3-month-old kitten on a London double-decker bus and the ensuing arguments with the conductor and eventually with the police.
All in all, it was a really lovely summer day out. Our thanks to all who contributed. We hope it marks the start of a season of similar outdoor meetings which will be equally as enjoyable.
The 2024 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 23 March 2024, when 11 candidates presented their speeches on the theme “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”.
This year, teachers from 7 lycées in the region worked with their students towards the competition:
3 candidates were selected by the jury to represent the ESU Loire Valley in the national finals, 6th April, at the Assemblée Nationale in Paris, when a total of 11 candidates representing this region, Aix-Marseille, and the Paris region, will compete to represent France in London at the ESU international public speaking competition in 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.
The regional competition 2024 took place 23 March 2024, and the lycées involved were: the Lycées Emmanuel Mounier, Joachim du Bellay, Sacré-Cœur La Salle, and Saint Benoît/Site Université, in Angers, the Lycée Dom Sortais in Beaupréau-en-Mauges, and the Lycée Saint-Louis in Saumur. The theme was: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”.
The national competition took place 6 April. The judges were unanimous in selecting Mickael Naouri from the Ecole Jeannine Manuel in Paris to represent France at the IPSC in London 13 – 17 May 2024.
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.
Staff at head office look forward to greeting ESU members in 2024 and wish to remind everyone that membership fees help to provide young people with the life-changing speaking and listening skills and cross-cultural understanding they need to achieve their full potential and to change their lives and communities for the better.
A message from Miles Young, Chair of the English-Speaking Union:
I am delighted to let you know that, in the Birthday Honours announced on 15 June, His Majesty The King has awarded our Director-General, Charles Byrne, the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
The honour was granted to acknowledge Charles’s service to veterans in his previous post as Director-General of the Royal British Legion. ‘I am humbled to receive this honour which reflects the efforts and commitment of the many people – members, volunteers and staff – who work for that great organisation,’ says Charles. ‘I firmly believe we are at our best and most effective when we work in the service of others and am excited to be embarking on a new challenge with the English-Speaking Union, making sure young people have the listening and speaking skills, and the international cultural understanding and friendships they need to thrive.’
On behalf of all of us at the ESU, I send our congratulations to Charles for this well-deserved recognition, and we look forward to working with him as he leads the ESU into its next chapter.
Miles Young,
Chair, English-Speaking Union
The unique English Speaking Union residential summer school, Debate Academy, takes place every year in August at Stamford School in Lincolnshire. This friendly, immersive summer school for 14- to 18- year olds offers top-quality coaching in debate to all ability levels. It’s a wonderful opportunity for cultural exchange, in a supportive and fun environment.
If you would like to send a student to Debate Academy, full information and booking can be found online here: https://www.esu.org/programmes/debate-academy/
Thursday, July 4 – 5.00 – 6.00pm GMT + 1
Monday, June 17 · 6:30 – 8:30pm GMT+1 £13 – £25
Thursday, July 4 · 6:30 – 9pm GMT+1 From £27
In celebration of the English-Speaking Union’s 106th birthday, we are hosting our annual 4th July summer party at our headquarters, Dartmouth House, in Mayfair.
Enjoy cocktails, great music, appetisers, and a night of unforgettable conversations!
The ticket price includes a drink and canapé upon arrival.
This is an opportunity to celebrate all the amazing work done by our members, volunteers, alumni and internal staff over the year.
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Salle du Conseil Mairie du 7eme 116 rue de Grenelle 75007
For details of how to register: ljloussouarn@free.fr
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The ICM will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, between 18 – 24 October 2024
Happy Hour
The ESU USA is streaming a series of talks that are engaging, fun, and informative. Speakers are live and cover a wide range of topics. All free of charge. The custom is for speakers to suggest a unique cocktail to create and enjoy at home during the talk, hence the name “Happy Hour”.
Sessions are recorded and can be viewed at any time.
For more details: http://www.esuus.org/esu/activities/happy-hour
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A reminder to all that once you have subscribed to the ESU you can pay members’ rates to attend events organised by any branch in France or elsewhere in the world.
A full list of member countries can be found on the main website: simply click the continent you are looking for under ‘Show Me’ at the top of the page: https://www.esu.org/international-network/
Don’t forget to check out the other sites on our Links page.
Saumur is participating in the 9th Eurocamp which runs from 20 July to 2 August 2024 in Verden in Germany and is currently looking for 4 volunteers aged between 16 and 21 to take part in what promises to be a most exciting experience.
Along with young volunteers representing Saumur’s twinned towns – Verden and Havelberg in Germany, Warwick in England and Formigine in Italy – participants will spend two weeks working together for between 5 and 6 hours per day to restore and maintain a fitness trail in the municipal forest in Verden.
In a bid to encourage understanding and friendship, their free time will be given to cultural and sporting activities, tourist visits to discover local traditions, and relaxing evenings around the barbecue.
Each volunteer will be housed and fed throughout the camp and all travel costs will be covered.
More details: https://www.ville-saumur.fr/eurocamp
60 rue Boisnet, 49100 Angers
Open to the public: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday 13h00 to 18h00 and Thursday 18h00 to 19h00
Meet the New Library Director Mandy Torsey-Guillet, shown here on the left with retiring director, Phoebe Marshall-Raimbeau.
For more details of the many social activities that are available through the library, please contact the front desk on 02.41.24.97.07, or consult the website.
Wednesday, July 10th from 6:30-8 pm
Talk by Indian author Geetanjali Shree.
Geetanjali Shree is the winner of the International Booker Prize 2022 and the Warwick Award for Women for her translated novel: Tomb of Sand. She is well known for her innovative language and literary structure. Her works have been translated into many languages, including English and French. She has also collaborated in writing plays with a Delhi-based troupe, Vivadi, of which she is a founding member. She frequently travels to take part in residencies, conferences, seminars and workshops around the world.
This program is in partnership with the Maison Julien Gracq. Free and open to the public.
Follow the links to registration forms for language-learning activities.
Children’s Hour (activities for children aged 3 – 10)
Do you like singing in French and in English? The Loire Valley Voices choristers have a repertoire that includes pieces by the Beatles, Sting, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Womach, Laurent Voulzy. They would welcome new members to their multicultural group, led by choirmaster, Stéphane Claire, who encourages each individual to find their true voice.
For more details please contact sylvie.reeves@club-internet.fr
Join our community of bilingual (English/French) families in the greater Angers area for fun outdoor activities this summer. If you’d like to attend any (or all!) of the events, email Hilary Hodge at hilarylynnehodge@gmail.com. She will send out an email before each event with more details.
The regional education board, the Académie de Nantes, is currently looking to recruit native English speakers to become full time or part time English teachers, either on a temporary or permanent basis.
They are looking for people from a whole range of different backgrounds, such as legal, medical, athletic, military, tourism, etc. Applicants can select the region in which they would prefer to work. If this is of interest, you can get in touch with the Académie via this link.
You will be asked for a CV, a short letter of motivation and your qualifications. If your application is successful, you will be invited to attend an interview during which all details will be fully explained.
Beauville Arts brings together young people and performing arts professionals to stage inspiring high-quality performances. With an ethos close to that of the ESU, their courses and summer camps “develop talent and boost confidence, helping to create lifelong friendships and precious memories”.
The company works with schools during termtime and provide courses and camps during the holiday period. Themes for 2024 include: The Sound of Music, The Blues Brothers, Grease, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Footloose in Beauville, Shrek and We Will Rock YouSome on the Côte d’Azur, and in Bavaria, Germany, Mary Poppins and High School Musical.
Courses are taught in English and help develop skills in the English language as well as nurturing performing arts talent. More details can be found on the website: https://beauvillearts.com/ or by contacting claire@beauvillearts.com
Daily English is an association that provides French young people with the opportunity to learn English by being immersed in a British family and provides British in France with the means to earn an income by teaching and hosting them. Click here to visit the website.
There’s a clear structure to these visits: the youngsters arrive on Sunday afternoon, and the hosts spend the first evening putting them at ease. From Monday to Friday, there’s a lesson after breakfast each day, then an outing and lunch. In the evenings they all play board games or watch English films. On Saturday, they leave by 11am. Lessons are prepared by Daily English Daily who provide a whole teaching programme and the hosts simply print off what they need.
For more details either on how to host or how to find a suitable placement contact Sally on 04 99 65 21 63 or send an e-mail to sally@dailyenglish.fr
30 Rue de la Petite Bilange, 49400 Saumur
Since September 2021, in association with Language Connexion, this primary school has been offering all its pupils every assistance to learn English from an early age. A young British teaching assistant motivates learning by using songs and rhymes for the early years and by using English to teach various subjects to primary and junior pupils.
WWOOF, or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is an agricultural exchange that provides hands-on experience and education. WWOOF is not considered “work,” but rather a chance to exchange skills and language while learning about organic types of agriculture. Hosts provide housing, three meals per day, and other educational opportunities.
Typically, WWOOFers are expected to assist with farm work for four hours per day and eat with the hosts. During off-hours and weekends, WWOOFers, individuals with interests in agriculture, ecology, biology, environmental studies, sustainability, food systems, and/or English, can explore the locality.
Monthly skill shares and talks are hosted on the farm and talks are organised to nurture relationships with local universities and agricultural experts.
Asheville, North Carolina
In keeping with Asheville Sister Cities’ continued efforts in developing educational and international exchanges with our sister cities, the Summer Intern, Blake Noble, a UNCA student who is currently living on Peace Rock Farm is excited to offer a one to two-week-long educational and hands-on agricultural exchange program to individuals involved with ASCI through WWOOF.org.
Open to receive WWOOFers for one to two weeks from July – Aug 20th with the possibility of finding a week during UNCA’s School semester (Aug 21 – Nov 24th).
Our hostel-style Bunk has the capacity for 3-4 individuals. The laundry, bathroom, and shower are conveniently located nearby. For WWOOFers’ entertainment, there is also an outdoor movie lounge, a ping-pong table, a rope swing, as well as 50+ acres of land, trails, and winding creeks to explore and learn about!
For more information, email: bnoble@unca.edu
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