Hello BUNAC’ers!
If you’ve only just arrived in the UK, we hope that you are settling in well and enjoying the UK. For those of you who have been here a while now we hope you are getting on well too! Remember we are here if you need us – drop by the office, send us an e-mail, give us a call or catch us at the pub meets!
The newsletter is our opportunity to let you know what’s going on around the UK and with BUNAC, so read on for some ideas!
To mark the beginning of the summer months there are plenty of things to see and do and they won’t necessarily cost you anything! The next two months are jam packed with things to do with BUNAC but if you wanted to go about things independently then there are still plenty of opportunities to get out and about!
We’ll start with the BUNAC social programme as we have an awful lot to tell you about.
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Our annual day trip to see both the famous university city of Oxford, where some of the Harry Potter movies were filmed and also the beautiful Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born. The trip costs £34 and includes your entrance into Blenheim Palace. The trip departs from International Students House at 8.30am.
WIN >> Prize up for grabs!
We have 1 ticket for our Oxford & Blenheim Palace trip on 20th June up for grabs! To have a chance to win, please send an email to wib@bunac.org.uk, with the subject heading "Oxford & Blenheim Prize Draw". Remember to include your contact details. We will pick the winner on Friday 12th June so make sure you get your entries in by then!
To all you Canadians out there, you don’t need to worry Canada day will be celebrated here too! For those of you who aren’t Canadians, Canada Day celebrates the day that Canada was established as a new federation with its own constitution. There will be a large event in Trafalgar Square to celebrate Canada Day and details will be available in the coming weeks! Ask BUNAC staff or check out www.canadadaylondon.com.
The Maple Leaf pub on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden tends to be where the majority of Canadians congregate to celebrate. Be warned there will be long queues to get into the pub, so be prepared to wait! There will be other events at different pubs in London but outside of London there will be fewer celebrations.
We’re heading out west to beautiful Cornwall for a full weekend of fun! Fancy joining us for a bit of surfing and general beach relaxation? Leaving London behind on Friday evening we will arrive at our Surf Lodge in Newquay and be met with food and drinks (including beer!). Saturday morning will include a full day of surf tuition and all board and wetsuit hire will be included too. Sunday is a free day and you can choose how to spend your day – optional extras are more surf tuition and yoga on the beach!
Alternatively you can laze around the surf lodge and the relaxed surf town of Newquay. Continental breakfast will be included. The price of the trip is £195 and will depart from Hammersmith on the Friday at 5.45pm in a bio-diesel surfbus! We will return on Sunday night at approx 9pm. Book quickly if you’re interested as there are limited spaces available.
Join us on our most popular trip! At £23 you can’t afford to miss it! Entrance into Stonehenge is included. The first stop will be at the iconic pile of rocks that are believed to have been there for the last 5000 years. The Roman and Georgian City of Bath is the home to the famous Roman Baths, a beautiful cathedral and some great shopping! This is a great opportunity to get out and about in a beautiful part of England. To share the fun you are able to bring friends along on any BUNAC trip! The trip will depart from Great Portland Street at 8.30am.
To enjoy the wonderful Parisian summer we’ll be heading over to the beautiful and romantic city of Paris in early August. If you haven’t found a certain someone whilst you’ve been here to whisk you away for the weekend, then you can come to Paris with us! We’ll be taking the coach from the centre of London to the centre of Paris. The trip will cost £179 and will include transport to Paris by coach, 2 nights of 3 star hotel accommodation with breakfasts, a guided coach tour of Paris and a cruise on the River Seine. There will be an optional trip to the Palace of Versailles on the Saturday.
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| Our full social diary can always be viewed at our events website which is www.bunac.org/events. It is regularly updated and shows all upcoming events (including ticket availability), as well as photos from previous pub meets and trips. You can book all BUNAC events over the phone with a credit/debit card if it is difficult for you to make it to the office to pay in person. Please ask BUNAC staff if you would like any further information about any of our events.
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We are very pleased and excited to announce that we will soon be welcoming back US citizens to Britain on a new BUNAC programme!
Most of you will be aware that with the introduction of new immigration rules in November 2008, the BUNAC Blue Card programme ceased. We now have a new programme to offer eligible US students, which will allow them to take part on a pre-arranged internship in Britain for up to 6 months.
The programme is called Intern in Britain and it’s a great opportunity to explore your chosen career path in Britain. You can find out more information on the BUNAC website at www.bunac.org/usa/interninbritain. Applications aren’t being accepted just yet, but as soon they are application forms will be downloadable from the website. We couldn’t wait to let you know though! Tell all your friends, spread the word and keep an eye on the website for further details!
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Glastonbury is home to one of the most famous and largest annual music festivals in the world. Situated just outside the town of Glastonbury in South West England, the festival site covers an area of about 7 square miles. Within this area it has different tents and stages set up with every possible type of music. The different people that music festivals draw are an experience in itself.
The tickets have been sold-out for a while now so this little section is a bit of a tease, but we couldn’t mention British summer events without mentioning the legendary Glastonbury!
There are a number of different festivals all over the UK throughout the summer and some will still have tickets available. Take a look at the following website for a good overview of all festivals catering to all music and cultural tastes - www.efestivals.co.uk .
Since 1877, the annual tennis tournament has developed from a low-key event to a world famous tournament drawing in thousands of spectators. The tournament lasts for two weeks and plays host to the worlds top tennis players. There are 19 different courts, the better the player the lower the court number so if they’re really good they’ll be playing on Centre Court or No.1 court! With the introduction of the new roof on centre court they’ll be no rain stopping the important games!
Tickets are quite hard to come by and can be expensive but if you are still keen to see some of the best tennis players in the world your only chance of getting tickets is to get queuing! The public have been known to camp out overnight just to get the first spot in the queue the next day. There are 500 tickets that are put on sale everyday at the turnstiles for centre, No.1 and No.2 courts.
There are also 6000 ground tickets sold everyday for entry into the Grounds including standing room in courts 2-19. The grounds are open 10:30am until 10:00pm. Entry just into the grounds is still worthwhile, anyone that didn’t get courtside tickets can sit on a bank and watch the big screen and still soak up the atmosphere. If you decide to go then you must sample a very traditional Wimbledon delight, strawberries and cream! Look on to www.wimbledon.org for more information.
Whilst the British football season takes a break over the summer months, the cricket season gets into full swing. A very traditional English sport and something to experience at least once whilst you’re here! If the sport itself doesn’t really take your fancy then go along for the atmosphere if nothing else.
The Summer months are a great opportunity to grab some friends, take a picnic and head along to a cricket ground near you! Look on www.ecb.co.uk for more information.
A perfect way to spend a summers evening and the best thing about it, it’s FREE! The main stage of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is broadcasted on to huge screens in all over the UK. So for those of you who want a cheap night out but still want to experience world-class productions of the opera and ballet, then this is it!
There are three productions, look on www.roh.org.uk/bpbigscreens to find out where in the UK they are being broadcasted. London locations are as follows: |
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> Wednesday 3rd June – 7.30pm
Ondine: Trafalgar Square.
> Tuesday 30th June - 7pm
La Traviata: Trafalgar Square, Canada Square.
> Wednesday 15th July – 7.30pm
The Barber of Seville: Trafalgar Square, Canada Square.
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Other locations include Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester & Plymouth to name but a few. All times and dates are the same all over the UK.
The weather professionals have been telling us that we are going to have a hot summer (we shall see!) and if this is the case then you may want to take advantage of all the outside swimming pools available in London. They are known as Lidos: they are cheap and a great way to spend a fun day out with some friends. You will find Lidos in Dulwich, Tooting Bec, Charlton, Hornsey, Hampton, Hampstead, Hyde Park, Camden and Richmond. You can even swim in the ponds at Hampstead Heath – they have separate ponds for ladies and gents, as well as a mixed pond.
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Well it’s approaching that time of year again when Festival Fever hits Edinburgh! Edinburgh is a lovely place to spend the summer. If you are here in Edinburgh from now until the end of August, you’ll be able to take advantage of its many festivals, great parks and open spaces it is a great city to hang-out in.
First up between 29th May and 31st May is the Taste of Edinburgh festival. As well as having the opportunity to sample taster dishes from 20 of Edinburgh’s top restaurants, festival goers will be able to eat and drink from up to 100 speciality food and drink suppliers. Tickets cost £12 per day. Visit www.tastefestivals.com/edinburgh for more information.
Did you know that E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial and Back to the Future both premiered at Edinburgh International Film Festival?!
The 63rd Annual Edinburgh International Film Festival takes place this year between 17th - 28th June. There will be 135 features from 33 countries and this includes 23 World Premieres. If you are a movie buff then you’re in for a treat! The festival with begin with Sam Mendes film ‘Away We Go’, so take advantage of your chance to see some new and unusual films that you might never get the opportunity to see anywhere else.
For more information on the Edinburgh Film Festival and for information on tickets please visit: www.edfilmfest.org.uk.
The population of Edinburgh literally triples during August when people travel from far and wide to experience the largest arts festival in the world. To call it 'The Edinburgh Festival' is sometimes misleading as it is actually made up of several festivals: The Book, The International, The Jazz and Blues, The Fringe, Peace, and The Military Tattoo. So there will definitely be something for everyone to enjoy.
Many BUNAC participants are able to get employment (either paid or voluntary) at one of the festivals doing a variety of jobs such as tickets sales, performance promoters and bar & waiting positions at festival venues. A few participants have even performed in shows! For application details visit www.edinburgh-festivals.com and click on the festival you'd like to work in. Alternatively ask BUNAC for an information sheet regarding employment in the festival.
If you are thinking of coming to Edinburgh during the festival then it’s best to get organised now as accommodation get booked up early, and it is not recommended that you arrive in Edinburgh without pre-arranged accommodation. Why not try www.hoppo.com, www.scotlandstophostels.com, www.brodieshostels.co.uk, www.syha.org.uk, www.smartcityhostels.com. |
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If you have had a great experience with a particular landlord you’ve encountered during your stay in the UK, (and the feeling has been mutual) tell your landlord that they can have awesome tenants just like you, simply by advertising through BUNAC. Work in Britain (WIB) participants are forever on the hunt for good, honest landlords around the UK and having a personal recommendation from a fellow BUNAC participant makes everything much easier. Direct your fav landlord to www.bunac.org/housing. It’s is a FREE service! Interested BUNACers will contact the landlords directly – easy as a cup of tea. Landlords can also call BUNAC Incoming Department on 0207 251 3472.
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Remember that BUNAC can forward your bank mail to you for free, you just need to let us know your address and that you would like us to forward your bank mail. You can do this on our website www.bunac.org/incoming and fill in the 'change your address/contact details' section (don't forget to tick the box for bank mail forwarding!).
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Please remember that you need to fill out your report cards to keep BUNAC up to date with your details. Your 2nd report card needs to be completed once you have a job and a place to live and your 3rd report card needs to be filled out when you have finished on the programme. You can complete your report cards quickly and easily online at our website www.bunac.org/incoming.
Hopefully this newsletter has given you some ideas and inspiration on how to spend your summer. This is only a snapshot as there is so much going on all over the UK. So don’t just sit around catching rays, you can do that anywhere! If you’re still stuck for what to do then look on to these websites for some ideas: |
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Remember that BUNAC staff are always happy to help you with any problems or questions, just call (020) 7251 3472 or email wib@bunac.org.uk.
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