BUNAC plans an extensive programme of social events for participants, which are a great way to make some friends with other BUNAC participants! Our full social diary is shown on our events website which is www.bunac.org/events. It is regularly updated and shows all upcoming events from both the London and Edinburgh offices, as well as photos from previous trips. On Wednesday 17th December we have our Christmas pub meet at the Bowler pub just across the road from the BUNAC office, so be sure to come along and get into the festive spirit! In Edinburgh we will also be holding a special Christmas social on Wednesday 17th December. We will be heading to the Winter Wonderland so come along, take a turn on the Ice Rink and drink lots of mulled wine!

On Sunday 21st December we are also heading to the Christmas markets in Bruges, it should be a great day out and will definitely get you in the Christmas mood. The cost of the trip will be £40 and you will have plenty of time to explore the special Christmas markets as well as the beautiful Medieval City of Bruges. You can pick up some Belgian chocolates and beer!

In the New Year we have a great day trip to Canterbury & Dover Castle on Saturday 17th January, taking in the White Cliffs of Dover, tours of underground tunnels used in the 1st and 2nd World Wars and Canterbury cathedral. The cost of the trip will be £34. We’ll also be hosting the usual pub meets, every other Wednesday which is a great way to meet fellow Bunacers. Keep in touch with what’s going on via the website www.bunac.org/incoming or why not join our Facebook group, details below!

There are various festive events happening all over the UK throughout the run up to Christmas and New Year. Christmas markets and outdoor ice skating rinks will be set up in town centres nationwide. For those of you who want to don your skates and carve up the ice in London, why not head to ice rinks in Hyde Park, Greenwich, the Tower of London or Somerset House!

On Saturday 6th December, Covent Garden is hosting the Great Christmas Pudding race at 11.30am. Teams are made up of 6 people and the actual race is a relay race balancing Christmas puddings on a tray around a challenging course! All money raised goes to charity. Log on to www.xmaspuddingrace.org.uk to find out more.

London itself will be quite quiet on Christmas day, hardly anything will be open and the underground and trains will not be running. There will be various places around the city that will be hosting Christmas celebrations if you are not sure what to do! The International Students House will be hosting special Christmas day events including a traditional dinner, movie marathon and a stroll in Regents Park, £15 for students and £30 for non-students. Have a look at their website at www.ish.org.uk to find out more information.

Also on Christmas Day, why not go to a traditional Christmas service in St Paul’s Cathedral? On the 24th and 25th December you can get into the spirit by singing some Christmas carols. Go to www.stpauls.co.uk to find out the service schedule.

If you want something a bit more daring to do on Christmas day, why not head along to a Christmas Day swim in the sea! If you’re living on the coast then it is more than likely there will be a group of rather strange people that work up an appetite for their turkey dinner by having a quick dip in the sea! Those of you who have some sense and would prefer just to spectate, they will be taking place all over the UK including Brighton, Bournemouth and even right here in London’s Hyde Park! Have a look at www.serpentineswimmingclub.com for more information. If you’re outside London, keep an eye out for advertisements in your local paper.

If you are looking to get away over the Christmas period then maybe one of the following Christmas getaway packages might just be the one for you!

Visit www.haggisadventures.com and check out their great ‘Christmas in a Castle’ and ‘Hogmanay’ tours. The tours take in Edinburgh, Fort William and Loch Ness where you might catch a glimpse of the all famous Loch Ness monster! The best part of the trip is to spend Christmas Day in a haunted Highland castle! Use the code "BUNAC UK" to get a discount of 15%.

International Friends are offering various trips around the Christmas period. They will be in Paris for Christmas and have some day trips on Boxing day also. Take a look at their website www.internationalfriends.co.uk. Use the code ‘BUNAC10’ to receive a £10 discount.

Anderson Tours also organise trips to Amsterdam over the festive period, have a look on their website for more information www.hallamandersontours.com.

If you fancy a guaranteed white Christmas then www.karibuni.co.uk do some great deals over the Christmas week to the Alps staying in catered chalets. Check out their website for their special Christmas offers!

New Year is a huge celebration and there are lots of different ways to enjoy it! If you’re in the capital, there will be a fireworks display from the London Eye on New Years Eve to mark the beginning of 2009. Trafalgar Square is also another popular place to see in the New Year, tradition is to listen to the Big Ben countdown into 2009 from here. Be warned, it gets extremely busy and it's very easy to lose your friends! If you wanted to see midnight in at an organised bar event in London or anywhere else you will more than likely have to buy tickets in advance so look out for promotions now to avoid disappointment! If you’re not feeling too jaded from the New Year’s Eve celebrations why not head to the annual New Years day parade in London starting from Parliament Square and heading to Piccadilly. Artists from all over the world head to the streets of London to start 2009 off with a bang.

Pantomimes

The Christmas and New Year period for many in the UK, is not complete without a trip to the Panto! Enjoyed by children and adults alike, you become accustomed to them as a child and whilst they may seem a bit naff when you are in your teens, you are keen to go and see them again, as you get a bit older! There will be pantomimes all over the UK, some professional, others amateur, either way you are promised some Dad and Uncle type jokes, pantomime Dames and some c-list celebrities too! Check local press for more information, but it’s a great tradition and one we would recommend partaking in!

If you have items to post home to your loved ones for Christmas, make sure they are posted by the dates below so that they arrive on time!

For more info see www.royalmail.com

Hogmanay Prize Draw!

Hogmanay is the Scottish word for New Year and it is the biggest party of the year! Each year thousands join in to celebrate the New Year in style by taking to the streets of Edinburgh in one of the world’s biggest New Year street parties. Bands announced so far are Paulo Nutini, Glasvegas and Groove Armada.

There will also be amazing firework displays! If you are going to be in Edinburgh for New Year and want to attend the Edinburgh Street party you will need to buy a pass, as most of the city centre will be blocked off and you can not get in without one. Passes are £10 and you can purchase up to four passes per person.

However BUNAC has 3 pairs of passes to give away (so 2 per person!!). To enter the prize draw please send an email to edinburgh@bunac.org.uk and title it ‘Hogmanay Tickets’. Please include your name and contact details. Alternatively, speak to Sheila at BUNAC Edinburgh (0131 558 9313). You should not enter unless you have a place to stay in Edinburgh, as all accommodation will be fully booked. The draw will take place on Monday 15th December and successful participants will be notified. To find out all about New Year in Edinburgh and secure a ticket now you can visit: www.edinburghshogmanay.org.uk

Christmas in Edinburgh

Edinburgh does Christmas in style. There will be events happening throughout the month of December. Princes Street gardens turns into a Winter Wonderland. You can take to the ice rink, ride on the huge Ferris Wheel or drink mulled wine in the German Market. For more information visit www.edinburghschristmas.com

Other highlights include: Concert for Christmas in the Queens Hall. This is an evening of music and song. The National Museum on Chambers Street are staging Christmas Choral Concerts on the 14th Dec from 12:45 – 15:45, it’s free to attend. The Grassmarket is staging a Christmas Festival on the 20th/21st Dec from 10am – 4pm. And lastly there will be the famous Santa Stroll. For the bargain price of £10 you can dress up as Santa Claus and help charity. Join hundreds of other Santas and stroll from Princes Street Gardens to the Grassmarket.

For ideas of possible things to do on Christmas Day ask BUNAC Edinburgh closer to the time.

Edinburgh office closure

As many of you will know the Edinburgh office will be closing as of Friday 30th January 2009. After this date the London office will be able to help you with any questions that you may have. Caroline & Lou are there to help you with everything and you can contact them on (020) 7251 3472 or by e-mailing wib@bunac.org.uk.

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.

For those of you that haven’t already joined us on Facebook, this is just a reminder that BUNAC has an official Work in Britain group. So if you are a CURRENT participant and want to keep up to date with all of our social events and stay in touch with other BUNAC participants around Britain, click on this link to join: www.bunac.org/facebook. We hope you enjoy these pages!

Remember that BUNAC staff are always happy to help you with any problems or questions. Call (020) 7251 3472 or (0131) 558 9313 if you are in Scotland.

Incoming Programmes, BUNAC, 16 Bowling Green Lane, London, EC1R 0QH wib@bunac.org.uk.