Category: announcements

Dear Member,

A committee meeting, Cambridge Leadership Conference, Global Cambridge, and much to report.
In September we set ourselves the seemingly ambitious challenge of doubling the membership of the Cambridge Society of Paris within a year to eighteen months. This was indeed ambitious but, already, we are 60% of the way to achieving this target, with a massive increase of over 60 members over the past few months.

In part, this has been thanks to the College Representative initiative. A Cambridge Society Representative for each of the thirty-one Colleges, working with their College to contact the College Alumni resident in France, to make them aware of the Cambridge Society of Paris, and encourage them to become members.

We now have Representatives for two thirds of the Colleges and, at present, about one third of these Representatives have issued their letters to Alumni. Led by St John’s, Fitzwilliam and Magdalene, this has resulted in many new members and, as each of the Colleges is launched, the resulting new members will almost certainly take us beyond the 100% mark.

Allied to this, come the New Year, we shall also explore the scope for greater liaison between the various Cambridge Alumni Associations in France to create an Alumni hub, supplemented by the creation of new Alumni Associations in regions of France not so far covered.
We have some exciting events coming up in the New Year, including the Challenge Debate against the Cambridge Union on Saturday 27th January, the Annual Dinner on Friday 9th February, with Professor Robert Tombs as guest speaker, then the Fingask Follies Musical Revue on Tuesday 22nd May.

A complete new departure, that grew out of lunch with Moez Draief: The Cutting-Edge Lectures. Whilst we shall, most certainly, continue our traditional events, The Cutting-Edge Lectures will be a vivid and important counterpoint. A programme of four lectures a year, on topics of crucial importance for the present and the future, the lectures will be short, incisive and authoritative, but delivered in such a way as to be compelling and of interest to anyone with a thirst to understand our modern world. The topics are likely to be scientific, but not invariably so, and each lecture will be recorded on video, and posted to You Tube, for future reference and useful publicity for CamSoc.

Turning back to the immediate, we have the Christmas Carols, organised by Edward Archer, this Tuesday, 12th December, at the Travellers Club, and the Cambridge Christmas Party at the Musée des Arts Forains next Monday, 18th December.

The Carols promise to be the charming traditional evening that Edward has kindly treated us to for several years and, as a result, the tickets have completely sold out.

The Cambridge Christmas Party is a totally new event, but has already become very substantial and important. It will also be the greatest fun! The Musée des Arts Forains is a truly magic place, and the music, tap dancing, conjuring, and Années Folles ambiance will all be highly amusing.

At the outset, I was persuading musicians to attend. Now, the buzz has got around, and they are all desperate to be there to join in the jam session. This will be one of the greatest gatherings of traditional jazz / swing / boogie musicians in Paris, ever! Because of this, we have attracted some high-profile guests, and may have representatives from the Arts Society and the Bulldog Trust in London, who see our party as being relevant to their exhibition, The Rise of Jazz, commencing in January at Two Temple Place, the neo-Gothic mansion built for William Waldorf Astor.

The attendance for the Cambridge Christmas Party presently stands at approximately 330, but there is space for 50 more. However, with a week still to go, it is almost certain that these final places will be taken, probably quite soon.

The Cambridge Christmas Party is definitely not an event to be missed, and the final fifty places will go fast. So, if you have not yet applied, or if you want to invite more friends, do please send in your Application Forms. Fresh copies can be obtained from Tony Banton (admin@camsocparis.org) or myself (anls@lyndon-skeggs.com).

Look forward to seeing you, I hope, at the Christmas Carols and the Christmas Party, and my best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Andrew.
President, Cambridge Society of Paris.

Dear Member,

Another successful Cambridge Society event, the debate at the 5e Cru wine bar at 7 rue Cardinal Lemoine.

Supported by a young and enthusiastic group of CamSoc and OUSP members and their guests, following a most excellent and convivial dinner, the group debated the motion “This House believes that the Technological Revolution has brought more Good than Evil to our communities.”

The motion was proposed by Christopher Chantrey and opposed by Andrew Torrance, supported respectively by Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs and Clare Hohler. Lively comment from the floor prior to the summare by the two lead speakers and the vote, counted by Moez Draief: 15/15.

This then leads to several important Cambridge Society events: Christmas Carols at the Travellers Club on 12th December, the historic Challenge Debate against the Cambridge Union on Saturday 27th January and, inbetween the two, the Cambridge Christmas Party.

And, for the last, we can now reveal the date and venue: Monday 18th December in the Salons Vénitiens at the utterly stunning Musée des Arts Forains, the meeting place of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald during Midnight in Paris.

Cambridge gives a party, and each member of the Cambridge Society will have the right, an ill be encouraged to inviteup to ten guests, with a total in the region of 250. With numerous outstanding traditional jazz and swing musicians, Boogie Woogie, tap dancing and a few surprises to follow, it promises to be an outstanding evening. Please note the date, Monday 18th December, and start gathering your group of friends.

With very best wishes,

Andrew.
President Cambridge Society of Paris.

Dear Member

The first committee meeting since the rentrée, and the roll out of our plans for membership and mega new events.

Already, on a like for like basis, September to September, the Cambridge Society of Paris has grown by nearly twenty percent, all younger members. An excellent step in the right direction, but the intent is to go much further, to double the membership over the next year to eighteen months!

Members of the committee have started work on this, and initiatives have been launched, including direct liaison with undergraduates at the University, and representatives for every College.

A new undergraduate, Esha Marwaha (Gonville & Caius), has stepped forward and will be running a stand for us at the Freshers Fair and is in the process of establishing undergraduate representatives for each College who will liaise with our Alumni College representatives here in Paris.

Already ten Alumni College Representatives have been identified, and Magdalene has asked for an article about the Cambridge Society, and the fabulous Christmas Party, for the November edition of Magdalene Matters.

Alumni College Representatives so far include: Christ’s, Emmanuel, Fitzwilliam, Jesus, King’s, Magdalene, Murray Edwards, Newnham, St John’s and Trinity. Once this gets underway it will be an important motor for new membership and for liaison at all levels with the University. If your College is not already represented, and if you would be good enough to take on the role, this would be highly appreciated. Please contact myself (anls@lyndon-skeggs.com) or Tony Banton (admin@camsocparis.org).

Doubtless you have seen the recent events reminder sent out by Tony, and I think you will agree .. not bad! Some outstanding new events including the Christmas Party, the Union Challenge Debate and the Fingask Follies Musical Review, in addition to a wide range of traditional activities.

So, much work in hand. What can you do? A lot please! If your College is not so far covered, and you would like to be the official representative, then do please make contact. Medium term we shall be looking for two new committee members. If you would like to assist in this way, it would be wonderful.

But above all, we really want to see you at the forthcoming events. Do please join in whenever you can; you will be highly welcome. The more this society, or club, is attended, the more fun it will be, and the better we can benefit the University.

For the big events in the near future, yes definitely please, and bring your family and friends. But likewise, though fifty maximum, please keep in mind the dinner debate coming up on Thursday 12th October, championing the merits, or denouncing the demerits of modern technology. This is taking place at a super new venue, totally private to us, the 5e Cru wine bar at 7 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, metro Cardinal Lemoine (10) or Jussieu (7). It is atmospheric, specialises in unusual wines, good food at incredible value .. and a debate as well!

Looking forward to seeing you.

With very best wishes,

Andrew.
President Cambridge Society of Paris.