Oxford and Cambridge Garden Party

All tickets have now been sold for this event

Hosted by the British Ambassador to France, Dame Menna Rawlings, the Cambridge Society of Paris and the Oxford University Society in Paris

Open to: Alumni and guests Postgraduate students Undergraduates

Location: The British Ambassador’s Residence

We are pleased to announce that Wesley Kerr OBE, former BBC Royal Correspondent, will be our guest for the 2023 Garden Party. The event will again be held at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris.

Wesley Kerr OBE is a freelance broadcaster, and writer and also a historian and horticulturist. He is the longest serving Board Member and Trustee of London’s magnificent Royal Parks, and a Council Member of the Royal Horticultural Society and Vice President of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. For 7 years he chaired the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Committee for London, restoring and regenerating historic places and culture. He received his OBE personally from Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for services to heritage.

Wesley was born in Perivale, Middlesex, although conceived In Jamaica, and had wonderful English foster parents. He was educated in state schools and then aged 12 won a Hampshire County Bursary to Winchester College and aged 17 was awarded an Open Scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge where he read history from 1976- 79. He joined the BBC that year as its first black graduate production trainee, becoming producer, reporter, correspondent, presenter on a huge variety of programmes. Over a long career he has reported from 40 countries. Throughout the turbulent 1990s he was a Court and then Royal Correspondent at BBC News. Among the stories he was present at or reported live from; The Heysel stadium disaster, the Windsor Castle Fire, the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bomb, The Queen’s return to the Palace after Diana’s death.

Wesley is a frequent contributor to Royal and history documentaries and discussions on Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV1, BBC, Sky and internationally from Canada to Germany and Australia.

He has written for The Telegraph, Times, Guardian, and numerous magazines including recent royal features for The Tatler. He has recently curated a number of exhibitions of work by the British-Jamaican artist Rudi Patterson.

He covered the Queen’s funeral and the King’s Coronation live for ITV and CBS News. The Royal Parks were central to both events. He has been closely involved in huge restoration projects at Brompton Cemetery, Greenwich Park and a new 2 acre garden being created in The Regent’s Park celebrating the late Queen.

He says Cambridge gave him confidence, knowledge, synthesis and many lifelong friends.

Booking information:
If you would like to attend this event, please complete the booking form using the link below.

Price:

€69 per person for members of either the Cambridge or Oxford Societies – one guest can also be invited at this same price;

additional guests are €80 per person as are tickets purchase by non-member alumni;

€49 per person for members of either society under 30 years of age with the ticket for one guest also available at this same price.

Capacity: 150

Location:

The British Ambassador’s Residence
39 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France
Security at the Ambassador’s Residence is strict.

Only those members and guests appearing on the security list will be admitted and photographic proof of identity is required.

This also means that bookings will close on Tuesday 18th July, and we can only accept cancellations if they are received no later than that date. No refunds will be given for any cancellation communicated to us in the 7 days preceding the event.

Accessibility:
Metro Concorde or Madeleine
Parking Concorde