Welcome

Welcome to the Bristol French Circle!

The Bristol French Circle is for all those who enjoy speaking and listening to French.

Founded in 1905, the Circle is affiliated to the Alliance Française which provides us with financial support.

We meet at BAWA on alternate Thursdays from October to May each year. Our programme is very varied and we have French speakers on a wide range of subjects (including art, music, geography, culture and society), informal conversation evenings, a literary discussion (Le vieux qui déjeunait seul this year) and a ‘café-concert’ – an evening of poetry and music presented by our members.

Outside the programme, we enjoy dinners in local restaurants in Bristol and trips to see French films.

The main event of each evening starts at 8pm, with the announcement of information about the weeks to come at about 7.55pm, and we encourage members and visitors to come along from 7.30pm to have a chat before the start of the talk or other activity. On the dates when there is a speaker, shown in the programme by an asterisk *, Charlotte will do a ‘petit cours’, starting at 7pm, looking at vocabulary, idioms and the odd grammar point – it is all very light-hearted and completely optional.

Do have a look at the ‘Why join?’ tab to see members’ comments about the Circle – and come and join us if you enjoy this lovely language! Our FAQ (Frequently asked questions) may help you too.

Please don’t worry if your school French lessons seem a long time ago or you feel very rusty – there is absolutely no minimum level of language proficiency required and you are assured of a warm welcome. If you have any questions or hesitations, do get in touch with Charlotte, the President of the Circle by email (charlottejanetaylor10@gmail.com) or by phone (07976 922636) – she will be delighted to have a chat with you. In the meantime, keep up to date by checking this website and do let Charlotte know if you would like to be on the French Circle mailing list. You can subscribe to it by clicking here: http://eepurl.com/idRkCn which will take you to a form to fill in. We look forward to hearing from you!

Bristol French Circle News

Dear friends

URGENT! CHANGE OF PROGRAMME!

UPDATED AT 7.45 PM WEDNESDAY 26 NOVEMBER

Sadly, Nathalie Stroeymeyt is unwell and will not be able to come and give her talk to us tomorrow, Thursday 27 November. The committee has rallied round and our plan is now to enjoy a talk by Ray on the beautiful region of the Roussillon, followed by 30 minutes of conversation – we invite you to bring something to talk about, maybe a photo, a picture, an ornament, a holiday souvenir, a favourite book, a DVD, with your thoughts on why it is important to you. I will be giving a petit cours as normal at 7pm. Do come along and I’m sure we’ll have a good evening, even though we won’t be learning about how ants move house!

Souper de Noël

Our Christmas party will be on Thursday 4 December at the Civil Service Sports Club, Filton Avenue, Bristol BS7 0AT. Please arrive at 7.30pm, bringing a dish of food, sweet or savoury, enough for 4 people. We will enjoy eating together to the music of our accordionist John Slater, and will play a game or two and sing a few French carols. It’s always a really lovely evening! Do please let me know if you’re planning to come so we know how to lay out the room. Filton Avenue is on the left very close to the top of Muller Road, and the CSSC has a large car park.

Promenade francophone

We had a really enjoyable walk on the Downs on 15 November and discovered that the Downs Café is run by a French speaker! Plans are afoot for an evening there in the summer…

Paula is now offering another walk before Christmas – a visit to Tyntesfield : please click here for full details. Participants will meet at the ticket office at 11.15 on Sunday 14 December. Please let Paula know by Friday 5 December if you’re planning to come, with your mobile number and emergency contact details so we know to expect you and, importantly, can let you know if we need to cancel for any reason. Contact her at paula_maclachlan@hotmail.com.

Do get in touch if you would like more details about anything to do with the French Circle as I would be delighted to chat with you – and do let me know if you don’t think that you are on our mailing list so I can add you.

Charlotte

charlottejanetaylor10@gmail.com / 07976 922636

Phrase of the week

Qui ne risque rien n’a rien – Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Do let me know your favourite French words and expressions so that I can put them here!

Committee 2025–2026

Officers

President – Charlotte Taylor

Acting Treasurer – Ian Deegan

Membership Secretary – Liz Swift

Programme Secretary – Ray Harding

Hospitality Secretary – Heather Clarke

Secretary – Sheila Cheatle

Members

Steve Alexander

Anissa Aumeerally

Niki Evans

Vicki Hasaballa

Paula MacLachlan

Dominic O’Dwyer

Barbara Redshaw

Honorary President

Rod Shepherd

Why join?

  • Parce que toutes les séances se déroulent en français
  • As a newcomer and non-fluent speaker I am grateful for the opportunity to ‘fit in’ at my own pace
  • I always enjoy the conversation evenings – of particular benefit when fluent French speakers join those (like me) who are not so fortunate!
  • Parce que les conférences sont sur des thèmes variés et intéressants
  • I have really enjoyed the mixture of different activities in this my first season with the group, and look forward to the next.
  • Parce que les soirées de conversation sont très sympathiques et tout le monde peut y participer, quel que soit son niveau de français
  • For 90 minutes once a fortnight… ‘je suis en France!!!’
  • Parce que l’on choisit un livre chaque année, on le lit et on en discute en français – très bon pour élargir son vocabulaire
  • Parce que l’ambiance est chaleureuse et sympathique
  • I am really pleased that I have discovered the Circle. I am very encouraged by my success in speaking and understanding French, and by the warm welcome I have received
  • En tant que débutant, je trouve les réunions une bonne occasion de pratiquer la conversation. Les présentations m’aident à découvrir davantage la culture française
  • Pour moi la chose la plus importante c’est que l’on entend du français authentique parlé par quelqu’un qui a le français comme langue maternelle (ou par quelqu’un qui est expert dans la langue française) pendant au moins une heure et c’est toujours sur un sujet intéressant – à mon avis c’est mieux qu’une leçon de français (et beaucoup moins cher bien sûr!)
  • Tout d’abord c’est une opportunité de partager des soirées agréables avec des amateurs de la culture et la langue françaises. Cependant être experimenté avec la langue parlée n’est pas obligatoire!
  • Ayant habité en France pendant quelques années, mais maintenant installé en Angleterre, le Cercle m’a aidé à maintenir mon français et me garder au courant des affaires françaises.
  • Le Cercle me donne l’occasion de parler et d’écouter le français régulièrement dans une ambiance amicale.
  • I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed myself last night. I feel so inspired to go an visit. And I had a tremendous boost to my confidence when I realised I was understanding more than I thought I would. I was even able to laugh in the right places! I felt welcome and included from the very beginning. I won’t pretend that I knew everything that was said but I understood enough. 
  • Garfield est amusant et instructif à la même fois, lorsque les nouvelles, un poème ou les questions contemporaine pour discuter, sont bien pour augmenter nos vocabulaires. Je dois dire que vous livrez les petits cours avec panache – un sens d’humour et gentillesse. Je suis sûr que tout le monde les apprécie.
  • There is little I can say about the French sessions except that they were impressive, enjoyable and informative.   Even at my old age, I have learned so much from them; not just in French vocabulary but also more generally.   I can honestly say that I have greatly appreciated every session.  Thank you very much.  I must add that I particularly liked the poetry session.
  • Bref, tous les petits cours m’ont beaucoup plu. J’ai appris un tas de choses – beaucoup de vocabulaire français, ainsi que l’enseignement intéressant sur les oiseaux. J’ai appris à ma famille ce que veut dire nidicole et nidifuge en anglais et pourquoi les oiseaux ont une plaque incubatrice, par exemple. Alors, grâce à vous, tout le monde apprend les choses chez moi! Les conversations dans les petits groupes étaient très agréables et j’étais très heureuse le soir ou nous avions étudié un poème. En somme, tout m’a donné plaisir et je vous remercie beaucoup de tous vos efforts pour nous aider à améliorer notre connaissance de la langue française.