Its been a while since our last update, but although we may have been quiet on Tumblr, there have been lots of great things happening.  Over the summer, there were all sorts of informal Talk English Activities going on- conversation cafes, museum visits, craft sessions and picnics to name a few.  Our staff and volunteers […]

Its been a while since our last update, but although we may have been quiet on Tumblr, there have been lots of great things happening.  Over the summer, there were all sorts of informal Talk English Activities going on- conversation cafes, museum visits, craft sessions and picnics to name a few.  Our staff and volunteers worked really hard to ensure that the summer holidays didnt stop people improving their English.  Talk English in Oldham hosted a fortnight of activities for parents and children in a local primary school, and in Manchester, almost 200 learners benefited from a varied programme of activities.

Weve also been busy celebrating…  In September, Rochdale hosted a really lovely event to celebrate their learners achievements so far.  It was a great day filled with certificates, fun and food from around the world.  Learners and volunteers greatly enjoyed meeting others from different classes.

In Manchester, Talk English thanked all of the volunteers whove given up their time and energy to help fellow residents learn English.  The Deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester presented certificates and thanked all the volunteers for the positive difference they have made, not just to the hundreds of Manchester residents to whom they have have been teaching English, but also to the families of each and everyone of these learners.   It was great to hear about the experiences of volunteers on the project so far, and find out what they had gained from volunteering.  For some of our volunteers, it was also a chance to say goodbye as they move on from volunteering with Talk English onto further teacher training, jobs and courses.

As we sadly waved goodbye to some of our original volunteers, we also welcomed lots of new volunteers to the Talk English project, as either teachers or friends, who are all busy learning the ropes and getting to know their new learners.  Weve started lots of new Talk English Courses and there are some really exciting activities planned in each area.  All our courses and activities are supported by our great new website.  Were adding content all the time, and our next challenge is to create some online learning activities- watch this space!  If you want to find out more, visit www.talk-english.co.uk and take a look around- anyone can register as a volunteer or learner.

And if that wasnt enough, weve provided Talk English Here training for hundreds of staff from a variety of organisations, including Job Centre Plus, East Lancashire Health Trust, Libraries in Oldham and Lancashire and Great Places Housing.

Staff, volunteers and partner organisations have been working tirelessly to make all this (and more) happen- and theres no sign of things slowing down…