Looking forward to another fantastic CCL year!
What’s your New Year Resolution? Why not tell us in the comments?
Our warmest and most festive Christmas wishes to all our readers from everyone at CCL.
Find out more about Christmas at the British Council Teaching English website.
Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Bonfire Night) is a firework festival in Britain. It remembers the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605. On that night some people plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament with the King inside. In the evening people light large fires called ‘bonfires’, burn figures called ‘Guys’, eat food like baked potatoes and watch fireworks displays.
The CCL team will be at Midsummer Common in Cambridge tonight to watch the fireworks. Come along if you’re in the city! If you aren’t, then here are some useful resources for finding out more about the festival.
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/bonfire-night
https://www.tes.com/articles/bonfire-night-resources
http://www.michellehenry.fr/bonfire.htm
…and here is a fun video explainer
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all our Chinese friends from everyone at CCL.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟!
If you aren’t sure what Mid-Autumn Festival is, here is a pack of resources from The British Council and The Times Educational Supplement.
CCL was proud to participate in and sponsor the 2018 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival which was held on Jesus Green on 17th June.
The event was held to celebrate cultural diversity in Cambridge and raise funds for East Anglia Children’s Hospices. A number of distinguished guests attended the event, including a representative from the Queen, The Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Dr. Andrew Harter, the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, Mr. Daniel Zeichner, Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire, Mayor of Cambridge, Mr. Nigel Gawthrope, and ex-mayor of Cambridge, Mr. George Pippas.
The event attracted thousands of attendees, with 16 teams in the dragon boat race, nearly 20 performances and 15 food stalls. CCL was proud to support this event and raise funds for E.A.C.H. It is worth mentioning Cambridge University dragon boat team won the Oxford University dragon boat team.
More media coverage of this event can be seen on http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/update/2018-06-18/dragon-boat-race-helps-raise-cash-for-hospice-charity/
Every May the village of Brockworth in Gloucestershire, England has a “cheese roll” at the very steep Cooper’s Hill. A giant wheel of the local Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down the hill, and people have to chase after it. The first to the bottom of the hill is the winner. This might sound like a nice, fun event, but very often people are injured, and an ambulance has to be there in order to deal with any casualties.
The champion cheese-roller is local man Chris Anderson, who is usually a soldier, and who does the cheese roll to raise money for a charity. Have a look as he wins the competition again.
After 170 years the first Football Rules have returned to Cambridge. A stone statue was unveiled on Parker’s Piece by the Mayor of Cambridge, commemorating the 1848 University rules, subsequently adapted by the FA and FIFA. Five more sections of the statue are in Brazil, Egypt, India Kenya and China to support the charity Street Child United.
You can find out all about Easter and try out some Easter activities here.
From The British Council:
What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day takes place every year on 8 March to celebrate the achievements of women all over the world. It started with a protest that took place in New York City in 1908 where women went out onto the streets to demand the right to vote, shorter working hours and better pay. Since then it has taken many forms and today it’s a global event that is supported by lots of charities, NGOs, governments and academic institutions. In some countries, March 8 is an official holiday and in other countries it’s an official holiday but only for women.Why do we need an International Women’s Day?
In today’s world it may appear that women have all the same opportunities as men. If you watch the news you will see women astronauts, women prime ministers and women leaders in business. However, if you look at the statistics you realise there’s still a long way to go. The BBC did a report a few years ago that showed that in the UK women occupied only 30.9% of the most senior positions across a range of jobs in areas like politics, business and policing. So, although progress has been made since 1908, there is still a lot to do before we see an equal number of men and women in the top jobs and receiving equal pay.How is IWD celebrated in the UK?
A lot of special events take place in towns and cities all over the UK to celebrate International Women’s Day. There are exhibitions, theatre shows, talks, discussions, walking tours, films, workshops, fun runs and so much more. All the events are designed to celebrate the role of women in society and to make us all take a step back and think about the progress that has been made, but also about the changes that still need to take place to ensure the world is a fair and equal place for all its citizens. To find out what is happening in your country have a look on the events page of the International Women’s Day website.Think globally and act locally
The message for women around the world is to ‘think globally and act locally’. This means to learn about some of the key issues that women face around the world and then to try to take action close to home. Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione in the Harry Potter films, is a great example of someone who is doing something to raise awareness about the issues that women face globally. She has launched a campaign called HeForShe, which aims to get people talking at all levels about gender equality. The aim is to create a ‘gender-equal world’. The HeForShe campaign makes it very clear that it’s the role of men as well as women to make changes in all areas of their lives, both at work and in the family, to help make this possible. With the support of UN Women, the United Nations organisation to support women, Emma’s campaign is surely going to make a big impact.The future
Can you imagine a future where there’s no need at all to even have an International Women’s Day? Where there is total equality for men and women? Hmmm … something to think about but perhaps in your lifetime this could happen!?