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History repeats itself for the English Speaking Union

8 June 2010

The ESU presents a cheque to the University in 1941

Dr T Loveday, the then President of the ESU Bristol branch and Bristol's Vice Chancellor, presents a £1,000 cheque to Professor Field from the University’s Settlement Council in 1941

History has repeated itself for the Bristol branch of the English Speaking Union (ESU), an international charity that promotes the use of the English language through educational programmes, as it makes a second donation to the University nearly seventy years on.

The charity chose to donate funds to the University’s Alumni Foundation after finding an old photograph in their archives, dated 1941, which shows Dr T Loveday, the then President of the ESU Bristol branch and University of Bristol Vice Chancellor, presenting a £1,000 cheque to Professor Field from the University’s Settlement Council.

The funds were used to open a hostel, supported by the University, to help mothers and babies recover from the trauma they had suffered from the heavy raids and bombs that hit the city during the war.

Tony Williams, Chairman of the ESU Bristol branch, said: ‘We try to be imaginative in the way we choose the right causes to give financial backing towards. Since this hostel was the first major project that the Bristol branch had undertaken, we are delighted to donate an additional £400 to the University of Bristol, since for many years the branch used to meet regularly at the University.’

The £400 donation will support a travel grant to help postgraduate students with the cost of travelling to conferences to present their research findings.

Karen Lippoldt, Head of Alumni Relations at the University, said: ‘We are extremely grateful for this generous donation that has such fascinating historical links to an intriguing and imaginative organisation.’

The ESU aims to promote English in international public speaking and debate for the good of worldwide communication and dialogue. It aims to encourage the enjoyment and constructive use of English through educational programmes and to provide a forum for international friendship through support of the worldwide network of ESU branches.