South
As Regional Development Officer for
the South, South West and South Wales,
I currently work with 7 active branches
(Plymouth is in abeyance).
My first role as an RDO was to involve
all branches in the Public Speaking
competition, and to help with branch
programmes. I have since taken a variety
of acting committee roles to provide
short term branch support. Meeting
committees is vital, we see new ideas
and can offer suggestions to others.
It has been exciting to see the small
Cornwall branch providing discussion
groups on current issues at a local
golf club and engaging non-members.
Listening to Exeter sponsored project
trust scholars, talking about their work
at members’ meetings is inspiring, and
the growth of the Salisbury schools’
writing programme, is very helpful
for spreading the ESU brand. Now
all branches are involved in the PS
competition, and the whole South West
region is involved in sponsoring local
students on SSE scholarships; these are
now being successfully offered to a larger
cross-section of the student community.
This year we celebrate three ESU awards
to the Bristol, Salisbury and S.Wales
branches- one per region.
Branches support the ESU in a
variety of ways. Currently two Exeter
members are working with Plymouth and
Cornwall schools to organise the Public
Speaking. The PS coordinator in Wales
now has about six Welsh PS organisers
and the Welsh branch link with Howells
school and Sixth form to provide a
primary schools PS, is joyously successful.
The variety in branches and their
geographical spread, ensure work is
always challenging, at times uplifting –
and never dull.
Muriel Harrison
SALISBURY & SOUTH
WILSHIRE
Salisbury State Schools Initiative
enters its third year with fifteen
Schools who have received our award
and certificate.
Our Nurse from ESU Brazil Yeramia
Fernandes is qualified in Accident and
Emergency, she attended the Great
Weston Hospital in Swindon and met
Members at our lunch meeting, a great
pleasure to all.
We continue to support the Kohima
Trust with the Dictionary in English for
Schools in Burma and hope to have
a Gap Year student in 2014. This is
together with the ESU Public
Speaking Competition.
Our Annual fundraising lecture was
given by the writer Fredrick Forsyth,
he entertained over 100 members
with his amusing life story, followed by
the vote of thanks to Frederick by our
President David Stratton OBE. DL, who
then proposed a toast to our new ESU
President HRH the Princess Anne.
Mrs Louise Jefferys hosted a wellattended Summer Party and Leah Perry
from St Edmunds School Salisbury, our
Schools Initiative prize winner and new
Alumni, were able to attend with Tom
Barrett a former Gap Year Student. Both
Leah and Tom gave us a “great to be with
you” word of thanks. This was a great
pleasure for us.
Speakers at our September AGM
were ESU Director of Developments
James Ward and Marie Bond, Finance
Director. Between them they gave us a
positive plan for the next three years.
Nigel Estlick, Dame Mary, Patricia and Derek
Remington, Gill Prior with the Jubilee medal
and certificate
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