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Why Newcomers to Chester? In 1991 I had been living
in Chester for 12 months, after returning from 3 years in Brazil with
my family. Although happy to be back in England, there were many aspects
of the expatriate life which I still missed, not least meeting people
of different nationalities and cultures.
About the same time I became friends with Barbara Evans, another British woman who had lived abroad for several years. We had both benefited from groups overseas which brought together new arrivals and decided that, with the number of international companies in Chester, there might be a need for a similar group. And we would get to meet lots of interesting people with whom we had something in common! So Newcomers to Chester had its very modest beginnings. Wherever we saw a removal van we posted notices through the door and invited people who were new to the area (from the UK or overseas) to the first get together in a teashop in Chester. Amazingly over 20 people turned up and the atmosphere was exhilarating. Several folk lived in the same area but had never met, and friendships began. Others were just delighted to get out of the house (and some were still in hotels) and talk to people who understood the mixed feelings, of both excitement and loneliness, that are often involved in moving away from the familiar surroundings of family and friends. The group began to grow, and moved to the Grosvenor Hotel in Pulford. There were inevitable ups and downs in such a diverse group and more and more requests from members for different activities to be organised. After 3 years we decided it was time for a committee, even a constitution! Each year a new committee has brought different ideas and fresh enthusiasm to Newcomers. Annual membership has consistently increased, sometimes up to 70 and, at the last count, approximately 18 nationalities have been ‘on the books’ over the years. Barbara and I always wished that this would not become an inward looking ‘club’ but constantly looking to welcome new members, encouraging them to get involved as quickly as possible, not only in Newcomers to Chester activities but in the wider community. Since last year Kate Sawallisch has been doing an excellent job in continuing to guide in this direction. I
know that Barbara, now living in Portugal, will be as excited as I
am at the launch of this website and seeing how far Newcomers to Chester
has come over the past 14 years. We both hope that Newcomers will
continue to go from strength to strength. |
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