Who are we?

The group was started by some very enthusiastic French speakers, of varying ability, who attend St Bart’s Church in Bath.

What do we do?

We welcome both church and non-church French speakers to a number of events and activities.

The group started in 2015 with a series of Soirée Discussion meetings held in St Bart’s church Lounge and attended by both church and non-church French speakers. The Soiree Discussion evenings have opportunities for chatting and sampling French wine and nibbles followed by a video or talk and questions to discuss in small groups. The evenings often finish with a short personal testimony.

A small group expressed an interest in studying “Passerelles vers Dieu”.

In 2017 we started our very popular Soirée Amicale; an opportunity for informal conversation once a month. This is now held at The Boathouse, near Newbridge Park and Ride, Bath.

Since December 2018 we have organised Soirées de Noël. These are in the form of a traditional carol service all in French and contributions come from a number of sources including our local school pupils as well as all our contacts in Bath. Due to the pandemic the Soiree de Noel 2020 was an online service which was accessed over 800 times from French speakers both in this country and across the globe including contacts in France! We try to post a recording of the Soirée de Noël on our web page at some point after the event.

In September 2018 we organised a Soiree Gastronomie celebrating the food and traditions of Provence. A wine tasting quiz and samples of traditional Provencal fare were very well received.

A new event this year was a French Quiz night held in The Club Room at The Boathouse, Newbridge, Bath. It was well attended by French speakers of all ages and fluency and was great fun. Prizes for the quiz and raffle included hampers of French goodies and money from the raffle was given to The Ukrainian Appeal.

How good is our French?

Those who enjoy our events range from those with a rudimentary level of French to those who are fluent, having been born or brought up or having worked in France. All are welcome!

Where do we meet?

The venue depends on the event we are organising:

• SOIRÉE AMICALE: The Boathouse, Newbridge
• SOIRÉE DISCUSSION: St Bart’s Church Lounge, King Edward Road, Bath
• SOIRÉE NOËL: St Bart’s Church and Lounge, King Edward Road, Bath

How often do we meet?

We meet once a month for our Soirée Amicale: 1st Wednesday of the month, and at other times for our other events.

Contact: Naomi Pauley by email: stbartsfrenchgroup@gmail.com