12th June 2015 Havana, Cuba
Last week, we held the first #BritTalk in my house. In a fascinating presentation, Lord David Triesman, in Havana on business, shared his experiences of working with FIFA and Sepp Blatter when he was Chair of the Football Association. The audience was gripped by Lord Triesman’s tales of sleaze and abuse of power, by his […]
20th October 2014 Havana, Cuba
I’m still smiling. We’ve just come to the end of ten very successful days of British culture in Havana; ten days of British music, history, theatre, science, film and dance. There were events throughout the city, at all times of day and night and for a range of audiences, including kids. We explored the breadth […]
20th February 2014 Havana, Cuba
My thanks to UK singer Holly Holden for this guest blog on making music in Cuba and how a chance meeting in Havana led to her touring Europe’s top festivals with UK dub-step pioneer DJ Mala. When I was thirteen my mother took me to see the documentary film Buena Vista Social Club. I remember leaving […]
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2nd December 2013 Havana, Cuba
As I travel around Cuba talking to people about the United Kingdom, I am constantly surprised by how little many Cubans really know about my country. This blog is an attempt to put that right. Here are nine things you probably don’t know about the UK: 1. There is free education in the UK. The large […]
20th August 2013 Havana, Cuba
It’s exactly a year to the day since I arrived in Havana. When I stepped off the plane 365 days’ ago, it was my first time in Cuba, I knew a little but not a lot about the country and, after a recent posting in Mozambique, my Spanish had a very Portuguese twang. A year later and I […]
11th June 2013 Havana, Cuba
Last week in Havana we saw a fantastic celebration of British culture. Once a year, as in many other countries in the world, the Embassy organises a BritWeek when we put on a variety of events. In Havana our cinema programme included the Cuban-British film, The Day of the Flowers. Obra Blue/Orange, put on by British director […]
6th June 2012 Dublin, Ireland
The Diamond Jubilee long weekend here in Poland presented many different faces of the UK. First, we showed our tolerant, diverse face and our commitment to equality by participating in the Gay Pride parade. We were very visible indeed. Polish TV was very keen to understand why I was there. In addition to upholding the […]
6th June 2012 Warsaw, Poland
8.00, Thursday 31st May, Jablonna Palace just outside Warsaw a pack of 15 Great British motoring icons line up on the palatial courtyard for scrutineering. E type jags, Rolls Royces, Austin Healeys, an MG and leading the pack a Lotus 7, a testimony to Colin Chapman and British racing excellence. The British and Poles are […]
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1st June 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Poland has always been a problem for my waistline, as I have a real weakness for dishes like pierogi, żurek and a well made bigos. The ingredients for these and many other dishes can now be found in most British supermarkets thanks to the thriving Polish community in the UK. But now British food and […]