19th May 2011
Today I hosted a press conference at the British Residence to launch Hungary’s home-grown platform of corporate CEOs who are committed to supporting ambition in Hungarian and European climate change policy. This is an exciting new initiative. Establishing such a group was discussed during the official visit of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales […]
18th May 2011
This year’s Excellence in Journalism Foundation awards ceremony is underway at the British Embassy in Budapest as I write. I felt rather honoured to be asked to act as Patron for these awards and to open tonight’s event. The Foundation honours quality journalism and champions press freedom, which are both issues that concern us – […]
17th May 2011
Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Why is it necessary to have such a day? Well, because same-sex relations remain criminalised in more than 70 countries. Discrimination against LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity continues to occur even in countries where laws exist to […]
Read more on International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia | Reply
1st May 2011
Passers-by were rather surprised today to find a traditional British street party happening outside the British Embassy in Budapest – complete with bunting, balloons (red, white and blue, naturally) and British, Indian and other foods. It’s not something you often see in Hungary…. And it was of course to mark the marriage of Their Royal […]
19th April 2011
Yesterday afternoon I participated as Patron in the 2011 BBC Entertainment and English Speaking Union (ESU) Public Speaking Awards in Hungary. Along with the Ministry of National Resources and Magyar Telekom, the event was also supported by the British Council, Oxford University Press and the Robert Burns International Foundation. It’s the first time the BBC […]
17th April 2011
Ambassadors are called on to make many speeches. I recently calculated that in the course of the previous month I had made some 50 – ranging from brief remarks in English to about 30 minutes in Hungarian; and at formal, informal and largely fun events. The subject matter covered a wide field too – from […]
11th April 2011
Három, kettő, egy (3,2,1)…and thankfully the gun goes off when I squeeze the trigger, starting the family race in this year’s Vivicitta Budapest. (Vivicitta is an international running event held in April in more than 50 cities to promote “sport for all”.) The competitors – including my colleagues Eva and Levi – surge forward. Among […]
8th April 2011
In the bright spring Budapest weather a large group of us gathered together earlier today to witness the unveiling of a monument commemorating some 22,000 Polish victims of the Katyn massacre by Soviet secret police in 1940. Oaks were also planted as a sign of homage to Hungarian prisoners who had been executed in the […]
5th April 2011
In Japan, a country much in our thoughts these days, volunteers generate a greater share of GDP than the financial services sector. And research shows that for every £1 the average company invests in volunteering programmes, they get a return of between £3 and £5. In general, the business case for employer supported volunteering is […]
4th April 2011
Sounds like a great deal in these days of expensive fuel! But this is the challenge to schools and colleges competing in the XXVIIth Shell Eco Marathon in May – to build vehicles able to achieve this goal and win the race. 5 Hungarian teams are participating this year. And on Friday one of the […]