To say goodbye to those of us who were leaving this week we held a Trash Fashion Show and Disco! The idea was to chose a model from your group and make the best costume that you could for them out of whatever you could find! The competition was judged by a couple of our social leaders and was a very close run thing! Check out the photos below….

During this week we’ve run a few tours to Christ’s college Cambridge. We’ve been able to get right inside one of Cambridge’s leading Colleges, which was originally established in 1437! Famous people who have attended Christ’s College include Charles Darwin, TV historian Simon Schama and even Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat!). We even got to see what Darwin’s college room would have been like! The College has some new buildings in its grounds, along with the older, more traditional college accommodation.

As a welcome to all our new students last week we went down to a venue called ‘The Place’. There’s no better way to get to know your fellow students and make friends with the new arrivals than to chat and dance for a few hours. Throwing some shapes on the dancefloor! Those of us who were feeling more flexible were up for having a go at the inflatable limbo!!! Has she no spine!!! – The best girl at the limbo! How low can you go? – The winning boy at the limbo! This event set us all up for a good week ahead with many fun activities planned, including a tour round one of Cambridge’s famous colleges and a ‘Trash Fashion’ night to say farewell to our leaving students. Watch this space for more photos and news!

Hi all Just a quick note from our Social Leader Mark If you would like to come to Great St.Mary’s Tower then please be aware of the following points: For health and safety reasons, there is a maximum of twenty people allowed on the tower at any time. If more than twenty people arrive then some people will have to wait for a moment. If it rains heavily then the tower might close. This is to prevent the stairs (leading up to the tower) from getting wet and slippery. If the tower does close, we will provide another activity to compensate. Thanks all Mark

|Sun 1st Stratford upon Avon and Warwick Castle Visit Stratford upon Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, and see the house where he was born in 1564, as well as the church where he is now buried, and other places important to the poet during his life. There is also a market and great shopping centre to explore and enjoy. In the afternoon we visit historic Warwick Castle, the finest medieval castle in the country with dungeons, towers, exhibitions and many other attractions. Castle admission included. £30.00 Wed 4th – London Theatre – We Will Rock You Spend an evening in London’s theatre land, the West End, and a chance to enjoy this great show based on music by the rock band Queen. £45.00 Fri/Sun 6th-8th –  Edinburgh Scotland’s Capital City. This is a great weekend; we visit a Scottish woollen mill and have a whisky tasting, take a guided city coach tour of Edinburgh and you have a chance to visit all the famous sights of this historic city, including Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Palace, the museums, galleries and shops and have two evenings to enjoy the great nightlife. There’s also lots of beautiful scenery to enjoy as well as a visit to the historic English City of Durham. Visit to woollen mill, whisky tasting, guided coach tour of Edinburgh and excursion to Durham included. Book early. £170.00 Sat 7th – London After a morning coach tour of the historic city (included) the rest of the day is free to do as you please. Maybe visit some of the many famous sights, such as the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the street entertainers in Covent Garden Market, the museums, the galleries, the great shopping areas, China Town, a boat … Read more

On Thursday afternoon we went to to the river to go punting, something that people have been doing in Cambridge for over 100 years! Students took it in turns to punt each other up and down the river Cam in the sunshine…check out the photos! After punting it was straight to Parker’s Piece to play volleyball! The match was hard fought and everyone played well, even those who hadn’t really played volleyball before got stuck in and certainly gave the more experience students a run for their money!

If you like Thorpe Park, you have got to try Alton Towers. The mother of all British Theme Parks! On Saturday the 7th of August we travel to Alton Towers. Its the countries largest Theme Park and has some of the most exciting rides in the world! Experience the speed of Rita, the dramatic plunge to the ground on Oblivion and the twisting frenzy of Nemesis. There’s even a ride that takes you under water! Price is £40 and includes transfer and admission to the park, with unlimited entry on all the rides and attractions! For more information and to book see me [Mike] in the computer room

After your English Language Classes at EC Cambridge we know that our students like to let their hair down. There are a range of things to do in Cambridge in the evenings. You can catch a film at one of the three cinemas in the city centre, go bowling, or enjoy one of the many fantastic restaurants within Cambridge. After that if you fancy a boogie, then there are plenty of places to go. Most nights of the week their offers available exclusively to students! Here are two of my personal favourites. International Mondays at Soul Tree. Located right near the school on the Corn Exchange! Free Entry until 10:30. Four floors of music and the usual offers on drinks! International Tuesdays at The Place. What better place to go then The Place on Tuesday evening. Located three doors down from our Sydney Street office. £1-3 for entry and offers on drinks all night! Come and see me [Mike] in the computer room for more details.

One great way to see Cambridge is by climbing the 123 steps to the top of the tower of Great St Mary’s church. There has been a church on that site in the very centre of Cambridge since about 1200AD. Check out the view from the top…!

All aboard the love boat! As our welcome night activity this week we organised a ‘speed dating’ night with the Junior programme. It was a great way to get to know each other and the new people who have just started the course! Students have a couple of minutes to ask each other questions before swapping partners and finding out about where their classmates are from, and what their favourite flavours of ice cream are! After getting to know each other there was enough time to push the chairs to the side and put some music on for a Welcome Night Disco!