Lingua Links

To all our Lingua Linkers,

After having to cancel our Easter 2020 French Club due to COVID, the uncertain circumstances have meant that we sadly have not been able to run our much loved holiday clubs. Now, 2 years, and what would have been 5 clubs, down the line we find ourselves making a very difficult and emotional decision.

After running Lingua Links Holiday clubs since 2014, welcoming almost 250 children and enthusing them with our love for languages every Easter and Summer, we have decided not to run more Lingua Links holiday clubs.

The success of Lingua Links has always been thanks to the word of mouth recommendations that it has generated; children (and parents!) who have waxed lyrical about their experiences and brought along friends and siblings to join them as they have all had so much fun. The COVID-enforced 2 year break has left us in a situation where most of our lingua linkers have grown up meaning we would be starting from scratch –and we sadly don’t feel able to do this at this current time. COVID has required us to change our tutoring services substantially placing different demands on our time and Danielle (who joined us in 2018) has retrained and is now working as a Teaching Assistant. This means we simply don’t feel that we are able to design and deliver the original and high quality clubs that you know us for whilst tackling the mammoth job of advertising and recruiting new Lingua Linkers and managing our other tutoring and work commitments.

We have had an absolute ball teaching your children, and while this may be an “au revoir” for Lingua links, it is an “à bientôt” for our individual language tutoring companies. We continue to tutor and teach languages through Language Learners North East - French & Spanish Tuition, Cramlington and Oui Talk French Language Tuition . If you don’t already please follow these pages. As the world is now starting to return to normal we are reviewing our tutoring offering and will update the pages with any events and classes we set up. We also offer private 1:1 or small group tutoring for all levels and ages so if you would like your child (or yourself) to continue or begin their Language Learning journey please get in touch!

Thank you so much for all your support and “lending us your children” since 2014. It sounds corny but it genuinely is a privilege to teach and enthuse them about languages. While we are sad to have to come to this decision, we feel it is the right thing to do and are so proud of everything that we have achieved. Our songs, crafts and games will long live in our memories as we hope they will in yours and your children’s.

Merci et au revoir/ à bientôt

Emma, Natalie et Danielle xx

Summer Holiday Club update.
Bonjour Lingua Linkers! We hope you are all keeping safe!

We have been watching the updates every day and we were as desperate as you to be able to offer summer holiday Lingua Links clubs.... Unfortunately, today's guidance was the news we were hoping would not come. Government guidelines state we cannot open holiday clubs to groups from separate school bubbles, nor can we sing (!!) and as these are some of the unique things about Lingua Links, we hope you will understand that we have had to take the sad decision not to run our summer club this year. We hope to see you all next Easter for lots more language-learning fun & leave you with a new French phrase - à la prochaine-until the next time.

Take care of yourselves et à bientôt !
Emma, Natalie & Danielle

It's just dawned on us that we don't have space to store the 40 empty wine bottles we'd saved up for our Easter club... We're going to have to drink another 40 again in time for our next club. Depending how long we'll need to be practicing social distancing, we'll each have to tackle this task as individuals so we might need to get some practice in now.
Please wish us luck... Santé!

Some of you might want to have a go at The LLNE French challenge as part of your home schooling "experience"! A Spanish one will also be uploaded to the LLNE page shortly.

We're here for any questions. Bonne Courage! (this does actually mean good luck but I think we're all going to need all the (English) courage we can get over the coming weeks!

With the help of some inspiration and ideas from other wonderful language tutors LLNE has pulled together a French Challenge (a Spanish one is in the making to) Have a go at the challenge with your child as a break from/ as part of their home schooling during the school closures. It would be great to see pictures of some ot the things created.

In light of yesterday’s announcement regarding school closures we have come to the difficult, but inevitable, decision to cancel our Easter Club. Emails have gone to all those registered with details on refunds and a possible provision for "key workers’" children.

We (well the NHS!) will beat this and with your support for future clubs this pandemic will not beat what is, according to us, the best French Holiday Club in the North East!

Prenez bien soin de vous! (Keep safe everyone!)

..And for not other reason then because everyone needs something to brighten their day at the moment here's a French funny for you!

Corona Virus Update:
You will have seen the recent guidelines from the government which we are taking very seriously. We are seeking further advice as to what this means for the holiday club and will contact those enrolled via your registered email addresses with the advice we receive and decision we make. Thank you for your understanding.

Interesting fact about croissants no. 3

After the introduction of margarine the French feared that it would make inferior croissants. So croissants made with butter took on a straight form (while those made with margarine are the crescent shape) so that you knew if you were buying something of quality or not!

Croissant intereseting fact No. 2:

The word croissant in French means crescent, it is shaped to look like the crescent moon - the sign of the Ottoman empire!

Holiday Club planning is making us think of croissants and we've discovered some initeresting facts....

Interesting fact no. 1 - Croissants are not actually French! they are Austrian and were created to celebrate bakers uncovering a plot by the Ottomans to blow up Vienna!

Coffee, tissue paper, PVA glue and candles... It must be a Lingua Links prep and planning meeting!