Booking is now open for The Oxford & Cambridge Garden Party at the British Ambassador's Residence, Tuesday 25th July.

The British Ambassador, Dame Menna Rawlings, has agreed to welcome us at her Residence for our Garden Party. 

We are pleased to announce that Wesley Kerr OBE, former BBC Royal Correspondent, will be our guest speaker for the 2023 Garden Party.

This is traditionally an enjoyable evening and a prestigious event in our season, so make sure you book as soon as possible.

About Wesley Kerr, OBE

Wesley Kerr OBE is a freelance broadcaster, and writer and also a historian and horticulturist. He is the longest serving Board Member and Trustee of London’s magnificent Royal Parks, and a Council Member of the Royal Horticultural Society and Vice President of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. For 7 years he chaired the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Committee for London, restoring and regenerating historic places and culture. He received his OBE personally from Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for services to heritage.
 
Wesley was born in Perivale, Middlesex, although conceived In Jamaica, and had wonderful English foster parents. He was educated in state schools and then aged 12 won a Hampshire County Bursary to Winchester College and aged 17 was awarded an Open Scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge where he read history from 1976- 79. He joined the BBC that year as its first black graduate production trainee, becoming producer, reporter, correspondent, presenter on a huge variety of programmes. Over a long career he has reported from 40 countries. Throughout the turbulent 1990s he was a Court and then Royal Correspondent at BBC News. Among the stories he was present at or reported live from; The Heysel stadium disaster, the Windsor Castle Fire, the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bomb, The Queen’s return to the Palace after Diana’s death.
 
Wesley is a frequent contributor to Royal and history documentaries and discussions on Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV1, BBC, Sky and internationally from Canada to Germany and Australia.
 
He has written for The Telegraph, Times, Guardian, and numerous magazines including recent royal features for The Tatler. He has recently curated a number of exhibitions of work by the British-Jamaican artist Rudi Patterson. 
 
He covered the Queen’s funeral and the King’s Coronation live for ITV and CBS News. The Royal Parks were central to both events. He has been closely involved in huge restoration projects at Brompton Cemetery, Greenwich Park and a new 2 acre garden being created in The Regent’s Park celebrating the late Queen.
 
He says Cambridge gave him confidence, knowledge, synthesis and many lifelong friends.
 

Venue: 
The British Ambassador's Residence, 39, rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, 75008 Paris

Timing: 
The Embassy gate will be opened to members and guests at 6h30 pm sharp. The Speaker's presentation will begin at 6h45 pm so we strongly recommend you arrive promptly at 6h30 pm.

Carriages at 9h00 pm.

Dress code: 
Blazers, lounge suits and cocktail dress.
 
Cost and booking procedure: 

Four categories of ticket are proposed:
•    Standard members tickets at €69 each, for members of either the Cambridge Society of Paris or the Oxford University Society in Paris and one guest
•    Under 30 members tickets at €49 each, available to those members who are under 30 years of age. One guest ticket can also be booked at the U30 rate, although that guest does not need to be also under 30
•    Additional guest tickets at €80 each, for those members who wish to invite a second or more guests
•    Non-members tickets at €80 each, for alumni of either University who are not members of CamSoc or OUSP and their guests.
Bookings should be made through the Cambridge Society's website, using this link which sends you to the Garden Party event page. If you require assistance with the booking process, please contact Tony Banton, Treasurer, on treasurer@camsocparis.org.

Once your payment has been received, you will be sent a confirmation of your registration.

For security, The Embassy requires a list of names in advance; please provide your own name in full, together with those of your guests, as they are shown on your photographic ID (passport or ID card) which must be presented at the gate to gain access. 

In order that the full list of names can be provided to the Embassy in accordance with their request, bookings will close on Tuesday 18th July. In addition, cancellations will only be accepted and refunded if received by that date.