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The Club is divided into 5 geographical areas primarily to enable women, when they first join the Club, to meet others who live nearby.

Each area has one or two sometimes even three Area Representatives (Area Reps). When you initially join the BLC probably the first person you will meet or hear from will be your Area Rep, who will live quite nearby to you, and will be able to introduce you to other women also living nearby.  She will also be able to help out with any queries you may have if you are new to the country.  Area Reps also organise social events locally which include for example, coffee mornings, potluck lunches, bowling evenings, walks in the woods, beer/wine tasting, trips out to restaurants and the cinema.  Area events are also open to members from other areas.  So if you feel like going to an event that appeals to you but is out of your “area” you are more than welcome!

Central – email: area_central@blc.lu
Beggen, Belair, Bonnevoie, Cents, Cessange, City, Dommeldange, Gasperich, Hollerich, Kirchberg, Limpertsberg, Luxembourg, Merl, Muhlenbach, Rollingergrund

North East – email: area_northeast@blc.lu
Bastendorf, Bettendorf, Bissen, Diekirch, Echternach, Grevenmacher, Junglinster, Kehlen, Koerich, Kopstal, Larochette, Oberanven, Senningerberg, Vianden, Waldbillig, Walferdange, Germany – Bollendorf, Kommlingen, Konz

North West – email: area_northwest@blc.lu
Beckerich, Bettborn, Boevange-sur-Attert, Boulaide, Bourscheid, Clervaux, Colmar-Berg, Flaxweiler, Heiderscheid, Helmdange, Helmsange, Redange-sur-Attert, Saeul, Steinfort, Steinsel, Troisvierges, Wiltz, Belgium – Arlon, France – Longwy

South East – email: area_southeast@blc.lu
Bous, Contern, Hesperange, Mondorf, Remerschen, Remich, Schuttrange, Senningerberg, Germany – Mettlach

South West – email: area_southwest@blc.lu
Bertrange, Bettembourg, Clemency, Leudelange, Mamer, Strassen, France – Thionville, Fleury

Need to contact another member, use the on-line Membership Directory

Changed your mind about not being published in the online directory? Click on Directory: Sign Up

Need to amend your details in the online directory? Click on Directory: Manage your Details

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Keep in touch with our community of women and stay up-to-date with all our events and activities.

BLC Event – November 2018

With the continuing restrictions on meeting up the club is still holding all events online and supporting the government in their request to keep social mixing to a minimum. This effects the cocktail night, newcomers, coffee morning meet ups, area dinners, and Toddle Waddle. We have also decided to postpone the hiking group meet ups for the present. Please do email us for more details at events@blc.lu or kids@blc.luto find out what’s on and how to get your Zoom link!

I thank you all for your understanding and continued support of the club at this difficult time. If any of you need any help with shopping, dog walking etc… if you are having to isolate, please do reach out to the committee and we will do our best to support you in any way possible. committee@blc.lu Please stay safe, wear your masks, keep washing those hands and hopefully we will all be able to meet for a good chat and catch up in the not too distant future.

Victoria and the Committee

If you opted to be a published member you can find your membership number in the Membership Directory search for your name and view your profile.

Alternatively, you can contact the Membership secretary by emailing membership@blc.lu.

Our playgroup meet-ups, i.e. Just Babies, Just Toddlers and Pipsqueaks, are an important lifeline for many of our members, whether they are at home with young children and in search of some adult company, or simply after an opportunity to entertain the kids as well as have some mummy time for a couple of hours.

All of these sessions are hosted by members who kindly open their homes. At Pipsqueaks the kids get together to sing songs. Just Babies and Just Toddlers are playgroup meet-ups for everyone to play together and have a chat. Babies tend to ‘graduate’ to Just Toddlers at around eighteen months, but sometimes there can be a bit of cross over so it is always worth contacting the host named in the newsletter to see what the age range is for that week.

We rely on the support of our members, who open their homes to host these sessions, in order to be able to provide our regular programme of kids events. New hosts are always most welcome, as we find this makes things more evenly distributed. Hosting an event every couple of months is not too difficult. We talked to three of our regular hosts to find out more.

So, why host? What do you get out of hosting a playgroup session?
Saskia: New friends! Definitely new friends. I met my closest friends in Luxembourg through Pips and JT. Also, our kids are friends as well, now. We often meet at one’s home or at a playground and, of course, you learn so much about different cultures. Isn’t it nice to say that you spend half a day with people from all over the world?

Liz: Hosting is a great way to meet new people but, for me, the best thing is that my boys learn they also have to share their toys when new people come round to play! I also like the boys to have time playing with other children in English. The language opportunities here are fantastic but I sometimes feel that they don’t spend enough time with English speakers. I’ve always found expat circles very welcoming and it’s the best way to meet people with kids the same age as yours who you’ll likely go on to see regularly.

Is it a bit weird inviting strangers into your home?
Saskia: I think BLC ladies are not complete strangers, because they belong to the BLC club. We all have kind of the same background. We are new to this country and are looking for contacts and or some advice to “survive” in beautiful Luxembourg.

Judith: I have personally never felt this way. Coming to Luxembourg meant meeting new people all the time. Pipsqueaks was one of the first social events here where I felt I could connect and was welcome. Most of the new attendees have just arrived and are always happy for some advice too. Everyone is welcome. My kids love meeting other kids and singing with them and playing with their toys. Seeing them jumping up and down as if their lives depend on it when singing “sleeping bunnies” will be something I will always treasure.

What does being a host involve?
Saskia: Preparing the house or apartment for guests, offering a snack and a drink. Introducing the guests. So not too much!

Liz: Not much! Offering people a drink, biscuit and maybe fruit for the kids. I tend to move toys I know the kids may squabble over or that are particularly noisy upstairs, it makes my life even easier and I don’t like 15 toys making noises at the same time!! At Pipsqueaks we also sing a few songs. When I first started hosting I didn’t know them well enough so I just asked someone who’d been going for a while to lead until my nursery rhyme skills improved!

Judith: First of all, answer emails and provide people with your contact details. Make sure your place is reasonably tidy and safe before guests arrive. There are very often some younger siblings so make sure you get everything that’s dear to you or a hazard out of the way.

For the afternoon Pipsqueaks we always have a snack, after the singing. It’s completely up to you, whether you want to make something for it or just put some biscuits on the table. I am an architect and work 70%. When I am really busy, I might ask some of the guests to bring something along. Next is the actual event, so enjoy that! I love catching up with the others. The kids are usually entertained, playing with each other and every now and then we learn a new song. The last part is the least fun. Tidying up!

Any tips for attendees?
Saskia: Please be kind, ask if you can attend and maybe offer to bring a light snack (hosts love that!). Also, if you cannot make it, please let the host know.”

Judith: Let the host know in advance that you are coming. Some have to limit places due to space. There is always some preparation involved for them. If you have to cancel try to do that in advance. Also, the whole concept is based on people volunteering to host. There are no additional costs to attend, but no right for a place either. A host might have to cancel unexpectedly, or with short notice, so check your emails and if you bring something along, like a snack, it can also be a help, too.Another thing I was worried about when my kids were a lot younger and not yet attending créche was them picking up something. There is always the possibility of ‘snotty-nosed’ kids running around. If your kid was just sick with something more serious, I find it only fair to let people know in advance.Be prepared for some noise! And keep in mind that you are always responsible for your own offspring. Look forward to spending some time with other mummies. I met some of my best friends here in Luxembourg at Pipsqueaks.

Why host?
Saskia: Because it is a fun way to meet more people. Also, when five people attend an event, I normally get four invitations back. This is so great! It’s fun. If my kids are alone, they might be bored but when they have other kids over, then they play nicely and let mommy drink coffee or tea without having to join in for the play. So, it’s a win-win situation for the mum and the kids.

Liz: It’s a great way to meet new people and I find I remember faces and names better when I’m meeting them in my own home. You also don’t have to pack your kids up to travel anywhere so it saves another trip in the car. Children entertain each other when they’re together so you’re free to drink coffee in peace. If you have small kids then your place will likely be kiddy proof so it’s not like meeting in a café when you spend all your time attempting damage limitation!

Judith: At the beginning I was very hesitant about hosting. We live in an apartment with no garden and my oldest son wasn’t even two back then, so I thought there wouldn’t be enough room or toys to host such an event. But hosting a session is giving back something. Usually, if there are quite a few mummies involved, you will only end up hosting occasionally, maybe sometimes you might spring in if someone has to cancel. I enjoy having people over and once every five or six weeks is not much. The visiting mothers don’t have to worry about tidying up before or after, which gives them a welcome break. But at the same time my two boys actually really like it as well, when it is our time to host. They all have to learn to share their toys, but they are proud too, to show the other kids their rooms and so on. And another good thing- you don’t have to drive home after.If for some reason you are unable to host, you can always talk to the coordinator. Maybe limiting numbers, a slightly different time or day could solve the problem.”

Both hosting and attending some of our group activities for kids can be really rewarding for both parents and children, from fostering new friendships and making connections, to simply providing a friendly environment where you can relax and have a chat and a coffee whilst your kids enjoy a good play!

If you have any questions about any of our kids activities please get in touch with our Parent and Children’s Coordinator/s, on kids@blc.lu.

If you have deleted either the Digital Newsletter, Event Reminders & Information, Renewal Reminder and or Children’s Email Group you can read them in Archived Digital Newsletters.

You can edit your subscription for your digital email notices at any time on the BLC website.

Go to Welcome to the BLC page and sign in.  On the home page scroll down to the bottom and click Manage your Subscription.  You will see your Status – either subscribed or unsubscribed.  If you select unsubscribed then you will be removed from all the lists or if you want to remove or add yourself to a particular list just tick/untick according to the ones you want.  Equally, if you are currently unsubscribed and wish to receive either all or a particular list then you can re-subscribe and select which one/s you want.

The lists that you choose from are:

1. Children’s Email Group
2. Digital Newsletter
3. Event Reminder & Information
4. Renewal Reminder

We are making changes to the way we deliver British passports. From 3 June 2013, British citizens will need to submit passport applications to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) in the UK for processing. Previously this service was provided by our Paris Embassy. All the information needed to complete the passport application process, is available on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports.

If applicants cannot find the information they need on the GOV.UK website, they can contact the Passport Advice line on +44 (0) 300 222 0000.

The British Embassy in Luxembourg reminds all British citizens to make sure they renew their passports well in advance of expiry or travel.

Please see details on www.gov.uk/overseas-passports.

Note: If required, it may be possible to obtain a new/renewal U.K. passport very quickly by travelling to the U.K. and utilising the one day premium service (there is an additional charge for this service). One of our members has also recently advised that it is possible to obtain a certified copy of your passport to send off with your application, allowing you to continue to use your current passport in the meantime, assuming it hasn’t expired.

It is suggested that you consult the U.K. government website address above and, for full information, you can contact the U.K. Passport office on: +44 (0) 300 222 0000.

To keep up-to-date on consular matters and Embassy services, events and activities check out:
www.facebook.com/britishembassyluxembourg.

You should not book travel until you have received your new passport. The British Government cannot accept responsibility for costs incurred if travel is booked and subsequently cancelled before the passport has been received.

You will receive your new passport and supporting documents separately.

NATIONALITY ENQUIRIES

The Home Office is the lead government department on nationality matters. If you have an enquiry about eligibility for British citizenship or nationality, information can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/british-passport-eligibility.

URGENT TRAVEL

If you need to travel urgently but your normal passport is not available, you should make an appointment with our Consular Officer Wendy Casey, here at the Embassy using our online appointment booking service https://www.gov.uk/government/world/luxembourg. She may in certain circumstances be able to issue an Emergency Travel Document. For general consular enquiries, please call +352 22 98 64 and select the “consular” option

The British Embassy in Luxembourg reminds all British citizens to make sure they renew their passports well in advance of expiry or travel.

Owing to high demand, delivery times of passports are currently rather slower than usual.  Please see details on https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

As you are aware, all overseas passports now have to be online and the Embassy here in Luxembourg does not deal with queries relating to this anymore.

We have been asked by the British Embassy in Luxembourg if any of our members would be willing to volunteer as a contact for elder British Nationals who do not have internet access.

The Embassy feels it would be nice to be able to give a name to the callers, as they feel they cannot ignore these queries.

If you would like to volunteer for this please contact chair@blc.lu who will pass your details to the Embassy – please do not contact the Embassy directly.

A couple of years ago, Pam Lydon, the Group co-ordinator for the BLC Freewheelers group, wrote an article for the Newsletter not long after her husband died concerning important information we should all be aware of if there’s ever a need to call the emergency services in Luxembourg. As this could be a life-or-death matter, we felt it should be highlighted again.

Over two years ago, my husband collapsed outside our vet’s office on the route d’Arlon in Mamer. At that time he was still conscious and was able to tell the passers by who stopped to help that he thought it was his heart.

These concerned people, as most of us would do, called 112 for an ambulance and in due course the ambulance of the “Protection Civile” arrived. These ambulances are staffed with volunteers who (without denying that they do a very good public service) will only get you to hospital. They are NOT qualified medical staff and cannot give medical treatment. If a heart attack (or indeed any serious injury) is suspected you must specify that the “SAMU” (emergency doctor service) is needed. By the time someone finally did call out the “SAMU“, valuable time had been lost. My husband suffered brain damage through lack of oxygen and, after being in a coma, died several weeks later .

According to statistics, more and more people are dying every day from sudden cardiac arrest or heart attack.

Apart from calling 112 and making sure to ask for the “SAMU“, what else could you do even before the emergency services arrive? The ambulance which was called for my husband, for example, took some time to get there after having to battle heavy traffic on the route d’Arlon.

Some doctors believe that an immediate hands only CPR method can double a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest or avoiding brain damage through lack of oxygen when the heart begins to fibrillate. Perhaps if more people knew how to do continuous chest compression or CPR and the CPR was begun rapidly, the possibility of saving the person’s life could be vastly improved.

Click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILxjxfB4zNk and you will see from the video with Vinnie Jones, which was sponsored by the British Heart Foundation, that hands only CPR is not difficult to do. It does not require you to perform a mouth to mouth contact and the rhythm, using the Bee Gees music of ‘Staying Alive’ is easy to remember.

I certainly don’t profess to having much medical knowledge but it seems that this procedure could be well worth knowing. Please take a minute to look at this video and to pass it on to as many people as you can.  It may save somebody’s life, perhaps even one of your own family members. It might have saved my husband’s life.

In addition, regarding the emergency services, not so long ago my son witnessed a child falling badly from his bike in the park and breaking both wrists. The child’s mother immediately called 112 but when the “Protection Civile” arrived, they were apparently not even allowed to give the child, who by this time was screaming with pain, a painkilling injection. So one more occasion that draws attention to the fact that the “SAMU” should be specified when calling 112 to get help after any potentially serious accident . I do hope with all my heart that none of you will ever need to call on these services but at least you will be aware of the best procedure to follow.

Pam Lydon

A Commitment between Myself and the Ministry for Families and Integration/*OLAI. I recommend to take the journey!
‘Discover the history, customs, languages and values of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg!’
‘to learn one of the country’s languages, to follow a citizenship training course, to attend an orientation day’

‘Your advantages: discounted rate for language courses, free citizenship training course and orientation day, an exemption from one of the mandatory citizenship training courses for the acquisition of Luxembourg nationality, an acknowledgement towards a long-term residence permit’

November 2012 I made an enquiry. Motivated by our intention to stay indefinitely in Luxembourg, in support of our daughter Claire who starts Precoce this September and for myself so I don’t feel so much the foreigner without sufficient language or understanding of the multicultural Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. I felt no longer the capable and independent person I was in Australia. It was like I had returned to an earlier stage of being in a number of respects. Maybe you can relate when I share that I had my husband – who speaks German, English and French – make the appointments to organise a mortgage with our bank. I was just not operating at the same level. I stepped down as the BLC NL Editor to focus on this journey.

January 2013 I attended an information session, a 1on1 interview, decided to sign up and received my own folder complete with ID card. Apparently I was the first Australian to take the journey. Although I know there are other Skippys out there, perhaps the plan is to return home to brighter skies, warmer days and sea water. I can relate as a big part of an Australian’s way of life is to be outdoors all year round without the risk of freezing. OK, a sunburn is risky but a first in my life was being Vitamin D deficient some 18 months after arrival.

March 2013 I signed up for a special Museum Tour of the ABC Luxembourg with personal tour guide set up especially for journey goers.

May 2013 I attended two sessions of a Civic Course. There were 18 participants on the English speaking edition of the course. From as far north as Finland to as far south as Australia. Taking us on the journey was a Dane born in Luxembourg. The energy of the 19 people in the room on the day was positive and bursting with enthusiasm to share experiences, circumstances and aspirations for being in Luxembourg. It is surprisingly enriching to share such an event with people you’ve never met before but you are travelling on the same journey with. Some come form places you’ve never visited but yet here they are moving through similar challenges, highs and lows. It is a validating experience hearing the stories of these real life storytellers.

It made me realise something: While I know Luxembourg is the home of Luxembourgers and I am grateful for what I have lately been referring to as a ’paradise’ thanks to the vision and the openness to make Luxembourg a home for immigrates such as myself, it is the other immigrants that I am also strongly connected to due to the sheer number of us and our realisation that we are not alone, but part of a progressive and open society willing to take part in its progress and success. That extends itself in such a way that you are at times without a known experience of anything like it. I no longer feel the level of incapability and lack of independence as I’d known earlier. That I am not alone and there are others just like me on the journey that is made available by coming to Luxembourg. What you make of it is up to you. All you have to do is start the journey and you just can’t deny yourself the wonder that comes with being a new member of this Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

When the civic course ended on a sunny Saturday afternoon in May, I felt like I had finished a good book. It was a surprising feeling to recognise. I am so looking forward to the sequel. Stay tuned!

Next: June 10 to 11 July Intensive German Language Course and June 15 2013 Orientation Day.

Want to know more? http://www.olai.public.lu/fr/index.html 

*Office luxembourgeois de l’accueil et de I’integration (OLAI)

Cheers Kylie Morrison

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British Embassy 229864 / 65 / 66
5 Boulevard Joseph II
L-1840 Luxembourg

The British Embassy in Luxembourg is pleased to remind members of British and British-linked communities and associations in Luxembourg that the best way to keep up-to-date on consular matters and Embassy services, events and activities is to check out
www.facebook.com/britishembassyluxembourg.

Police 113
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Nightrider Bus 8002 10 10

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