Hello all,

time for a catch up and a chance to pass on some interesting articles and comments Ive received lately. In this edition you can read about the latest Globetrotters Club Travel Award winner, follow Mac through surviving travel emergencies and learn about life in Calabria, Italy. You can also see that the London and Chester branches have continued to busy with very interesting programs… And Ive added a couple of sections in this introduction to highlight some news and events !

Members News

Artist Karen Neale and her partner Alex Lassuss Rodriguez have given birth to a baby son and are all doing well…congratulations to all of three of them

Photographer Dan Bachmann spoke at the Royal Geographical Societys Young Members Geographical Journeys: Young Members’ Micro Lectures evening on 9 March on London…briefly recounting his visit to Karamojong people of north east Uganda. You may recall Dan undertook this quite unique journey by being partly funded by winning the Globetrotters Travel Award in June 2009…perhaps this is the start of a new speaking career, particularly as you can catch him at the Chester branch in May.

Committee member Francesca Jaggs, the clubs Publicity and PR officer, is going to Sarajevo as a volunteer for Healing Hands Network in May 2010. If you would like to help sponsor her endeavours and raise money for charity, click here for more details http://www.mycharitypage.com/francescajaggs

Interesting Events

· As European Capital of Culture for 2010, Istanbul is hosting a plethora of events throughout the year across the city from heritage, visual arts & multimedia to film, theatre & dance, music, museums, literature & poetry. Many other projects are well underway, from restoration work on historic sites such as the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Suleymaniye Mosque and the Ataturk Cultural Centre to the construction of brand-new art and cultural centres, from ongoing festivals and arts events to the commissioning of new artistic works for 2010. For full calendar of events see www.en.istanbul2010.org.

Thats all for now heres to enjoying the spring and travels you might be about to start J

The Ant
theant@globetrotters.co.uk