Room with a View

At the beginning of September we once again welcomed a lovely group of postgraduate students from the University of Stuttgart. These students follow a course in part on Civil Engineering and come to LSI Portsmouth to improve their professional skills.  While here, they visited the wonderfully weird and iconic Spinnaker Tower of Portsmouth, always of interest to architects, project managers and sightseers alike.  Nicki Hayes accompanied them and took some fabulous candid shots which we thought we would share.
If you look at the top of the picture of the tower you can see there is a viewing tower at the top.  This is where these photos were taken, standing on the glass floor of the viewing gallery.

Isn't this a brilliant photo?

Poetry to Soothe the Soul

Those who know the staff at LSI will remember Abbie Headon from a couple of years ago, who was such a popular teacher at LSI.  We have all kept in touch, in part, due to the fact that Abbie's husband Jeremy continues to work at LSI.  Abbie left to return to her first love - Publishing.  For the last year or so she has been writing a book, reflecting her love of poetry and at the beginning of September it was published. To celebrate the occasion  Blackwells the book shop across the road to LSI held a book launch for her wonderful book  'Poetry First Aid Kit'.  All who attended (and there were many teachers in attendance) had a wonderful evening, with lovely food and drink supplied, lots of friends and readings from her book.  There was even a celebrity among the audience; Portsmouth's very own Poet Laureate Sam Cox, who wrote and performed a poem specially.

Abbie and her book

Poetry First Aid Kit

Abbies' LSI supporters: Joel, Ceri. Ed, Claire and Becky  

Des, Ed and Jeremy (Abbie's husband)

Ceri reading a poem from Abbie's book

Ed and Jeremy taking it in turns to
read a poem from Abbie's book

Des reading a poem from Abbie's book

Portsmouth's own Poet Laureate
 Sam Cox very kindly wrote
 a poem specially and
 came and performed
 for the audience.

Goodbye Carolina

A very sad day on Friday as our lovely Carolina (Gil) left her job in reception for pastures new. Carolina is going to Dubai for a new adventure and we wish her all the best - and will miss her smiling happy face welcoming us every day.

LSI Trip to Wembley - England vs Germany

LSI Trip to Wembley – England vs Germany

"A student group including me went to the football game between England and Germany on 19^th November at Wembley Stadium.

The bus left at 3:30 pm from LSI, and on the way we had a break for coffee.  We arrived at 6.30 pm at the stadium.  To practise my English I talked to the other students who came from different countries.  After arriving we took photographs of the group and stadium.  After that we went to our seats and watched the game.  The crowd were very quiet because Germany won, but you could say that England was the better team,  After the game we went to the bus together, and arrived back in Portsmouth at 1:15 am.  We had a lot of fun on the trip and enjoyed the day."

Zülküf Öztürk  

from Germany

Elly Tries to Beat an 80 year Old Man!

One of the things we are very proud of here at LSI is the caring and generous nature of so many of the teachers and staff.  Many of the teachers doing weird and wonderful things to raise money for charity, donating their time and effort (and cash) for wonderful causes.

With one of her biggest supporters - John (Hicks) behind the barrier.

Recently Elly Easey (our lovely Reception Manager) really pulled out all the stops by completing a triathlon.   For various reason we are only able to publish now, but we can't let it go without posting up about her amazing achievement.  It was in aid of the Leukaemia Cancer Society and Alzheimer's Society.  These were charities that were particularly important to her, as her Uncle Jim, who had both of these illnesses, sadly passed away in January.
So in July in the heat of the Summer in Chichester, Elly got ready to face one of the biggest challenges of her life.  Although she had started training in preparation, injury had stopped her training as much as she wished.  
Before the event we asked her to tell us in her own words what she would be doing and why she was doing it and below are her words. 

"It’s the hottest July in 7 years and the heatwave is set to continue into next week.  Most people are getting their barbecues, sunglasses and deck chairs ready for the weekend but not me.  No, I'm preparing my swimming hat, racing bike and running shoes because this Sunday I'm doing a triathlon.

This isn't something I’d normally do on a blisteringly hot day, by the way!  I’m doing this to raise money for two charities that are very important to my family - the Leukaemia Cancer Society and the Alzheimer’s Society.

We hear a lot about Alzheimer’s and leukaemia in the news but do you know what they really are?

Alzheimer’s is one of the causes of dementia (an illness which causes memory loss, confusion and mood swings).  There are around 800,000 people with Alzheimer’s in the UK today.  Sadly, there is no cure for this illness.  It usually gets worse over time and it can be very difficult for both the person and their family.  The money I am raising will go towards teaching doctors and nurses the best ways to help care for those suffering from the illness and also the best way to give support to the families of the patients.

Leukaemia is a cancer that affects white blood cells and bone marrow.  It makes the person feel very sick and weak.  There is treatment for this illness and people can recover but it is not easy.  In 2010 8,257 people were diagnosed with leukaemia in the UK.  Amazingly, 44.5 % of patients survive their cancer for 5 years or more.  With the money I’m raising, charities like Leukaemia Cancer Society hope to make that percentage a lot higher.

So when you’re sitting on the beach this Sunday, eating an ice cream, think of me!  If you’d like to sponsor me you can donate on my justgiving pages http://www.justgiving.com/Elly-Easey for Leukaemia Cancer Society

http://www.justgiving.com/Elly-Easey1 for Alzheimer’s Society

Or if you want to help me get to the finish line, stand there with an ice cream and I’ll definitely run faster!"

Elly with her Dad

"I did it!  I arrived early in the morning to collect my race number and set my kit up in the transition area.  It made me feel a little bit better that the man registering in front of me looked about 80 years old – surely I can do it faster than him!  

I was definitely more than a little bit nervous before I got into the pool.  There were so many people taking part and so many people watching!  I think the swim was the worst part.  Once I’d finished that and run to the transition area I felt much more comfortable.  I could hear my family cheering me on and the atmosphere was brilliant.  The cycle route went through some stunning countryside and other than my bottle falling off my bike, the HUGE hill and the heat, it was really fun.  The hardest part was running afterwards.  I was so hot, my legs were like jelly and I was very thirsty.  After about 4 km my legs were really hurting but as soon as I saw the finish line I had a burst of energy and managed to sprint to the end. 

I LOVED it.  Completing that triathlon was the best feeling in the world.  I was so excited afterwards I felt like I could do it all again!

In total I've raised around £550.  Thank you so much to everyone who made a donation.  Anyone who wants to join me next year, I’ll be there, hoping to beat my time….and the 80 year old man who finished before me!"

A Close Shave

This time last year, a group of our teachers joined 'Movember' to raise money for men's cancer charities.  You can read about it here: One of the Kindest Cuts of All

It's that time of year again and this year our teacher Michael Baldwin is challenging his follicles for a good cause.  As long as we've known Michael he has had a hairy chin so it was quite a shock to see him clean shaven on the 1st November (see below).  We asked him why he was going facially naked and this is what he told us:

'The most important reason is to raise awareness, and even for me to be more aware of the cancers that are killing people and that we know so little about.  We need to raise money for research, this is aimed at prostate cancer, but really it's to raise awareness of any type of cancer.  I would love people to donate to my page on the Movember site but in fact donating to any cancer charity would be fabulous.'

People are welcome to donate

via the website on my behalf http://mobro.co/michaelrdbaldwin

Before

Naked

To see what Ray Winstone and Jimmy White want you to know click this 
video link  (great clip!!)

To read how Movember started click the link below

BBC: The history of the Movember appeal

or go to 
the Movember website

Fact box:

Some other cancer charities that also do great work
and would welcome donations are:

Macmillan 

Marie Curie 

Wear it Pink

Cancer Research UK 

CLIC 

leukaemialymphomaresearch

Yet another inspection, yet another celebration!

It's a part of teaching life nowadays to need inspections by various groups, which always mean the teachers and staff have to work particularly hard before and during the inspection.  What better way to mark the end of the week than everyone getting together for a drink or three?

Allan Gray, Ceri Tipler, Dave Cann

Dave Cann, (background: Jacqui, Will) Alan Daysh (June) Emma Hoyle

Alan Daysh, John Hicks, Emma Hoyle, Andrew Edwards

Lewis Richards - showing what Real Men don't drink ;-)

TEN to LSI

As Autumn gets into full flow, LSI Portsmouth was delighted to welcome a group of TEN (The English Network) agents, as they arrived in Portsmouth as part of their tour of all the TEN schools in England.  We had a wonderful time showing friends old and new what Portsmouth and LSI has to offer, as well as showing off all the improvements that have been brought in recently at LSI.  It has to be said the pleasure was all ours as this was such a lovely friendly group of people.

Beautiful New Executive Brochure 2014 Available Now

Our marketing department have been working their socks off to get our new 2014 Executive school brochure ready.  It has to be said, this year's brochure is absolutely gorgeous.
The staff and students spent a few days recently feeling like stars, with a wonderful professional photographer who arrived with all his equipment for the shots. Life continued as usual, classes happened, coffee breaks were taken, lunch was eaten and socialising went ahead as normal, the only difference being that a professional photographer; Peter Langdown was following with his lighting, tripods and equipment and his incredibly expensive camera. It was easy to imagine being a star being followed by the Paparazzi. Everyone involved in the shooting enjoyed the experience immensely.

Then came the job of updating and editing the text, which was no small feat, too many stunning photos, but eventually this beauty was born.
This was one of Allan Gray, Senior Marketing Consultant's last projects before finally leaving LSI. If you look closely at the last page shown here (page 9) you can see him in discussion with a student over a glass of wine - not a surprise to anyone who knows him ;-). Along with Emma Hoyle's amazing organisational skills this has resulted in being by far the most beautiful brochure we have produced to date.
You can download your copy here:
2014 Executive English Brochure

Those Summer Nights....

2013 saw LSI Portsmouth break all records in numbers of students at the school, which in turn meant record numbers of teachers working.  So what better way to say goodbye to a thoroughly enjoyable yet a little exhausting summer than to have our traditional End of Summer Party?
It was great to see faces old and new, enjoy some wonderful food (organised by Hannah) and be fortified with liquid refreshment to help wash it all down. If there was one thing missing it was someone taking photos!  Everyone was enjoying themselves too much to get the cameras out and so all we have are the few pictures here - kindly donated by Angel.  I'm sure you can only agree that it looks like everyone is having a thoroughly fabulous time!  (The photos give the impression that only about ten people attended - this most definitely wasn't the case - there just isn't any evidence to say otherwise!)

From left: Lisa Li, Najat, Andrew, Angel and Peter

From left: Angel, Lisa Li, Ouddy, Karen and Najat

Najat and Peter (Looking a lot more relaxed now!)

Najat, Peter, Angel and Lisa Li

In the background you can just make out: Ed, Cliff, Marion, Gordon, Ceri and Shelton
in the front: Lisa Li, Ouddy, Karen, Najat, Antonio.

The evening was held in the lovely old Bridge Tavern in Old Portsmouth, a wonderfully historic pub brimming with character.  

End of Another Era - Cristina has Gone!

Thursday 26th September was a very sad day for LSI and all the staff and students who have known and loved Cristina Purcell for the last 9 years.  Over the last 5 years Cris has gone from being manager of our Saudi Ladies course to being the Pre-Sessional Course Manager.  With the very high numbers of pre-sessional courses that have been running for the last couple of years here, Cris has done a heroic job.  She has managed to keep all the students and teachers on course, as well as being a really good friend to so many here.  The high point of Monday morning during the summer has been Cristina's  cakes, each Monday a new batch of delicious goodies would appear to have with a cuppa (gosh we will miss those).  Cris is one of those people with so many hobbies and interests that she has never had a spare moment, until now.  She is leaving us to go and live in the country in Wales, where she can now spend her time doing what she really wants without being disturbed.

And it's Over.. Pre-Sessional Course 2013

After months of very hard work from both students and teachers, the 2013 Pre-Sessional Course finally came to an end on 6th September 2013.  As you can see from everyone's face, it was a very happy day.  We are sorry to say goodbye to so many lovely students but we wish them well in their future studies and careers.

From the left:Front row: Andrew (Principle), Hewa, Cristina (Pre-Sessional Manager)
Back row: Teachers: Kamila, Joe, Kelly, Joanna, Becky, Leanne 

Thank you to Hewa for the photos!

Why is Portsmouth in the Daily Newspapers?

This little story has absolutely nothing to do with LSI but is about Portsmouth and a very fun story that is being reported quite a bit in the media.

Andrew Whyte has piqued the attention of many with his photos of a little Lego figure posing all around the city.  At the moment most of his photos are of the seafront, but he is hoping to branch out more around the town and even has days out. He has a project called the 365 project where he aims to take a photo each day in a different location.  What is so cute is that the Lego man has his own little camera, and the photos show him trying to capture photos.

So far it has been reported in the city’s local  blog Teamlocal, the local newspaper the Portsmouth News, in the Daily Mail and even in The Sun.  Legoman has his own facebook page called Legography which has over a thousand followers.

If you'd like to see some lovely images of Portsmouth, do click on the links above as there are some stunning images, and what is even more impressive is that they are all taken on an iphone!

https://www.facebook.com/Legography

https://www.facebook.com/Legography

https://www.facebook.com/Legography

https://www.facebook.com/Legography



https://www.facebook.com/Legography

 If you'd like to follow him, do go to his facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/Legography

Do you know of any other strange / interesting things in Portsmouth?
Send us a photo or leave a comment below

A Day in the Life of an LSI Teacher - Alan Daysh

A couple of years ago one of our teachers took a video to show what his day was like at LSI, things have changed a little now, some of the teachers have since left, new ones have come, but it's a lovely snapshot of a typical day here and makes for some really fun and interesting viewing.  Make sure you have it with the sound turned on (he wrote the soundtrack - yet another one of our talented teachers).

LSI A Day in the Life