Parlez-vous français? Perhaps not, but hundreds of locals now do thanks in part to a decade of classes run by a couple of women passionate about the language.
February marks the start of a new year of ‘French Together Cambridge’, casual lessons run by Cherie Cartwright and Sandrine Pryor.
They launched the classes 10 years ago and have seen them growing like topsy ever since. When The News caught up with them last week, neither Cherie nor Sandrine was sure why that was. They mused it might be the connection Cambridge has with its sister town in France, Le Quesnoy, perhaps a surge of interest from the Paris Olympics, or simply a growing number of locals with the interest, time and wherewithal to visit France.
Whatever the reason, they are set to start 2025 with around 30 students. Some will have no French at all, others are returnees wanting to keep their learning going, while others might come just for a short while.
Cherie and Sandrine use their combined skills to help them get there. Cherie learned the language at school and at university, then lived in France for a while; she’s a kiwi with a passion for anything with a link to France. Sandrine is French-born, a teacher who has travelled and taught extensively, most recently teaching French to expats in Dubai.
The classes started in 2016 after Cherie met a Frenchman then new to Cambridge, Cedric Delavalee. They began with casual catch-ups for those interested in learning French, and by the time Cedric left a couple of years later, Cherie had met Sandrine and lessons were established. Now they work together, splitting classes into newbies and those with some knowledge of the language, always incorporating French culture, history, cuisine and more.
Two years ago, they started doing annual trips to France, fortnight-long Cherie and Sandrine-led tours to different parts of the country. In May, they will go to the Normandie-Bretagne region.
Classes are held during school terms in a space at Cambridge High School, and the women reckon they’ll keep going as long as they enjoy it as much as they do.
Sandrine Pryor, left, and Cherie Cartwright, toast their 10 years’ spent teaching French in Cambridge. Photo: supplied
