Meet the GLC Bureau
Janet
My favourite flower is........
The Hibiscus - it’s bold and colourful and reminds me of exotic places.
Joined 2015 and discovered my love for painting and have since met many wonderful women within the GLC.
I love living in France for the scenery, culture and way of life is so diverse. I can go from my home to the seaside, to the mountains, lakes, city or even to a neighboring country. Every visit brings its own cultural warmth.
Belinda
My favourite flower is....…..
Lily of the Valley, which is also my birth month flower for May. It to me is dainty and beautiful and means purity, joy, love, sincerity, happiness and luck.
I joined the GLC to help me open my social circle. Having moved through lockdown, COVID and then adjusting to a completely new life I felt quite isolated. I wanted to meet ladies and feel part of a larger family.
I have loved our three years living here because we have a lovely home with a garden. We have met some fantastic people and learned so many different skills. I love the way of life. The weather here and the people we have been lucky enough to meet.
Julia
My favourite flower is the Orchid....…..
I joined the original Ladies Lunch Club a year or so after it first started.
I love living in France for the weather, the wine, the less hurried way of life, and because being here has given me opportunities to try different things, things I would possibly not have had the chance to try in the UK.
Patricia
My favourite flower is....…..
The Snowdrop because it represents hope, positivity and new beginnings.
I joined the Club in November 2023. As a relative 'newbie' in France. I found it a wonderful way to meet new people, make friends and help me settle in. Consequently, I am delighted to contribute to the Club as Deputy Secretary.
I love the laissez faire attitude in the Gers, the relaxed way of life and, of course, the food and wine help too!.
Magda
My favourite flower is....…..
The yellow Tea Rose.
In 2009 I was invited for lunch by Patricia Colan, the first president of the (then called) Ladies Lunch Club. I liked the idea, the atmosphere and friendship, so I became a member. The Gersabelles singing group were founded and I started to help Pamela Savage with Helping Hands, so I had something to do as well.
I love living in France because I love it's tranquility. The possibility to have a house with a big garden which is not possible in Holland, where I come from. I love the food, the wine and I love the sun.
Deirdre Young
My favourite flower is the tulip, as it heralds the arrival of warmer weather. I joined the club when life returned to normal after Covid, as it was a lovely way to meet new people after all the lockdowns. I help run the Condom Causerie groups and the book club where we have French, Danish and Dutch members as well as English. I love the wide open skies of the Gers, the beautiful scenery and most of all the warm and friendly people.
Karen Lowell
I moved to Saint Michel southern Gers in December 2020 with my partner Ritchie, our three dogs and my eleven horses. I set up a small gite business and I also breed and sell Black Arabian horses. I run the Mirande Causerie and am helping to organise more events in the southern Gers for members of the GLC. My favourite flower is the pink rose.
Chantal Eisinger
Favourite flower - the New Zealand Daisy (Celmisia Walker) I came to the Gers in 2001. I had planned to share myself between Courrensan & NYC, where I had been living for over forty years. Needless to say, I had to adjust my project! In the "Big Apple" I worked teaching French as a Second Language at university level for many years. Then, I was recruited by a headhunter and transformed myself into a Retail Leasing Broker. The time came, when leaving the "rat race" became essential. In the Gers, I found the lifestyle I had been seeking: simplicity, nature, space, silence, no highway, no airport, no major industry, low population density, & a very vibrant cultural venue. Who said there was nothing to do "dans la France profonde"? The best decision I ever made in my life!
Patricia Colan
21 July 1941 - 23 October 2023
Patricia sadly passed away on 23 October 2023 at the Centre Hospitalier de Grasse. She died peacefully surrounded by her four children
Joanne, Jackie, Neil and Louis.
Patricia founded The Ladies Lunch Club in 2008, at the time living in Nogaro. Patricia and a small group of women were learning a foreign language, experiencing a new life and for some, feeling lonely and isolated. The group aimed to support women who were new to the area, to give them an opportunity to meet people and to make new friends. Later renamed The Gascogne Ladies Club, Patricia created a lovely success story.
A private cremation took place in Grasse on 27 October 2023.
As she wished, Patricia's ashes were scattered at dawn in the river Gave de Pau that runs through Lourdes, and through the sanctuary and grotto where she volunteered.
Our sincere deepest of sympathies to Patricia’s family.
The Gascogne Ladies Club.
As a non-profit organisation, we are governed by our Articles of Association, Bureau and Fiscal Committee. Association No W322001961
Would you like to learn more about becoming a member of the GLC Bureau?