Always plenty to see and do!

Making the most of your stay

Although studying and improving your English is a key objective of your visit to London, you also want to relax and enjoy yourself as well. There is no better city than London in which to do this. Our social programme is notably fun and varied!! You will find that there is such a range of possibilities that you will be able to have your very own tailor-made social programme.

Here are a few favourites from previous years.
( all events have accompanying teachers).

• Boat trip to Greenwich from Tower Bridge
• A visit to Hampton Court Palace including the world famous Kew Gardens
• A walk through ‘Jack the Ripper’s neighbourhood in the East End of London
• Theatre trips to Shakespeare’s Globe and the West End
• Fun trips like ten-pin bowling followed by a restaurant meal
• A tour of the local pubs of Fitrovia, popular with writers and artists for over a 100 years
• The Tate Modern and then over the ‘wobbly’ Millenium bridge to St Pauls Cathedral
• Visit Buckingham Palace and near-by St James Park

Buckingham Palace

There are also visits to lesser-known yet attractions which only Londoners know, including markets, rivers, parks, galleries, museums and activity centres.

At weekends we are able to arrange one-day trips to famous British cities, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Windsor as well as weekend trips to Edinburgh and the Scottish highlands, Paris and Amsterdam. If you are interested in sports we can also arrange activities such as swimming, tennis, ice-skating and horse-riding. We also arrange regular sports afternoons in nearby Regent’s Park and Hyde Park.

A busy bar in nearby Market Place, just around the corner from the Margaret Street centre

Social activities inside the school include quiz-nights, regular parties, themed evenings and discos, so there really is something for everyone!

We believe that SGI's social programme will help you have a wonderful memorable time in London, making new friends, meeting lots of interesting people and, most importantly, improving your English!

'Big Ben' — the Houses of Parliament

EXAMPLE SOCIAL PROGRAMME ( 6TH – 10TH AUGUST 2007)

Monday 6th	Welcome Party — Free!! Come to “Café SGI” for snacks and drinks – the best coffee in London!! Meet new students! Chat to your friends about the weekend! Play some funky tunes! And practise your social English! See you @ 12.45pm
Tuesday 7th	Games in the Park — Free!! Summer’s back! A welcome, healthy return to “fun & games in the park”. Join “super-fit” Simon for football & baseball in Regent’s Park and agile Nina for the same in Hyde Park - two of the most beautiful parks in London! Don’t worry if you’re no Beckham / Babe Ruth - all levels are welcome! Or you can just watch and enjoy the wonderful parks! See you in the cafeteria @ 3.15pm
Wednesday 8th	BritishMuseum — Free!! Come and visit one of the best museums in London. “Mummies” from Egypt, The Rosetta Stone, The Elgin Marbles Statues from Greece and plenty more. One of the best museum collections and the 3rd most popular tourist attraction in the world! Meet in your centre cafeteria @ 3.15pm
Thursday 9th	The Tate Modern — Free!! Join teachers Amelia and Madeleine on a trip to the best modern art gallery in the world! And whatever the weather outside it will be guaranteed fun & sunshine inside thanks to a remarkable new exhibit! Enormous gallery in an old power station has a fantastic variety of art; paintings, sculpture, video... But is it art? Come along and decide for yourself and then have a post-art walk along the river and maybe a pint. Plus see St. Paul’s Cathedral and cross the Millennium Bridge. Meet in your centre cafeteria @ 3.15pm
Friday 10th	Badboy Barney’s Beer Night!!! — Depends! That great British tradition comes to life as you experience the British pub. Drink famous English warm beer! Eat salt n’ vinegar crisps! Learn the English bar technique! Then teach it to teacher Barney who will be taking you to some of his favourite boozers! Why not buy him a pint or a cocktail?!! Meet in or outside The George pub next to the school @ 6.30pm for this funtastic pub crawl.

EXAMPLE WEEKEND EXCURSIONS PROGRAMME (4TH / 5TH AUGUST 2007)

Saturday 4th – Sunday 5th	Bath & Stonehenge - every week! — £37.00 The most popular excursion! Enjoy this historic Roman town. The price includes a guided tour of the city and admission to the Roman Baths. You will also go to the mysterious and magical monument of Stonehenge, built over 5,000 years ago, and nobody knows why, not even Max.
Saturday 4th	Cambridge — £28.00 Visit Cambridge with its 700 year-old university colleges, river cafes and shops. There are also some excellent pubs where Will spent most of his student days. A wonderful way to spend a day, with over four hours of free time.
Friday 3rd – Sunday 5th	Edinburgh – Scotland — £189.00 One of the most beautiful cities in the UK. Price includes return travel on the train and 2 nights in a central hotel. Great opportunity to see the historic castle, drink whisky, eat haggis and see men in skirts! More info from reception. York by train — £119.00 Spend the weekend in the jewel of northern England – York. Beautiful city with old city walls, great historic centre, lots of good pubs and the famous cathedral, York Minster. Did you know York used to be the capital of England before everyone saw sense and moved to London? Great place to visit
Sunday 5th	Brighton — £30.00 Brighton is one of the nicest seaside towns in England - come and see for yourself. You will be taken on a guided tour and into the Royal Pavilion, George III’s amazing Indian style palace. A great place to visit!

Please note that whilst many SGI social events and activities are free, entrance fees to some trips, attractions and excursions are not included so please allow £50 per week for entrance fees