On Tuesday 22 March 2016, the British Embassy of Luxembourg held a consular reception to thank local partners for their support over the last 12 months.
In attendance was John Marshall, the British Ambassador Designate, who is expected to take office in replacement of Alice Walpole over the course of the next month, upon presenting his credentials to HRH Grand Duke Henri.
In his welcoming speech, Mr. Marshall highlighted the importance of establishing good consular relations between countries, particularly in light of the double blast attacks which erupted at Brussel's Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station Tuesday morning, killing at least 31 people and injuring a further 250.
The British Ambassador Designate stated that one of his passions is to fully explore a new country, expressing his wish to get to know Luxembourg better.
The event was initiated by Pro-Consul Evelien d'Hertog, who spoke of activities that had been implemented over the last year, including a focus alongside KannerJugendTelefon on child protection which saw such an interest that the Embassy ran out of brochures and moved the information online.
"The feedback we received from a good number of guests last year was that [local partners] appreciated the opportunity for networking amongst each other, in addition to learning details of the work done in the Consular Section of the British Embassy in Luxembourg," commented Evelien d'Hertog.
The Pro-Consul also highlighted sectors the Embassy will be focusing on in what she described as a "busy year ahead", with crisis management and prison work to be featured as primary areas of interest.
Photo by Sarah Graham (Eveline d'Hertog)
