About — ENGLISH-SPEAKING FAMILIES GROUP LYON

ABOUT US

We’re a friendly, volunteer-run community of Anglophone immigrant families who want to pass along our language and culture to our kids.

With this in mind, the vast majority of our members are families with at least one native English-speaking parent.

Through playgroups and events, we give children and parents a way to connect with other Anglophone families
of all beliefs and identities.

We put English-speaking families in touch with one another to create a sense of community and give them the opportunity to share information and advice.
We organise regular, family-oriented, English-only events to help our members’ kids develop their English language skills and feel connected to Anglophone culture.

Our Members

90+ families

most with at least one native-speaking parent.
10+ Nationalities

including British, Irish, American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, and more.
Mostly moms and kids

but dads – and even grandparents – are more than welcome!

In the early 1990s, a group of (mostly-British) native English-speaking women living in and around Lyon set up an informal group called the Mother and Toddler Group to organise playgroups for their children.
Since their children were growing up in bilingual, bicultural families (English / French) and were attending French schools, they wanted to encourage their children to speak, read, and write in English and to learn about Anglophone cultural traditions.
Initially, the group met in members’ homes, and then at a hall in Tassin.
With the group’s membership growing steadily, in 2001 the Mother and Toddler Group decided to form an Association (loi 1901) and changed the name to the English-Speaking Mothers’ Group.
At this time, the group started to use the Salle de Presbytere in the 8th district of Lyon as a base for their activities.
In 2014, the association voted to change its name to the English-Speaking Families’ Group Lyon, to focus more clearly on involving families, including children and dads, in their activities.
Though time has passed, the purpose of the ESFG Lyon has always been the same: to pass on our Anglophone cultural heritage and give our children opportunities to practice their English. We do this through various activities like playgroups, family outings, holiday events, and more.