‘As a school exchange student, I fell in love with Bristol’

Valerie Bonnet is nothing if not passionate. On every subject, from riding her bicycle from Bristol to Bordeaux (this will be the third summer she embarks on the journey) to international trade (the subject she teaches as a day job in Bordeaux), her eyes light up as she speaks in flawless English.

As a teacher, and in the four years she has been chairwoman of the Bordeaux Bristol Partnership, she has helped many hundreds of students to experience a new culture. Since the cities became twinned in 1947, that number rises to more than a million.

The aim of the partnership is to “promote cultural, economic and educational links between the two cities,” and Valerie, born in Toulouse and raised in Bordeaux, is a living, breathing example of this mantra.

“I first came to Bristol as a student, aged 15,” Valerie explains over an orange juice at Clifton Lido. “I stayed for five weeks with a family in Knowle West with my exchange partner, Susan. I still remember so much of that experience, and I’ve tried to track her down on Facebook to reconnect with her.

“It was my first experience of embarking on the unknown, and of adult life. It bred curiosity in me. Following that exchange experience, I came back to Bristol almost annually. In 1984 I moved here and took a job teaching in Brislington. I love Bristol; it’s a city with a spirit of innovation and creativity. It really stands out in Britain.”

It was during this period that Valerie met George Ferguson – a chance meeting that would spark a lasting friendship, and help ensure the connection between Bristol and Bordeaux remained strong.

“Fate is strange!” Valerie laughs, a picture of elegance with a Union Jack-print scarf tied at her throat. “I worked as his au pair and helped him out with some canvassing. When I moved back to Bordeaux, there were plenty of visits between the two cities, and the first time George visited Bordeaux he said he’d come back.

“When he was elected mayor in 2012, and the Green Capital work started, it was a great opportunity for us to develop links in the field of sustainability, and to focus on an issue not just for past generations, but for the future.”

The team behind the Bordeaux Bristol Partnership have just celebrated its 70th anniversary: an amazing feat. “It has been great to celebrate,” Valerie says. “It’s an achievement, and recognition of the friendship that has existed for so long between the cities.”

She is brimming with ideas for future connections, rattling them off so fast it’s hard to keep up; from Pieminister pies nestling amongst the saucisson in French markets, to street artists speaking a universal visual language at Upfest. “There is so much to exchange!” Valerie exclaims.

Of all the facets of her role, it is the exchange programme that speaks to her most strongly. “I want as many young people as possible to experience it,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for everyone, including those who may never have the chance to go abroad. It’s a way to open minds and reject preconceived ideas, to forge relationships with new people and grow trust and mature.

“I want people to experience what I did, and enjoy what I enjoyed. If I can make sure that happens, then I have done my job.”

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