Established in 1982, the Alliance Française de Glasgow (AFG) is recognised by the French government as the official French Language and Cultural Centre for Glasgow and the West of Scotland.
It is one of eleven Alliances Françaises in the United Kingdom and one of 832 Alliances Françaises located in 131 countries over the five continents; it is the world's largest cultural network.
Having previously been a Limited Company and Scottish Charity, the AFG became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) in August 2019, managed by a Board of Trustees.
As part of this change, our constitution has been re-written and we have become a two-tier SCIO.
The AFG is registered as a SCIO with OSCR, the Scottish charity regulator, and as such it has a ‘Board of Trustees’.
What should the governing body do?
The Board of Trustees is there to lead, control and supervise the organisation’s activities. It is the part of the organisation with formal power and responsibility which are detailed in the governing document, our Constitution.
Trustees need to be aware of this responsibility of accountability and act in the best interests of the organisation and its beneficiaries, following all requirements of law and regulation. This is sometimes referred to as the need for ‘due diligence’.
To enable the organisation to meet its goals, trustees should perform the following functions:
This structure is very common in the charity sector. With this two-tier structure the board is elected by and reports back to a wider body of members at an annual general meeting (AGM).
A wide-ranging membership is seen as a more democratic structure and as making the charity more representative of the interests of its community.
Further information on the governance of SCIOs can be found on OSCR's website and on the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations's website.
Members of the SCIO have the right to attend members' meetings, including the AGM, and vote on all business at the AGM. They can stand for election to the Board and vote in that election.
Membership is open to any person, including representatives of partner bodies, who shares an interest in the development and understanding of the French language and culture, and who wishes to help promote the purposes and objectives of the organisation.
The constitution of the AFG distinguishes between the members of the SCIO and members of the library or members of a class. Members of the library, for example, are not considered members of the SCIO per se.
Those wishing to become a member of the SCIO must apply to the board.
Partner bodies as corporate members nominate a single representative to attend and vote at the AGMs. That nominee has all the rights of a member.
If you are prepared to become a member of the SCIO please submit a short application to Mr David Leitch, Chair of the AFG.
Your application can be sent via email to director@afglasgow.org.uk.
Report from Chair covering the period from 28th March 2025 to 31st May 2026
When the last AGM took place, on 27 th March 2025, Nabila Lakouraï, our new Directrice, had just arrived in Glasgow and was in the fourth week of her tenure. Since that time AFG has made a series of improvements, covering financial reform, the enhancement of our teaching programme, the enrichment of our cultural events, and the arrival at a good understanding with the Goethe Institute, who are our landlords as well as our partners. All told, these are improvements which seemed inconceivable fourteen months ago. Many of these improvements are largely attributable to our Directrice. On behalf of the Board, I should like to express our appreciation of Nabila’s tireless efforts on a wide range of activities, especially her tact and diplomacy in handling our partnership with the Goethe Institute.
The reason why the AGM is taking place later than usual this year is that the Board decided, on the recommendation of the Treasurer and the Directrice, to replace AFG’s financial year, hitherto based on the academic year, with one which corresponds with the calendar year, in line with the practice of the French Government, from which AFG receives grants. To give effect to this change, AFG has prepared accounts for a 17-month period, covering the period from 1 st August 2024 to 31st December 2025. This change, worthwhile but very labour intensive, has entailed a huge amount of work for our accountants, for our Directrice, and for our Treasurer Paul Bassett, who had oversight of this lengthy process. We have taken the opportunity to introduce improvements into our regular book-keeping, which should help AFG to operate more efficiently in future.
Although AFG is branching out into new areas in its cultural offer, its core business, on which we need to keep a laser-like focus, is the teaching of French to students of all ages and backgrounds and at all levels. During this period the Directrice has inter alia introduced the following innovations: –
After rather a sluggish start in term A, immediately after the summer break, student numbers have picked quite a lot. Over the year, absolute numbers may have dipped a little, but revenue has increased slightly because the nine-weeks terms have been offered on a pro rata basis. AFG still remains about 20% short of the student numbers reached in the years immediately before covid.
This enhanced offer could not have been achieved without increasing the pool of teaching staff, and two new teachers have been recruited during this period.
AFG has offered more than 70 cultural events, covering cinema screenings, cookery classes, wine tastings, a monthly café littéraire, poetry readings and yoga sessions. All the indications are that these events have been much appreciated. We also put on a theatre performance at Park Circus for the first time. We organized four cinema screenings under the umbrella of the French Film Festival, and it is intended that there should be at least as many in the next edition scheduled for late 2026. On Saturday 9th May we showcased European Languages Day, including Spanish, Italian, Scots and Polish, as well as French and German.
Many of these events were planned and executed by Elise Pincet and Vincent Watroba in the Language Office. Their contribution is worth stressing because both of them have other important roles in AFG and have shown an impressive capacity to multi-task.
Now, with the arrival of our new cultural officer, Imogen Morgan, in April 2026, this programme will surely go from strength to strength in the coming year.
Some of you may already have noticed the new signage which is being erected in the building. This is to mark our participation in the Franco-German cultural programme, known as Kultur Ensemble, with the Goethe Institute and the Institut français d’Ecosse in Edinburgh. This programme will be formally launched here in Park Circus this coming Wednesday, 3rd June. Imogen Morgan has been at the heart of our preparations for this major event.
The background to this initiative is that the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle/Aachen, concluded between France and Germany in January 2019, envisaged the development of common cultural initiatives between the two countries in various cities, including Glasgow, which was selected because AFG and the GIG were already in the same location. The covid years caused considerable delays, and since then it has taken time to reach agreement with our partners.
I believe that it is now strongly in the interest of AFG to participate in the Kultur Ensemble programme for the following reasons: -
During the year the Chair represented AFG at the Conference on the Future of French organised at Edinburgh University in June 2025. AFG participated in the celebration of the 730 th Anniversary of the Auld Alliance held in Glasgow City Chambers in October. Both the Chair and Directrice represented AFG at the Annual Consular Reception organised by the Scottish Government in December. It is hoped that AFG will be represented at more external events in the coming year.
In his first year in office the Chair spent much of his time keeping abreast of new regulations from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and recruiting four new Trustees for the AFG Board. He is always pleased to hear from any student at the AFG who may be interested in becoming a SCIO member and who feels that they may have the right experience to serve as a Trustee.
In summary, the emphasis during this period has largely been on internal reform and on laying the foundations for future success. It is now intended to look outwards so that we make the most of our existing partnerships and build new ones. We need to cater for the needs of our loyal long-standing students but also to attract those for whom learning French may an entirely new experience.
The message is that AFG va, plus que jamais, de l’avant!
Dr David Leitch Chair,
Board of Trustees,
Alliance Française de Glasgow
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