Bringing the International Community Together: Feel at Home Fair at JSV

November 11th 2022

The British School in The Netherlands (BSN) was delighted to host the Feel at Home Fair at Junior School Vlaskamp on 6 November 2022 – the first in-person Fair in two years, as well as the first to be held outside of The Hague City Hall. We welcomed over 600 attendees and over 50 stallholders at the event and, despite the dreary weather, the atmosphere inside JSV was buzzing!

Something for all ages

The Fair opened with speeches from Deputy British Ambassador to the Netherlands, Lucy Ferguson, and BSN CEO, Heath Monk. The programme, running from 11:00-17:00, included something for all ages, with dedicated areas for attendees to learn more about local sports clubs, language schools, and cultural and community activities. There were also a number of dance, tai chi and theatre performances to enjoy – including by our talented students! Children were catered for, too, at our Kids’ Corner. Of course, there were ample opportunities to connect and mingle with other internationals in the community.

Watch a video impression of the event here:

Speaking with attendees

One of the attendees commented on the event:

“We are new to The Netherlands and have been here for about two months. We were looking to get more information about The Netherlands and find out more about all the fun things to do here.

I think it is a great place for us to find out more about living in The Netherlands – so far I’ve gotten information about sports clubs for my daughter, as well as me and my husband. We’ve definitely had fun – my daughter even had her face painted! Generally this has been very interesting and useful for us.

A BSN Alumna returns to the BSN!

One of the stallholders was even a BSN Alumna! We spoke with her about how she felt about returning to the BSN – now in a different capacity:

“I was at the Senior School in Voorschoten – I did my A-Levels there. It was a great experience, and it’s very nice to be back – it feels quite different, because the school has really expanded, and I’ve never been to this location before.

I think it’s fantastic that this year’s Feel at Home Fair is at the BSN. I think it’s laid out really well and really well organised. I think it’s great because the whole expat community comes together.

Thank you to the Hague International Centre

It was a wonderful opportunity to bring together our international community and showcase all that The Hague has to offer. A special thank you to the Hague International Centre for organising this event.