Citation for Eric Songhurst
Citation for Eric Songhurst for his outstanding contribution to charity and HOST UK
Eric Songhurst has been a devoted volunteer for HOST UK since 1992.
Thirty-one years ago, around Easter time in 1993, he and his wife Marie welcomed Kee Ling, who was studying at a British University, for a weekend stay. The weekend must have gone well, because she was the first of many international students they welcomed into their home.
In 1996, Eric and Marie became HOST UK Regional Directors for West Yorkshire. It was during that year that Eric designed the HOST logo on an Acorn computer, using a programme called Draw.
By 1997 Eric was delivering talks on HOST and hosting, sharing the passion for HOST he’d developed during the first six years of hosting when he and Marie welcomed 30 students into their home.
Eric and Marie were inspired to be involved in hosting because in 1967-68 Eric had spent a year exchange teaching in the USA. At the end of the year in Los Angeles, he spent eight weeks touring up the West coast of The States and across the Canadian/American border before heading south to New York. These made a deep impression on him and Eric’s love of the homestay – living like a local – was born. The warm welcome he received from families who had opened their homes to him became a compass point that went on to shape the direction of the couple’s lives.
On his return home, Eric started dating Marie a couple of months later. Little did she know what was in store for her!
Marie tells me that when she and Eric married, he promised her that one day they would go to The States to visit the places he had known. He remembered the promise and their first visit in 1987 was followed by eight more. The visits offered wonderful opportunities to reunite with some of the students they had hosted over the years. Eric and Marie are a wonderful example of how hosting international students for a weekend or a 3-night Festive Stay enriches lives and leads to a lifetime of friendship and fun.
We can see from the notes Eric relied on for his talks, that he is a record keeper who loves his statistics and facts. He meticulously recorded the annual hosting numbers so that he could compare them to previous years.
Very quickly, Eric became an Ambassador for HOST, a role that he relished. In his talks Eric would ask ‘Who are Hosts?’ and answer ‘Anyone with room in their house and a welcome in their heart.’ This approach captures Eric’s interest in all aspects of HOST perfectly.
By 2003 Eric had witnessed the change from visits being organised by hand to being internet and email based. Eric embraced the changes, recognising that they meant more students would be able to access day visits, weekend stays and Festive Stays.
Marie’s role as Regional Organiser, gave Eric the chance to collect a range of host and student experiences to use in his talks. These ranged from the familiar – such as the student who commented: “The weekend changed my view of British food.” to the impact on a host in Bath who, after 3 years of hosting, said: “I have entertained about 50 students now and have been much enriched by their company and friendship…. Not only that but my comprehension of world affairs and radio and television documentaries has been considerably widened. In short, the HOST programme has changed my life.”
In so many ways, HOST UK changed Eric’s life too. Quite rightly he is proud to have represented HOST UK, attending receptions organised by Rotary, British Council and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In past years he also encouraged hosts to share the experience of visiting attractions with their international students, such as their local countryside and museums.
Eric and Marie capture the spirit of HOST UK and, through their voluntary work, have helped hundreds if not thousands of students to find a welcoming host who opened their doors for a weekend, alleviating their loneliness and delivering a very different experience of Britain.
Today we at the Experiment in International Living (EIL) UK welcome this opportunity to celebrate the outstanding contribution Eric and his wife Marie have already made to HOST UK. They have been an inspiration to so many others.
I am sure you join me in sending wishing both Eric and Marie our best wishes and deep appreciation for the outstanding contribution and commitment Eric has made to HOST UK and, more recently, to EIL UK.
Citation delivered by Katherine Davis, Chief Executive, EIL UK
Annual General Meeting
6th December 2024
