This month we caught up with our host of the month, Moira Deacon, who has been welcoming students from Wimbledon School of English since the 1980s.

Tell us a bit about yourself.  
I work as a community nurse here in Wimbledon. I am originally from Northern Ireland but have lived in London now for many years.

And where in Wimbledon do you live?
I live in a house overlooking a park and the students really like that, especially the views from the upstairs of the house. It’s not far from WSE and most students walk to school, it takes about 20-25 minutes. There are also buses but I recommend walking if you want to save money.

When did you begin hosting students?
When my daughter was about 6 or 7, so it’s been over 30 years now. I was introduced to Wimbledon School of English by Mrs Housden, who founded the school, and I have hosted students ever since.  

How many students do you host at once?
Normally two at a time but sometimes three!

What do you most enjoy about hosting?
I love meeting students from all over the world and taking care of them. The Irish are very welcoming and I host a lot of long terms students so they often spend Christmas with us. It can be hard work at times; shopping, cooking and cleaning but I really enjoy the company. I actually recommended it to friend of mine, Bridie, and she became a host for Wimbledon School of English too.

Do you still remember your first students?
Of course I do. I remember Yan from Japan, he was one of our first students and we are still in touch. He came back to visit us and we went on holiday together to Ireland. My relatives have also stayed with him in Tokyo. His father was a fisherman but he really wanted Yan to be a business man so he came to Wimbledon to improve his English.

Have you met up with any other students?
I travel quite a lot myself and about 10 years ago I did a trip around South East Asia. I went to Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore and I met up with a few ex-students in Bangkok. It was lovely!

We can see now why you are so popular with the students. Thank you very much, Moira, for taking the time to share your memories with us and congratulations on being host of the month!