24 June 2025
Education, culture, and community collaboration were celebrated and explored by His
Excellency Nuno Brito, Portuguese Ambassador to the UK, during his first official visit to
Jersey last week.
The Ambassador’s visit recognised Jersey’s deep-rooted Portuguese heritage and
reaffirmed cross-border engagement that seeks to improve the lives of Islanders.
Alongside cultural visits to Jersey Archives, Jersey War Tunnels and Mont Orgueil Castle,
Mr Brito joined Assistant Chief Minister Deputy Carina Alves at a community lunch at the
Town Hall, bringing together members of Jersey’s Portuguese community to celebrate their
contribution to the Island’s social and economic success.
Learning and language were also central to the two-day tour, with Mr Brito signing a new
Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on behalf of the Instituto Camões – one that extends
the provision of Portuguese lessons in Island schools for another five years.
On a visit to Le Rocquier School with the Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning,
Deputy Rob Ward, Mr Brito spoke to pupils about the benefits of developing their home
language and how the MoU would be implemented on a day-to-day basis. Year 11 students
Tomas and Victoria also described their recent visit to the Portuguese Youth Parliament in
Lisbon.
The Ambassador spent time with Ministers at the Government’s Union Street office,
including Deputy Ian Gorst, Deputy Elaine Miller and the Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon
Farnham, who signed the MoU for the Government of Jersey.
Deputy Ward said: “This renewed agreement with Instituto Camões adds strength to our
support for Portuguese language education in Jersey. The scheme provides an opportunity
for our youth to connect further with Portuguese heritage and culture, and I thank the
Instituto Camões for their continued role in facilitating it."​
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