The British Community
Overview
The British Community Association provides a focus for the expatriate community in Cairo through the BCA Main Board, its three clubhouses, BCA Chronicle Newsletter, this website, a free web mail service for members, a weekly e'zine emailing service and the organization of major social functions as well as sports leagues.
Services and Amenities
Clubhouses in Mohandiseen, Heliopolis and more recently in Maadi provide a hearty British style welcome, with a home-from-home atmosphere and a meeting place for both members and guests alike. At the BCA clubhouses you will find like-minded folks, good food, terrace / gardens for the kids to play in, a video library, book library, large screen TV's with satellite sports as well as overseas TV channels, pool tables, dart boards, high speed wireless internet access and extremely well stocked watering holes.
The Newsletter, or BCA Chronicle as it is now called, is distributed free of charge and is packed full of articles, information, promotions and advertisements of interest to expatriates in Egypt. It is available early each month (excluding August), from clubhouses and many other widely spread distribution points. If you are a first time visitor or resident registering with the British Embassy, you will be offered a copy by the consular staff.
Social Activities
The BCA Cairo Pool League, BCA Cairo Darts League and the BCA Egypt Cricket League are all organised and administered by the Association, with teams from the clubhouses and from many other clubs, pub restaurants and institutions, which greatly expand the opportunity for making friends as well as gathering information from all over Cairo and Egypt.
In addition to the many regular functions that both clubhouses organise, the Association also holds major social events each year. The Queen's Birthday Ball is held in June and followed by the BCA Mohandiseen Autumn Ball in early October, plus the BCA Heliopolis Christmas Ball in early December. These are all very popular affairs and are written into many diaries well in advance. As already mentioned, the BCA has been instrumental in the formation of an Egyptian Cricket League, which is currently in the process of being revitalized by our new members from the BCA Maadi and we hope that this will extend further to the re-establishment of the annual BCA Cricket Carnival.
Major Events and Functions
The Queen's Birthday Ball is held, with the permission of HM Ambassador in the Embassy's Residence garden. This annual function is without a doubt the premier expatriate social event of the year and is attended by some 600 people from all over Britain, the Commonwealth, Egypt and many other countries too. This event and the two later BCA Autumn and Christmas Balls are formal and provide ideal opportunities to dress up in dinner jacket and ball gown for an evening of prestigious entertainment that includes the very best bands, an open bar and 5-star catering, all within the ticket price.
Charity Support
The surplus proceeds from these and other events are donated to the many local charities that are supported by the association. These include the Abu Zabal leper colony, the new children's cancer hospital in Cairo , the British cemetery in Luxor, refugee centers, and the Cairo street children.
Summary
The British Community Association is run under the patronage of HBM Ambassador to Egypt and administered by the BCA Main Board. Founded in 1976 to serve the interests of the British and expatriate community in Egypt, we celebrated our Silver Jubilee in 2002 and are proud to say that the association has continued to expand to the point where today, it is a home away from home for expatriates from all over the globe.
“Ahlan wasalan fil Misr” … “Welcome in Egypt ”