His Excellency Mr João de Vallera, and the Attaché for Education Affairs, Dr Regina Duart have visited the University.

They spoke with staff at the School of Modern Languages, before the ambassador gave a Public Lecture on "Main Trends in Portuguese Foreign Policy Since 1974", in the Curtis Auditorium.

Portugal's Consul-General, Dr Manuel Grainha do Vale, accompanied by the Director of the Regional Language Network for the North-West, Dr Cristina Sousa, also visited the University.

Professor Jens Hentschke, Degree Programme Director for Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies, said: "Portuguese has been taught at our alma mater for almost half a century, and Newcastle was the first UK university to open a Centre for Portuguese Language.

"We are immensely grateful for the generous funding we have always received from the Instituto Camões, the cultural arm of the Portuguese Foreign Office. This has also allowed us to develop a programme of cultural activities that reaches out to the entire University and the wider public."

published on: 8 March 2013