Solar taxi visits London

Pupils get to inspect a car of the future, when aSwiss taxi powered by nothing more than sunshinestops in the UK as part of a world tour. See Page 3.

Lord Mayor turns bellringer

Westminster’s Lord Mayor tries her hand at bellringing while visiting Leicester Square’s famousGlockenspiel under repair in Aarau. See Pages 4-5.

Swiss export green cuisine

A new range of vegetarian meals is brought toBritain by a highly successful team of Swissrestaurateurs. Meet them on Page 7.

Switzerland in the UK has its own Internet site,continually bringing you up to the minute news ofthe latest events as well as major stories from themost recent issues and links to other interestingsites in both the UK and Switzerland. To access itgo to: www.swissreview.co.uk

News about any forthcoming events that will be ofinterest to our readers should be emailed to:editor@meakin.net

1/09

GBR E

The ongoing saga of the famousSwiss Glockenspiel in LeicesterSquare, in London’s West End, hastaken on a new dimension.

It was in 1985, to mark the400th anniversary of the City ofWestminster, that the originalGlockenspiel was presented bySwitzerland Tourism, on behalf ofthe people of Switzerland andLeichtenstein.

It was taken down last yearfollowing the demolition of theSwiss Centre, and transportedback to Switzerland to becompletely refurbished before beingre-erected in its new location.

Intensive negotiations betweenCity planners and SwitzerlandTourism have now resulted in a newagreement that the Glockenspielshould become a fully integratedfeature in the new £18.5 millionrevamp of the entire LeicesterSquare area – one of London’smajor tourist attractions.

As a result it is now being

redesigned so that it can be seenfrom both sides, and there will bemany new features.

One major change is that it willreflect its new home as well as itsSwiss origins.

One side will depict the Cantonof Appenzell across which passan animated procession of 23colourful figures representing thetraditional ascent of farmers andtheir herd of cows as they maketheir way to their alpinepastures.

The same procession will thentraverse the other side, which willbe a scene of Westminster showingits typical historical landmarks.

The astronomical clock, seenfrom both sides, will show thesigns of the Zodiac, together withthe days of the week, the date andthe phases of the moon.

Alongside the clock will be fourhand-carved wooden figuresrepresenting famous residents ofWestminster – Queen Victoria, the

Lord Mayor, Sherlock Holmes andCharles Chaplin.

The figures on the Swiss sidewill be dressed in the nationalcostumes of the four linguisticregions of Switzerland.

The new Glockenspiel will formthe top of an arch spanning SwissCourt – the former New CoventryStreet – which was renamed by theCity Council to celebrate the 700thanniversary of the SwissConfederation in 1991.

The procession will now bepositioned at a height of 3.5 metres,which will enable visitors toLeicester Square – which attractsup to 250,000 sightseers a day –to fully appreciate from close rangethe detailed, intricate craftsmanshipthat has gone into the carving anddecorating of the figures.

When the new Glockenspiel iscompleted it will go on display inAarau for eight weeks prior to beingtaken to London, where it is expectedto be switched on by December.

U-turn for the Glockenspiel

London-trained sculptor’s five metrehigh memorial to tragic altar boy

He trained in the West End studios of Garrards the crown jewellers,making tiny intricate pieces of jewellery to adorn the shoulders ofsome of the world’s richest women.

But his latest work is on a much bigger scale – a giant, five metrehigh bronze statue that is to be erected in the catacombs of Rome.

Bernhard Lang, now a well known jeweller and goldsmith in Basle,was asked to create the figure as a memorial to one of the earliestChristian martyrs, St Tarcisius, a teenage altar boy in Rome who losthis life serving his faith.

The story goes that he so impressed church leaders of the thirdcentury with his courage that he was entrusted to take the Eucharistin secret to Christians in prison awaiting martyrdom.

Caught by a pagan mob, he was stoned when he said he preferreddeath to letting them have what he was carrying.

He was buried in the catacombs of St Calixtus in Rome, and it isthere that the statue will have its final resting place following goingon show in Einsiedeln and St Gallen.

The statue cost a total of Sfr. 100,000 to make, and it was castover a period of eight months at the Rüetschi bell foundry in Aarau,which was also the birthplace of the Leicester Square Glockenspiel.

Bernhard Lang started his apprenticeship as a goldsmith at hisfather’s jewellery shop in Basle in 1988.

in 1994 he joined Garrards, the world’s oldest jewellery house,before returning to Basle, and he opened his own company there fiveyears ago.

2

An era is coming to an end at theSwiss Benevolent Society with theretirement of the Welfare Officer,Margrit Lyster.

Margrit’s career as a social workerin England started in 1979 withholiday replacements at the WelfareOffice for Swiss Girls in Great Britain– later the Swiss Welfare Office forYoung People – as well as the SwissBenevolent Society. In October 1977she became the social worker for theWelfare Office, situated at 31 ConwayStreet in the building belonging tothe Swiss Benevolent Society.

The offices were on the groundfloor where, after the closure of theSwiss Hostel for Girls in Belsize Park,the top two floors were made availablefor the use as a hostel for young people.

The comfortable rooms were asafe haven for many young girls whowere encountering difficulties attheir place of work or study.

I am sure there are many youngpeople in Switzerland today who aregrateful for Margrit’s help andvaluable advice when they needed it.

Some of the problems she had todeal with on a day to day basis werelegal and immigration problemsincluding accidents, assaults, shoplifting,burglaries, rapes and police andcoroners’ investigations, translatingat police interviews and in court.

Her work included help with health

problems including pregnancies aswell as mental and physical illnesses.

After the merger of the SwissWelfare Office and the SwissBenevolent Society, Margrit becamethe social worker.

This changed her work fromlooking mainly after young people toalso include caring for the elderly.

Her activities ranged from helpingwith applications for benefits, totackling domestic problems,financial difficulties and debts.

She had to deal with drug relatedissues, family and marital problemslike divorce, bereavement and childabuse as well as repatriations toSwitzerland.

Margrit has also always been veryinterested in all matters relating toSwiss citizens abroad and, in particular,she has represented the UK Swisscommunity as a delegate to theOrganisation of the Swiss Abroad formany years. She has also offered herhelp at the 1st of August Committee,New Helvetic Society and FOSSUK.

The Swiss community in the UKis most indebted to Margrit for hermany years of dedicated and tirelesswork in support of her compatriotsin their times of need.

We wish Margrit a most happyretirement from the Swiss BenevolentSociety and much pleasure from hermany other pursuits.

Margrit Lyster is stepping down after three decadesERIKA TAN pays

tribute to the work ofone of the leading

members of the UKSwiss Community

How tocontacttheeditor

Repor ts of Swiss societyactivit ies and comingevents, and ar ticles andcorrespondence for the‘Switzer land in the UK’section of the Swiss Review,should go to the editor:

Derek Meakin 30 Manor RoadBramhall SK7 3LY.Tel: 0161 296 0619.His email address is:

editor@meakin.net.All enquiries regarding

advertising should go to:Jeffrey Long30 Finsbury DriveBradford BD2 1QA.Tel/fax: 01274 588 189.The Swiss Review, with its

‘Switzerland in the UK’,supplement, is publishedfour times a year – inFebruary, April, August andOctober. The deadline for thenext issue is February 12.

•

Swiss solar taxi visits London

3

First tested on gruelling alpine passes.the revolutional Swiss Taxi, poweredonly by sunshine, has visited Londonas part of its final stages of a 30,000mile world tour.

And, with the greenest possiblecredentials, it didn't have to pay thecongestion charge during its five daystay in the capital.

While here it was driven toQuinton Kynaston School onMarlborough Hill, North West London,where it was enthusiasticallyinspected by dozens of pupils whowanted to see for themselveswhat a car of the future lookedlike (pictured above).

The futuristic car was developed byresearchers at the universities ofLuceme and Northwestem Switzerland,coordinated by the Federal Institute of

■ At 77, Jeffrey Long has taken part inone of his toughest endurance testsyet. Last year Jeffrey, a formerpresident of FOSSUK, raised morethan £5,500 walking 1,000km fromLondon to Lausanne. Now he’s braved‘The Whole Hog’ – a 12km raceconsisting of 40 extreme obstacleslike wading through ice cold waterand scrambling through a sea of mud.The event raised £200 for the RoyalBritish Legion.

■ South Wales Swiss Society, nowcelebrating its tenth anniversary, hasbeen given a boost by receiving a£4,500 grant from Awards for AllWales, part of the National Lottery. Themoney has helped them hire coachesto take people to events and to runtheir web site (www.swissinwales.org).Similar grants are available forsocieties in the rest of the UK(www.awardsforall.org.uk).

■ Despite the falling value of the Swissfranc over the last few months,meaning a soaring increase in thecost of Swiss exports to the UK,Swiss companies are hoping to opennew markets at the International FoodEvent at London’s ExCel Centre inMarch. The Swiss Business Hub,based at the Swiss Embassy, isorganising a Swiss Pavilion at thefour-day event.

CH+UK news in brief

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Technology in Zurich and built byapprentices at Schindler.

Electricity from solar cells enables itto drive as much as 62 miles a day atspeeds up to 56mph.

Following its London visit itcontinued its global tour to end up inPoznan, Poland, where it was the starattraction at the United NationsClimate Change conference.

Its Swiss driver, teacher andtraveller Louis Palmer, says it’s wholepoint is to focus world attention on thefuture possibilities of solar power.

“Admittedly, as a regular citizen Icannot change the world,” he said.

“But I can demonstrate just howdire the global climate situation hasbecome and how many sophisticatedsolutions to lower the greenhousegases already exist.”

Leicester Square’s Glockenspiel, now recovering after many months of intensive care in Aarau,gets an official visit from a group of civic dignitaries led by the Lord Mayor of Westminster

Bellisima!After 23 years being subjected tothe ravages of London’satmospheric pollution – yet alwaysmanaging to ring out loud andclear above the continuouscacophony of London traffic – the27 bells that form the centrepieceof the famous Glockenspiel inLeicester Square have beenenjoying a long convalescence intheir birthplace, Aarau.

It was to this historic Swisstown that the Lord Mayor ofWestminster, accompanied by aphalanx of other city dignitaries.travelled 465 miles to see thembeing pampered by the skilledcraftsmen who first brought themto life.

The Lord Mayor, Cllr LouiseHyams, may have been in somememorable hotspots during herpolitical career but surely nothingcompared to facing a fiery furnacewhen she was ushered into thecasting room of Switzerland’soldest bell foundry, theGlockengiesserei H. Rüetschi inmedieval Aarau.

In that supercharged

atmosphere, wearing the heavy,floorlength robes of office, withher black and gold featheredtricorne perched precariously onher head, and with her weightygold chain of office draped overher shoulders, she watched withincredulity as, through a shower ofsparks, asbestos-clad and goggledworkers delicately manoeveredtowards her a bucket of moltenbronze, bubbling at a temperatureof 1,060 degrees, and then pouredit into a waiting mould.

Alongside her, also dressed as ifthey were attending a StateBanquet, were the Chief Whip ofthe Council, Cllr Robert Davis, richlyattired in his mink-collared crimsongown, and former Council LeaderSir Simon Milton, now deputy toLondon Mayor Boris Johnson.

There were also two former LordMayors, Cllrs Alexander Nicoll andAngela Hooper, together with hersister, former Government ministerand now Deputy Speaker of theHouse of Lords, Baroness Hooper.And in attendance was the LordMayor’s official macebearer.

There was plenty for them to

as a permanent symbol ofSwitzerland’s close links with theCity of Westminster.

With him on this occasion washis successor in London, EvelynLafone, Urs Eberhard, vicepresident of Switzerland Tourismin Zurich, and Gregor Koncilja, UKmanager for SWISS InternationalAirlines.

During an official lunch at thehistoric Haus zum Schlossgartenthe Stadtammann of Aarau, DrMarcel Guigard, admired the LordMayor's gold chain and broochwhich he was told had been wornby a Swiss citizen, Ticino-born SirJohn Gatti, when he held thatoffice in 1911. He then presentedher with a mounted bronze bell,specially made for the occasion atthe foundry.

Thanking him for the gift, theLord Mayor said: “It will come invery useful. I can assure you I willring it at Council meetings tokeep the members quiet.”

Cllr Hyams, who had recentlyspent three weeks touring

Switzerland – in fact, all thecouncillors are regular visitors –added: “We have an importantmission to fulfil, and that is to seethe return to London of ourwonderful Glockenspiel after ithas been restored here in Aarau.

“We are making a special placefor it in Leicester Square, where itwill again be a great visitorattraction for London.”

One of the proudest people togreet the delegation was thedirector of the bell foundry, Rene

Spielmann, who told the LordMayor that since the Glockenspielwas first erected in 1985, thefoundry had sent technicians toLondon twice a year to carry outmaintenance.

And as the Westminster partyleft, the carillon bells in Aarau’s13th century Obertorturm – thehighest city tower in Switzerland –played a respectful God Save theQueen, followed by a resoundingIt’s a Long Way to Tipperary…

see, apart from the re-casting andrefurbishing of the bells, for theGlockenspiel is much more than amusical instrument.

Awaiting their inspection werethe 23 hand carved animatedfigures that form part of theAlpaufzuig – the procession offarmers and animals up to thehigh Alpine pastures.

Inside each is a complexcollection of cogwheels andpulleys that come to life as thefigures move along their 15 metercircular track.

The civic party was amused torecognise that one of the figureswas of someone they all knowwell, although the ‘cheesemaker’himself is now almost a quarter ofa century older than when he wasoriginally carved.

Albert Kunz, who for many yearshad been director of SwitzerlandTourism in London, was the manmainly responsible for the buildingof the Swiss Centre in LeicesterSquare and the subsequentincorporation of the Glockenspiel

How the front page of the localArraui newspaper told the story

A royal fanfare from the town hall balcony

greeting dignitaries from the UK

Casting under way in Switzerland's oldestfoundry, the Glockengiesserei in Aarau

Seeing double: Albert Kunz meets hisyounger self – making cheese How's this for sound? The Lord Mayor

tests one of the refurbished bellsDemonstrating the mechanics of an

animated cow: Cllr Robert DavisThe Lord Mayor with Sir Simon

Milton, Deputy Mayor of London

in charge of policy and planning

Cllr Angela Hooper helps to decorate oneof the figures in the procession

E L E C T I O N O F U K D E L E G A T E S T O T H E

O R G A N I S A T I O N O F T H E S W I S S A B R O A D

Would you like to represent the UK Swiss Communityin the ‘Parliament’ of the Swiss Abroad?

• Are you a Swiss National living in Britain?

• Are you eligible to vote by correspondence atSwiss Elections and Referenda?

• Are you fluent in one of the two languagesofficially used by the OSA-Council debates i.e.French or German? (There is simultaneoustranslation French-German)

• Are you available to attend OSA Meetingsin Switzerland?

Should you require further information, do feel free toemail enquiries@swiss-societies.co.uk

Please complete and return to:The Federation of the Swiss Societies in the UK (FOSSUK),16-18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ.To be received no later than 17th April 2009.

Full Name: __________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________

Telephone number: ___________________________________

Email address: _______________________________________

Date and place of birth: _______________________________

Place of origin in Switzerland: __________________________

Present full or part-time occupation: ____________________

Languages: _________________________________________

Interest / skills:_______________________________________

Please enclose a short statement of why you wish to become a Delegate!NB. Confidentiality is assured. The Resume of short-listed applicants will bepublished on the FOSSUK website (www.swiss-societies.co.uk) for electionby Swiss residing in the UK.

7

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Winning a competition set London’snewest restaurateurs on the road tosuccess with novel green cuisineThe decision to open a group ofupmarket restaurants in London inthe middle of a recession is not oneto be taken lightly.

But that was the challengecheerfully accepted by a team ofSwiss restaurateurs who were suretheir unique concept of a fast foodservice of vegetarian dishes wouldfind favour with Londoners.

They’d already proved thesuccess of the idea in Switzerlandwith the opening of four Tibitsrestaurants – in Zurich (2000),Winterthur (2002), Berne (2003)and Basle (2007).

The thought of moving to Londonactually goes back more than fouryears and set in train a lengthyprocess before they were satisfiedthey were making the right decision,ranging from finding suitable sitesand negotiating with suppliers torecruiting the 50 personnel theyneeded to man each restaurant.

In this they received valuablehelp from the Swiss Business Hubat the Swiss Embassy in London,who put them in touch with localspecialists.

Eventually the first UK Tibitsopened recently in Heddon Street,off Regent Street, and was quicklyfollowed by a second in theWestfield Centre in West London.

The heart of each restaurant isits “food boat”, an oval-shapedbuffet displaying more than 30salads and hot food dishes. Dinerschose what they prefer, and then itis weighed and paid for by thegram.

The idea first took root ten yearsago when Daniel, Christian and RetoFrei drew up a tentative businessplan for a new kind of vegetarianrestaurant and submitted it to acompetition jointly organised by theSwiss Federal Institute of Technologyand McKinsey Consulting.

They picked up two awards, and

the publicity they received wasseen by Rolf and Marielle Hilti, theowners of Europe’s oldestvegetarian restaurant in Zurich.

The five decided to join forces –and Tibits was launched. Theirfirst Swiss restaurants haveenjoyed considerable success. Infact a survey of diners showedthat 90 per cent of them werenon-vegetarians.

Said Reto Frei: “We are veryexcited and confident Londonerswill embrace our fresh and stylistapproach to vegetarian cuisine.”

in Geneva has sent thisexplanation:

“When a person who worked inmore than one State reachesretirement age, they receive apartial pension from each ofthese States.

“They must furthermore havethe minimum insurance period ofeach State, condition for whichinsurance periods in othercountries are taken into account,if necessary.

“In order to be entitled to SwissOASI benefits, some contributionsmust have been paid in Switzerlandfor at least one year and the otherconditions must be met.

“In the Swiss/EU borderlineterritory, pensions can be paid inany country of residence. In mostcases, Swiss pensions are alsopaid in third party States.”

In a further note they also add:“When a contracting State

requires a minimal insuranceperiod of a few years to allow theentitlement to old-age anddisability pensions, the SwissOASI contribution periods aretaken into account as if the

A reader in Newport-on-Tay inScotland has asked Swiss Reviewfor clarification on the currentstate of the voluntary Swissinsurance scheme. She writes:

There have been numerouschanges since I joined the

scheme nearly 30 years ago and Iam approaching the age when Iwill hopefully benefit from mycontributions.

The article in a recent SwissReview was most informative.However, like all the otherinformation I have seen it doesnot explain how this comingtogether of the Swiss and the UKsystem actually works.

Will I receive a Swiss and a UKpension or will all mycontributions be thrown into onepot and the AHV contributionstreated like additional/voluntarycontributions to the UK’s nationalinsurance scheme?

I would be most grateful forinformation on this topic. I’m sureI’m not the only one who iswondering how this all works.

The Swiss Compensation Office

person had been insured in theother State.

“This procedure allows Swissnationals who have only workeda few years in the State inquestion to also benefit from foreignpensions.

“Likewise, the nationals ofpartner States receive Swiss OASIpensions when they meet theconditions to be granted them,notably the Swiss minimalcontribution period set to oneyear. The pension is calculated infunction of the contributionduration in each State.

“A person insured in Switzerlandand in a partner State receives apart pension from both theseStates.

“The conventions ensure thepayment of foreign pensions inthe partner State and often in athird party State also.”

Further information can also befound on the web site of theOrganisation of the Swiss Abroad.Go to:http://www.aso.ch/en/consultation/living-abroad/social-insurance/oasidi/payments-of-pensions

The team behind the two restaurants that are bringing a new dining experience toLondon: Daniel Frei (left) with Rolf Hilti and Daniel’s brothers, Christian and Reto

Advice on old-age insurance for Swiss in the UK

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8

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The ongoing debate abouteuthanasia, which has recentlyseen numerous emotive headlinesin British newspapers and on TV,has resulted in a record numberof Britons who say they want toend their lives sipping a lethalcocktail at the Dignitas clinic inZurich.

More than 730 have alreadyformally registered with Dignitasand paid the fee – the largestnumber from any country afterSwitzerland and Germany.

All they have to do now is toarrange a date with Dignitas andbook their travel to Zurich.

So far more than 100 UKcitizens have taken their one-wayjourney with the help of relativesor friends.

And although those helpingthem face a criminal prosecutionback home, with the prospect of a14 year prison sentence, no onehas yet appeared in court.

In Scotland the debate is beingled by one of the most popularScottish MPs, Margot MacDonald,who is herself suffering fromParkinson’s disease.

She says current laws arecriminalising those who agree withthe right to die with dignity, andwants doctors to be allowed to

help terminally ill patients endtheir life.

She said: “As someone with adegenerative condition this debateis not a theory for me.

“The possibility of having theworst form of the disease at theend of life has made me thinkabout unpleasant things.

“I feel strongly that, in the eventof losing my dignity or being facedwith a painful or protracted death,I should have the right to curtailmy own, and my family’s suffering.”

But a fellow Scot, PrimeMinister Gordon Brown, profoundlydisagrees.

At Prime Minister’s Questions,he said that while he thought theissue was a matter of conscience,

he personally had always opposedlegislation for assisted deaths.

Later he said: “It’s not for us tocreate legislation that would putpressure on people to feel theyhad to offer themselves becausethey were causing trouble to arelative or anything else.”

One of the leading proponentsfor a change in the law is Lib DemMP Evan Harris, a hospital doctor.

He told fellow MPs that “at least”16 British citizens a year travelledto Dignitas to end their lives.

“The Home office has identifiedabout four cases of so-called mercykillings each year. That is probablyonly a small fraction of the realnumber of such cases, whichoften never reach the courts.”

One recent high profile casewas that of Debbie Purdy, amultiple sclerosis sufferer whowent to the High Court to clarifywhether her husband would beprosecuted for helping her travelto Zurich.

But her plea was turned down,on the grounds that onlyParliament could change the law.

She is now going to take hercase to the House of Lords.

She said: “It’s outrageous thatpeople don't know where theystand within the law.”

Now 730 Britons want to die with Dignitas

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Keeping an eyeon the £ v CHFI welcome your decision to showthe latest exchange ratebetween the pound and theSwiss franc on the home page ofthe Swiss Review web site.

I look at it frequently and amfascinated by the ever-changingvalue of the once mighty pound.Well done! – P. Fisher, Leicester• To see the latest rate go to:www.swissreview.co.uk

Thank you forcheering me upMy grandmother was Swiss (fromWeggis) but lived in England formost of her life. She moved herewhen she was in her mid 30’s,though the Swiss influence wasalways very prominent in my life.

Sadly, she passed away at thebeginning of last year, aged 81.

Getting Swiss Review throughmy door always cheers me up. Ilove reading about the countrywhere I hope to live one day.

I always find the articles soinformative. So thanks SwissReview for making me smilewhen I need it! – Jess Devese(by email)

L E T T E R S

Debbie Purdy: High Court plea failed

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