We gathered in Parliament last night, in a searingly hot London, to celebrate 120 years of the Language Assistants Programme. Established in 1905, the Language Assistants Programme is one of the British Council's longest-running international education programmes. From its origins as a UK–France–Germany partnership, it has evolved into a global network that advances international education and mobility, cultural relations and mutual understanding, language learning and teacher development, and long-term people-to-people connections that support international cooperation. Every year around 1,800 UK language assistants are placed overseas and the programme reaches more than 400,000 students each year. Over the last century many millions of assistants, students and others have benefited and that’s before we add in the incredibly positive impact of increased trust across people and nations. Many thanks to MP Darren Paffey for hosting us. And thanks to our speakers: Maud Waret, a former French Language Assistant and Éléonore Caroit, French Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad.