Our Mission
The British Latvian Association exists to promote greater understanding and appreciation of the people, culture and history of Latvia, and to celebrate the strong and enduring links between Latvia and the United Kingdom.
Our Committee
Richard Ralph
Chairman and Membership Secretary
Richard became Chairman of the BLA in 2023, having previously been its membership secretary.
A graduate of Edinburgh University, he had a long career as a member of the British diplomatic service, including serving as the UK's second ambassador to Latvia (succeeding the late Richard Samuel, the founder of the BLA) following the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991.
Following his appointment to the roles of Ambassador to Latvia, Richard’s time as a diplomat took him all over the world, where he served variously as Governor of the Falkland Islands, Ambassador to Romania and Moldova and as the Ambassador to Peru.
Richard now lives in Sandwich, Kent with his wife Jemma and their daughter Freya.
Rodney Radcliffe
Deputy Chairman and Hon. Secretary
Rodney is a long-standing member of the BLA committee and currently serves as Deputy Chairman.
He has covered personnel management roles in the North and South of the UK, with global assignments, leading to consulting and teaching at three London universities. Rodney is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development..
Married to Judy, their family includes Timothy, their son, Lucy and three grandchildren, yet to be teenagers.
Rodney's great grandfather was engineer and entrepreneur George Armitstead, who served as the fourth Mayor of Riga from 1901-1912.
Rodney and Judy have visited Riga regularly since Latvia regained its independence in the 1990's
Elma Charalambous
Treasurer
Elma is long-standing member of the BLA and has served as its Treasurer for a number of years, maintaining control of the association’s finances.
Previously working as an executive in the cosmetics industry in Lille, New York and Brussels, Elma was formerly Director of International Compliance for Elizabeth Arden.
Born in Riga to Latvian parents who had to flee Latvia, she grew up in Canada via Denmark and graduated in Chemistry from Western University.
Elma has sought to keep in touch with Latvia though frequent exploring visits with her husband John,.
With daughter Alexia, son-in-law Matt and teenage grandchildren Rosie and Oliver, Elma and John currently divide their time between London and Cyprus.
Neil Taylor
Events Coordinator
Neil spent most of his life in the travel business, setting up tours to Latvia for his company Regent Holidays immediately after this became possible, when independence was reestablished in 1991. At that time, he got to know Britain's first ambassador in Riga, Richard Samuel, and was subsequently able to help him set up the BLA.
On retiring from the travel business, Neil turned to writing and through the British Guild of Travel Writers takes journalists to Latvia most years, encouraging them to travel throughout the country and not just to Riga.
Neil lectures on cruise ships that visit Latvia and is the author of a Brandt guide to Estonia entitled “Estonia: A Modern History”.
Christopher Moseley
Committee Member Without Portfolio
Christopher Moseley was born in Australia in 1950 and is a freelance translator into English from Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, and the Scandinavian languages.
Chris has translated numerous Estonian short stories and three novels, one of which is The Man Who Spoke Snakish.
He currently lives in the UK and teaches Estonian and Latvian at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London.
Louise Stirna
Editor of the BLA Newsletter Blāzma
Lou is the newest member of the team, having been recruited by Christopher Moseley from the beginners Latvian language class at University College London, to edit the British Latvian Association newsletter.
Lou enjoys editing, having written and edited various fanzines and newsletters at college and university during the mid 1990s.
Born and bred in London, Lou has worked in the music industry for 14 years and in her spare time, when not chasing after her small daughter, enjoys music, film, learning the Latvian language, genealogy and writing.
Lou’s paternal family hail from Rindzele in Tukums and emigrated to the UK in 1907.
Jason Swanson
Technical and Social Media
Jason manages the BLA website, Facebook page, YouTube channel and Zoom for the BLA’s online events.
Formerly a consultant and manager in the software industry, Jason spent the larger part of his career implementing systems to create large commercial websites for newspapers, banks and manufacturers.
With his wife Anita, whose parents were Latvians who sought refuge in the UK, Jason is a member of Latvian folklore group Dudalnieki and together they have performed traditional Latvian folk music at festivals in Latvia, the UK, Ireland, Germany and Brazil.
Jason and Anita currently divide their time between South London, central Riga and Aluksne in the beautiful countryside of eastern Latvia.
David Clarke
Technical Advisor
David is a founder member of the BLA and was treasurer from its inception in 2004 until 2018. He is now one of the longest serving members of the London Latvian Choir, the organist/choirmaster and deputy chair of the London Latvian Lutheran Church, the treasurer of the Latvian Lutheran Church in Great Britain, a member of Koklu Zapte a London based kokle ensemble and also likes to play the piano accordion for Latvian sing-alongs.
David was elected chair of the British Lithuanian Society in 2023.
He lives with his Latvian wife and son in Canterbury and is treasurer of Canterbury for Ukraine, a new charity formed in 2022. The family enjoy time in their summer house in Garciems, Latvia.
David also has a day job as an auditor in the civil service.