Devon Twinning Circle

DEVON TWINNING CIRCLEDevon Twinning Circle

Officers and Committee Addresses

Chairman Mrs Pat Sherwood, Littleover Dean Street, Crediton, EX17 3EN Tel: 01363 772103 sherwoodpa@hotmail.co.uk

Vice-Chairman: Mrs Josie Mardon, Heimat, 35, Woodwater Lane, Exeter, EX2 5JY,Tel: 01392 253469 mandj@heimat.plus.com

Imm.past Chairman . Mr. Dennis Knowles, 43, Greenway Gardens, Tiverton, EX 16 5JL Tel: 01884 254775. dennisknowles123@btinternet.com

Treasurer Mr. James Stewart, St. Mary’s, Forches Cross, Bovey Road, Newton Abbot TQ12 6PU Tel: 01626 361808 james@jsacc.co.uk

Insurance officer. Mrs. Pauline Knowles, 43, Greenway Gardens, Tiverton, EX16 5JL Tel: 01884 254775

dennisknowles123@btinternet.comNewsletter Editor Mrs. Jean Aplin, 13, Crowden Crescent, Tiverton, Devon. EX16 4ET

Tel:01884 254260 jeanaplin@live.co.ukCommittee Members

Mr Philip Worsfold, 8B, Whitnage Road, Sampford Peverell, Tiverton EX16 7BU Tel:01884 821805. wors@8bwhi.eclipse.co.uk

Mr. Maurice Mardon, Heimat, 35, Woodwater Lane, Exeter, EX2 5JY Tel:01392 253469 mandj@heimat.plus.com

Mr.Bob Bradshaw, The Old Post Office, West Hill,Ottery St. Mary, Devon, EX11 1TR Tel: 01404 812402 bradshaw@cdmservices.org.uk

Mr. S. Philp, Highlea, First Raleigh, Bideford, EX39 3NJ. Tel: 01237 473624. hylee@talktalk.netMr Mike Boyle, 26 Copland Meadows, Totnes, TQ9 6ER

Tel: 01803 867133 mjbatotnes@hotmail.com

Home to HomeAutumn 2018

Devon Twinning Circle Annual General Meeting

Saturday October 20 th . 2018.

Bitton House, Bitton Park Road, Teignmouth, TQ14 9DF. at 2pm.

Buffet Lunch will be served at 12:30pm at £7.50 a head. Vegetarian option availableIf you have any dietary needs please advise well in advance.

We hope you will be able to join us for Lunch. A reply slip is enclosed please send it to the address below with your cheque

Mr. R. Dickson, ChantryClose,Teignmouth,TQ14 8FE.Tel: 01626779834 E.Mail: raydicksonchantry@gmail.com

I would like to book lunch for ____ person/s at £7.50 a head £_______Please tick here for Vegetarian _____ and state how many ______

Special Dietary Needs:-

Please return this slip with your cheque made payable to“Teignmouth Twinning Association” to the above address by October 12 th . 2018.

FROM _______________________________________________ASSOCIATION NAME ___________________________ CONTACT NO.______________________

Directions to Bitton House.From Torbay/Newton Abbot

Take the slip road to Bishopsteignton A381, just beyond Shaldon Bridge on the right there is a Tesco store on the left and Bitton House is on the right at the top of the hill.

From Exeter

Take the A38 to Kennford keeping on the left take the A380 approx 1 mile from the top of Telegraph Hill turn left onto the B3192. Continue on this road until you pass the Community College on your left, at the bottom of the hill at the Traffic lights turn left onto the A381 Newton Abbot and Bitton House is just along the road on your left.

Annual General MeetingAgenda

1. Chairman’s Opening Remarks2. Apologies for absence3. Minutes of last AGM4. Matters arising5. Secretary’s Report/Correspondence6. Treasurer’s Report7. Insurance Officer’s Report8. Matters arising from Committee Meeting9. Dates for meeting in 201910. Election of Officers11. Presentation of Monica Saunders Trophy12. Speaker Viv Wilson

Date and venue for next General Meeting: Saturday 19th January 2019 at Exeter

Message from the Chairman. Pat Sherwood

At the beginning of June I received the sad news that Rob Hooper had died. Rob was the DDC representative on the DTC committee for many years having taken over from Lesley Smith. It was due to Rob’s help that the newsletter was produced. I am not able to report on the meeting at Cullompton as I wasn’t there. I gather it went well. I would like to thank Dennis and James for taking over my roles. Dennis was the chairman and James the secretary. I do appreciate their help. I could tell you about my weekend in Cardiff but you would probably find it boring. Suffice to say I had a lovely time and saw bits of Wales and Cardiff I had never seen before!I am very disappointed in the return of the GDPR consent forms. We DO need them to be filled in and returned to me ASAP. They were sent out with the minutes etc. for the last meeting. Up to July 21 st only 17 had been returned and since then just another 7. That’s less than half of the total number of member associations. I would like to thank those of you who have taken the time to fill theirs in and return them. Don’t forget the AGM in October at Teignmouth.

MONDEVILLE TWINNERS VISIT NORTHAM

Our friends from France arrived in Northam just before 7pm on Friday 18 May after a long journey by ferry and coach from Mondeville via Portsmouth. The traffic was a lot busier than they had known in the past.An evening was spent with our friends in various little groups, enjoying refreshments including a glass or two!

The next day was rather special with the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan, and the Cup Final between Manchester United and Chelsea. I think most people enjoyed the pageantry of the wedding in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, but the Cup Final was not a very wonderful game.

The evening was spent in different groups in various houses, giving us all time to meet up with otherfriends and have a good chat.

Sunday was our day for the annual trip. This year we travelled by coach to firstly Ottery St Mary Garden Centre for coffee, then on to Seaton for a ride on the Seaton Tramway to Colyton. When we left Northam in the morning the sun was shining brightly, as it had done for a few days, but when we arrived in Seaton there was a cold mist, and, because the tram was open-topped, we had to wrap up against the cold wind. At Colyton we had a cream tea which was rather special and which warmed us up ready for the return journey.

We were able to walk around Seaton for a little while but, because of the mist, the beautiful coastline was a little faded.

Our coaches then took us back to Braunton and Squire’s Fish and Chips; delicious!

On Monday we had the official luncheon at the Royal North Devon Golf Club which was enjoyed by all, with entertainment by the singer Roger Colombe.

All too soon the twinning visit was over. The coach left Northam Car Park on Tuesday, 22 May, just before 8am for the long trip back to Mondeville.

We were extremely lucky this year with the weather; it had been warm and sunny every day. We hope the same will be true when we travel to Mondeville in September.

Dala Hus

Fontaine-Henry lays on a spread for Scoriton and Buckfastleigh visitors

Standing on the scales after the twinning biennial visit to Fontaine-Henry can be a sobering experience.

2018 was no exception. The twinning group from Scoriton and Buckfastleigh were entertained in great style by our French friends in Normandy throughout the weekend of May 28th.

After a smooth crossing from Portsmouth to the Port of Caen, we were billeted with twinning families around Fontaine-Henry before gathering on the Saturday evening for the traditional vin d’honneur at the local community hall.

The welcome speeches reiterated the importance of maintaining close ties with our neighbours in a world of increasing insularity. Updating our French friends on local news, we touched on Buckfast Abbey’s millennium celebrations, the success of local rider Bryony Frost in the Grand National and the ever more depressing problem of potholes (“chicken’s nests” as they are charmingly referred to in French).

We then set to the meal with gusto accompanied by two local virtuoso guitarists who played a medley of songs from the seventies. It’s not often you dig into a sumptuous tarte aux fraises to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” 

With barely a moment to digest, we were off to Falaise the following day for our traditional Sunday outing. Falaise was the seat of the Dukes of Normandy and birthplace to William the Conqueror, or William the Bastard as he was known before his makeover.

Falaise was decimated by intense Allied bombing during the Second World War but has since been restored. Its centrepiece is William’s magnificent fortress which itself underwent extensive restoration in the late 1980s.

We were treated to a tour of the great keep, each visitor carrying a personal tablet as guide. At the touch of a button, the bare walls of the castle were decorated with virtual furnishings and scenes from history.

We also toured the vicinity of the castle. Our guide (flesh and blood this time) introduced us to aspects of William’s life and death. The latter took place following a battle at Mantes near Paris when William’s horse shied and he was skewered on the pommel of his saddle. After an excruciating death he then had to be crammed into his coffin due to sloppy funeral measurements. It led to the corpse exploding during the funeral service.

Then to lunch, luckily not Tripes à la mode de Caen, but a splendid 5-course affair.

On the Monday we were left with our hosts and entertained at their discretion. Being English, some plucky souls insisted on frolicking in the icy Channel in borrowed skimpy swim suits more suited to Saint-Tropez.

On arriving back in Buckfastleigh we found that England had lost the first test against Pakistan, Exeter had been routed in the Premiership Rugby final to Sarasens and Real Madrid had edged Liverpool in the Champions League final.

Not a bad time to be away!

Yealmpton Twinning Association

Milizac April 2018

Thirty years ago we were present at the Yealmpton-Milizac twinning opening ceremony and the subsequent barn dance. Since then we have heard of the generous relationships formed between the families of the two villages, but we never became involved – until last year when, as a part of the very informal Yealmpton vintage car group we took our MGB over to Milizac to take part in the Rallye des Menhirs. The hospitality was wonderful, which was one of the reasons that we were encouraged to take part in the “proper” twinning trip of April 2018.

Leaving by minibus at 8.30pm on Friday 27th April, the Yealmpton twinners were hosted by Brittany Ferries to a 30 th

anniversary celebration of Breton cider and cake reception on board the Armorique. Arriving in Roscoff we were greeted by our host Raphael, who we were meeting for the first time. Only one other couple were newbies to twinning – the rest were being greeted by their old French friends, with many special bonds kindled by up to thirty years of entertainment and hospitality.

As the weekend developed, hosted by Alain and Raphael, who were also new to twinning, we started to appreciate the reason why the association between our villages has been such a success. Immersion in a parallel lifestyle (Milizac is to Brest is what Yealmpton is to Plymouth) the village values are similar – good schooling, strong community association, many village clubs and interest groups, excellent allotments, cycling and car groups, etc. – but most of all a strong sense of friendship and community. As the weekend unfolded we enjoyed visiting local places of interest (St. Renan market on Saturday morning being one of the high-spots), interspersed by relaxed socialising at lunch, tea and dinner we became remarkably refreshed – and we hadn’t been able to spend a euro! Saturday evening’s reception in Milzac’s Town Hall was a real community event – age range maybe 6 to 90 and an estimated 120 people in attendance. Fine food, good wine, fabulous company – what could be better!

With conversations in part French, part English, we were relieved to find that our hosts had more than a passable ability to speak in our language, although we vowed to swat up for next year. The afternoon “cruise” back to Plymouth and Yealmpton on Monday provided more opportunity to socialise with our fellow twinners and reflect on a very special relationship. All we can do now is to recommend “twinning” – it is something special that we can enjoy as Yealmpton residents. Look out for the fund-raising events that will fuel Milizac’s return trip in 2019. We are ready to embrace our new friends and reciprocate the hospitality.

Penny and Roger Punch

Tickenham Twinning Association.

For our 27th year of twinning with Aigné it was routine. Village hall booked for reception and coffee, box ticked. Booked coach for day out, box ticked. Local college arranged for formal meal, box ticked. Now we can just sit back and await their arrival.

Then at short notice the French Government changed the holiday dates. Panic! If I can borrow an expression from north of the border ‘the best laid plans of mice and men oft gang awry’. The village hall was pre-booked and not available; our college was on holiday so the catering arrangements fell through.

The reception did not present too much of a problem, a local hostelry stepped up to the plate. Catering for our evening meal was another matter. Two caterers who would have prepared the meal for us were unavailable. Here a committee member came to the rescue, suggesting that uniquely British favourite, fish and chips. We found a local chippy able to produce 71 boxes of that national favourite on a Sunday evening. Unfortunately two of our twinning families and one of theirs had made alternative holiday arrangements for the new date, but otherwise we were back on track.

The coach arrived on time and we had a catch-up hour at the Inn before the visitors went with their hosts to enjoy a quiet evening.

Saturday we all met for the formal outing, which was to Lacock to visit the abbey, the ancient village and the photographic museum. The weather was exceptionally kind and after a walk around the village we picnicked in the wonderful grounds of the abbey. The French are very fond of a good picnic and from a quick glance around our groups they were not disappointed. The rest of the visit was informal. The village was very olde worlde and threw up a few surprises. The French are familiar with Harry Potter and we learned that two of the houses in the village formed film sets in two of the films. It was a pity to bring the visit to an end on such a glorious day, but we returned home where the evening was spent eating and drinking with the families. Twenty-nine people turned up in one garden for a barbecue!

Sunday was spent en famille. There were some interesting choices of places to visit. Bristol Docks proved very popular with the recently updated ‘M Shed’, a history of Bristol with the involvement in the slave trade (the local business men sent ships to collect slaves from Africa, deliver them to America in exchange for goods subsequently imported into Bristol), as well as the development of the aircraft industry in Bristol (First world war fighter The Bristol Bulldog, second world fighter/bomber the Mosquito, the giant Brabazon and Concorde to name but a few).

Another popular visit was to Blaise Castle, a folly built in South Bristol and decked out in Victorian style. The Victorian classroom was not functioning on a Sunday but on a previous school visit I have seen children emerge from there shell-shocked!

A couple of families visited the Royal Mint in South Wales. The number of countries served and the sheer quantities of coins produced is staggering. Visitors had an opportunity to produce a £2 coin of their own.

Sunday evening’s formal meal was followed by line dancing, which proved very popular. Scheduled to finish at 11pm it continued until 1am. Some weary travellers arrived at 10.15 the following morning for the return journey.

RANDONNÉE GOURMANDE---Fundraiser ExtraordinaireTony Cooksley

It was a great disappointment to us this year when our ‘partners’ were unable to travel to the UK due to health issues, so on a private visit to France we visited them. Our visit corresponded with an event unique

in my experience of visiting France over many years, a randonnée gourmande. “A what?” I hear you say. Let me enlighten you.We all know a randonée, how the French love a good walk, but the gourmande? It works like this. After being supplied with a plastic beaker, cutlery and maps walkers set off in groups and followed the preset route (three kilometres) where they stop for a gouter. This comprised a slice of date and walnut bread, two squares of chocolate and a drink of either apple juice or cider. The next stage was a further four kilometres where two feeding stations were set up in a wood a short distance apart. There the walkers enjoyed an aperitif of rosé-pamplemousse with stuffed vegetables, followed by an entrée of paté, rillettes, cruditée and toast.

They then proceeded a further three kilometres to the fourth feeding station, where, when we arrived, there were four whole lambs cooking on spits. The lamb was served with flageolet beans. This was followed by cheese, all accompanied, of course, by bread and a wine of choice.

The final stop featured dessert, an apricot tart, served with coffee. After a total of 11 kilometres there were many exhausted but happy bodies.

But why a fundraiser extraordinaire? There were over 300 people who set off over a two hour period. It is an annual event and always attracts that sort of number of participants. Twinners prepared the food and manned all the feeding stations. Others cycled the route placing signs and tape so no one got lost, and marshalled busy road crossings. Even a thunder storm did not dampen their enthusiasm.

We were not privy to the cost of the tickets (our hosts paid) or the profit but this annual event is their main fundraiser and I am sure their hard work resulted in a substantial profit.

THE BURNHAM-ON-SEA & HIGHBRIDGE FRITZLAR TWINNING SOCIETYVISIT FROM FRITZLAR 9-13 JULY 2018

We have just said “Auf Wiedersehen” to our German friends from Fritzlar (North Hessen), after a wonderful visit and a number of “firsts”.

This time all 33 guests were home-hosted by local families. Some were completely new to Twinning, on both sides, some come regularly, and we were delighted to welcome, especially, some who returned after a long absence owing to illness or bereavement.

From the moment they arrived for the Civic Reception, the warmth and friendship of our Twinning was palpable and stuck our hosts as something really special.

The following day was free for guests to relax and explore the local area with hosts and members until Skittles & a Pub Supper together in the evening.

Wednesday was the outing to Burrow Farm Gardens near Axminster with “Kaffee & Kuchen” and a visit to Lyme Regis, with free time to explore the town, beaches, Museum and Harbour on a day of sparkling summer sunshine.

The evening's Pub Supper coincided with the England v Croatia Match, with a great party atmosphere. Once Germany had been eliminated, our friends really wanted England to win, and were even more upset at the outcome than many of us!

On Thursday we were invited for a “Cream Tea” in the beautiful home & garden of 2 of our members – jam or cream first was hotly debated! - followed by free time in Burnham to relax, shop, have a leisurely lunch and enjoy the beach until the Farewell Evening, with a 3 course dinner, musical entertainment, presentations and short speeches.

From the feedback, our German friends had a happy, relaxing stay, and really appreciated the opportunity to feel properly “on holiday,” with time to savour all the places they visited. When planning the programme, it's something that can easily get overlooked.

Next year we are looking forward to celebrating our 30th Anniversary in Fritzlar

Gillian Lyne

OTTERY TWINNING ASSOCIATION

Our visit to Ilsfeld was a great success, a very warm welcome was extended to the seventeen members by their hosts, members of the Ilsfeld Twinning, during the bi-annual visit to Germany.

The short visit of four days was packed full of interesting excursions and activities – which included visiting the medieval town of Schwabisch Hall, to see an exhibition at the Wurth Museum of modern artists, also the city of Tuebingen, with a guided tour of the Bebenhausen Monastery, parts of which are 12th

century, the monks being committed to an order of silence. On Sunday morning a church service was held with a big screen translation of hymns and service for Ottery guests.

The official dinner courtesy of our hosts was at the Krone in Auenstein, delicious food and copious wine being served with music and dancing to the Aurelia band which included some members of the Ilsfeld Twinners, a delightful fun-packed evening.

Social activities included a bike event at Auensteiner Radsporttage and for football fans a public viewing of the Football World Cup matches at the Dolce Vita Beer Garden – on the evening prior to our departure a delightful barbeque was held by one of the members accompanied by much beer, wine, delicious food and hilarity.

The visit was an enormous success, firmly cementing the new and also long friendships made over the years with our hosts in Germany encompassing all that is the essence of Twinning. My thanks to Keith Spittlehouse for arranging such a successful visit for us and for taking the photographs

What a glorious summer for Ottery St Mary Twinning – Summer 2018!

What a glorious summer we have all experienced this year! Ottery Twinning Association started the summer with a visit from their twinning partners from Pont L’Eveque, France, and had a really interesting visit to their twinning partners in Ilsfeld in Germany.

Various entertainments have been arranged varying from a hog roast and a trip to Plymouth to see the Annual British Firework Championships, 30 members went to the event by coach, the coldest evening of the summer, but the firework displays more than compensated, they were fantastic and quite magical, a real must for anyone who has not previously enjoyed the annual event.

Several members manned the Twinning crepe stand at the Church Fete held at Cadhay, a glorious day, the crepes once again proved to be very popular and we were kept very busy all day, this is a fun event, good to catch up with friends and enjoy the wonderful gardens and surroundings of Cadhay – east Devon at its best!

Looking forward to 2019 we will be hosting our friends from Ilsfeld, Germany and visiting Pont L’Eveque in Normandy - If you would like to join in the fun with Ottery Twinning contact Mark on 01404 815935

In May, the Braunton Twinning Association gave me and my friend Emilee the incredible opportunity to accompany them on their trip to France to visit Plouescat, the town Braunton is twinned with.

The twinning group go on this trip every two years and take two students from Braunton Academy, who are interested in the French language, along with them. This year Emilee and I were lucky enough to be selected, and we ended up having an amazing time.

Traveling abroad with neither our parents nor any teachers was a big step out of both mine and Emilee’s comfort zones, but we ended up loving every second of it! The Braunton twinning group became one big family to us throughout the trip, and were so hospitable and lovely.

During the trip, we stayed with a host family who were equally welcoming and kind, and we were able to experience the French lifestyle and culture first-hand, while getting the unique opportunity to practice our language skills in conversation with actual French people.

We spent every day in a big group with the twinners, and were organised with exciting day trips and activities to give us an insight into Brittany’s history. A highlight for me was visiting the Valley of the Saints, where 50 statues of Breton saints created by local sculptors were on display in a beautiful valley.

But by far the best part of the trip was meeting and getting to know the Plouescat twinning group. Despite the slight language barrier, we were able to make incredible friends that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Emilee and I are counting the days until they come to Braunton to visit next year!

On the last night of our trip, we all went to a restaurant to have dinner, and Emilee and I were asked to make a speech to say thank you for our wonderful trip. But not just any speech - we had to write and perform it in French!

We were quite nervous to have to speak French in front of an audience, but luckily one of our new French friends was able to help us with our pronunciation and we did it! It was a huge confidence boost for me and Emilee, especially with our GCSE French exams coming up in the spring.

Overall, our trip was unforgettable, and we owe it all to the hospitality of the Plouescat twinning group, and the kindness of the Braunton twinning group in letting us accompany them and looking after us so well!

It is a real honour to be linked with such a lovely group of people from a culture so different to our own, and we would wholeheartedly recommend anyone in the Braunton area to get involved with the twinning association.

By Holly Milton-Jefferies

Report from Ludmila Korbut leader of the Yaroslavl Twinning Group that came to Exeter in July.

Two weeks have already passed since our visit in Exeter. We still have very warm memories about meeting with our English friends. Everything was perfect. We liked the program, which included many tours to different places of interest.

It was a pleasure to travel to Teignmouth, Plymouth, Sidmouth and of course London. English landscape and particularly Devon can’t leave you indifferent. Coasts with beautiful beaches, high cliffs and protected harbours, rolling hills with grazing sheep in the fields, thatch-roofed villages are breath-taking. The weather helped us even more to feel the beauty of your country. Coming back to Yaroslavl we are sharing our photos with marvellous spectacular views, parks and gardens.

It was so nice that our English friends accompanied us all the time. We liked talks, walks and other activities. We visited together a fire-rescue service and enjoyed very much trying firemen costumes and putting out fire. The visit of St James school was also remarkable. Such activities helped us to learn more about the

life and work of people in England.

Our special thanks we would like to express to our friends, who have arranged such a nice program, who took us to different places, who took us from and then to the airport.

Our warmest thanks we express to our host families. They tried to do the best to let us feel comfortable in your country. We tried your cuisine, learned you and some of your relatives, spent very nice time talking about common things and a lot of others.

We shall miss you and we are looking forward to seeing you in Yaroslavl.

SAMPFORD PEVERELL & DISTRICT TWINNING ASSOCIATION

TWINNING REALLY IS FOR EVERYONE! From Friday 10th to Tuesday 14th of August we were delighted to welcome a group of friends from our twin villages in the Pays d’Auge, in Normandy.

ALL AGES. Yes, our visitors’ ages ranged from 2 to 95 (and a very sprightly 95 she is). We can’t quite match that on the English side but we are working on it!

ALL INTERESTS were catered for – well nearly all. On the Saturday we visited Cothay Manor, the really interesting historic house with a beautiful and varied garden. On Monday, a more scientific visit took us to the Norman Lockyer observatory near Sidmouth for a tour of their facilities and viewing at their planetarium

. During the less organised time that our guests spent with their host families, visits were made to our local Classic Car Show in Uplowman, to Escot to meet the animals and walk in the woods (and a few fearless souls tried the drop slide), to Sheppy’s cider farm, to the Wellington monument, to a family party, and more.

ALL TASTES. Food and drink always feature fairly heavily in Twinning events. We enjoyed a lovely four course meal at Tiverton Golf Club on Saturday evening. This introduced the French to the idea of a carvery – a very English concept, apparently. In a different style were a picnic and a pub lunch. And then, most evenings there were visits to other Twinners for meals and barbecues. All good social occasions, which help to share out both the cooking and the bilingual struggles, while we get to know more about life in another country.

ALL NEEDS CATERED FOR. One of our visitors, nearly 19 years old, who hopes to become a vet, came a week early as she was already in England. Not only did Twinners provide accommodation, we managed to arrange a week’s work experience for her with an English vet. This surely shows that Twinning is not just about a few days in each other’s countries each year. It is about building lasting friendships and long may that continue.

Thank you to those that responded to my request and have sent articles in. I hope you have enjoyed reading this Newsletter.

Please keep the articles coming.

Ideas being shared, how you have entertained your twinning guests, raised funds etc. and remember you will be entered into the Monica Sanders Competition and could win £50 + another £50 if judged the overall winner of the year.

Please send articles, reports, photographs by Email to:Jeanaplin@live.co.ukby post to Mrs J.Aplin, 13 Crowden Crescent, Tiverton, Devon. EX16 4ET