Hungerford Twinning visit to Ligueil May 2017

The party travelling by train arrived in St.Pierre des Corps on the afternoon of Friday 26th May, and were met by Penny & Rob and French hosts, for the journey to Ligueil, and other travellers arrived independently.
On arrival they were informed that there was to be a presentation at the Mairie at 6pm, and on arrival were greeted by the Mayor, and participated in a touching wreath laying and commemoration for the people of the Manchester bombing, emphasising our links and solidarity in the face of terrorism.

This was followed by an exchange of gifts, with the group presenting a DVD created by Penny Locke, with subtitles and translation by Dany Bosek, about Tutti Day and the history and traditions of Hungerford, along with a letter from the Constable of the Town and Manor. They also presented items to the Pompiers, for the rest room at the new Ligueil fire-station, and hope to reconnect the French force with the Hungerford one in the near future. Gifts were provided at relatively low cost

A brief silence was held in memory of Michelle Tot, a long-term committee member, who had died shortly before the visit and was a friend to many of us, before glasses were raised to Jumelage, and ‘Absent friends’.

Aperitifs and nibbles were soon replaced by preparations for dinner, and on a very warm evening the tables were set outside and in the spirit of Jumelage a fabulous meal was provided.

The rest of the visit included a free day with hosts on the Saturday, sharing meals and outings, and a very interesting visit, with lunch, to the Dufresne museum collection at Azay Le Rideau, followed that evening by dinner altogether.

On Tuesday morning they organised the departure from the centre of Ligueil, with the traditional singing of Auld Lang Syne so that everyone could thank the hosts before heading on.

Many new members had joined the Association, with hope to boost numbers still further in the coming year. They have a new honorary President in the Mayor, Keith Knight, who along with his wife are keen to be involved. He is currently convener of French for Beginners in the Hungerford U3A, which includes some of our members, and another new member, Reg Shanahan, is convener of the French Improvers group, so please consider joining one of them.

Future plans

Exchange visit 2018
Next year the group will be hosting a visit from the French Twinners and need to consider this. The French mayor has already proposed that they visit Ligueil next year for the Comice, which takes place from the 31st August to the 2nd of September, and is only held in Ligueil every 6th year. This would normally be the time of the French visit here, so they need to consider whether to propose a visit to Hungerford on a different date, or alter the schedule. If the schedule is revised it would mean that the timetable would be correct for a 40th year celebration in Ligueil in 2020, and Hungerford in 2021.
How to get involved with the Hungerford Twinning Association

For more information about the Hungerford Twinning Association click here

Penny Brookman on 01488 683314 ([email protected])
Joy Gilbert on 01488 658192 ([email protected])