Hungerford has been twinned with Ligueil, close to the city of Tours in the French Indre-et-Loire department region since 1980. The link with Ligueil is managed by Hungerford Twinning Association on behalf of the Town Council and the Hungerford community. Visits take place more or less every year alternating between the two towns as destinations for visitors from the other.
For more information on joining the association, please contact Penny Brookman on 01488 682 065 or pab3udc@gmail.com.
This year the twinning link will be 45 years old. The twinning link has been celebrated in many ways over the years. This has included three visits by cyclists from Hungerford to Ligueil.
November 2025
We have two events this month and everyone (HTA members and non-members) is welcome.
Friday 7 November – Skittles at the Royal British Legion
This is a social event – you don’t have to play skittles to come along. Doors open at 7pm with play starting at 7.30pm. You can just enjoy a drink and watch others displaying their skills (or not) on the Legion’s legendary skittle alley. There will be two parts to the evening:
- A match between HTA and HAHA (Hungerford Allotment Holders Association). This match has a little bit of history and HAHA currently holds the HTA Skittles Cup! So, we need to try and win it back; the winning team will hold the cup until the next challenge match takes place. Sounds rather serious, doesn’t it? No, it is all very light-hearted and you only need to be able to roll a ball down the alley – no skills required, other than that.
- There will also be a ‘Single Ball’ competition. This is a real fun event where individuals play a knockout competition to end the evening. Anyone can join in, but there is no pressure if you just want to watch. This entertaining event usually provides lots of fun and noise as eliminations take place. All will be explained on the night.
All we ask is that anyone joining us on the night should bring along a plate of nibbles that they are happy to share. These don’t need to be over-elaborate; crisps or similar would be quite sufficient!
Friday 14 November ‘Taking Twinning Forward’ – St Lawrences Church from 6pm to 8pm, with drinks and nibbles
Hungerford has had a very long active twin town link with Ligueil in the Loire valley. This link has just celebrated its 45th year; there are not that many twin town arrangements that remain active for such a period. During this time many changes have affected both our towns culturally, politically and individually. The meeting on 14th is an opportunity for the Association to outline to the Hungerford community its plans for the future and for you to contribute to those plans. Please do come along and help with this and, at the same time, enjoy meeting up with members of the Association and representatives of the community of Hungerford.
St Lawrence’s Church is very kindly allowing us to hold this gathering in their new community meeting room. So, it is also an opportunity for you to see the results of all the work that has taken place inside the Church if you haven’t already done so.
August 2025
What a lovely trip we had to Ligueil last month. Please see Brian’s account here of the weekend which included great food, company, culture and Bastille Day celebrations. We are waiting to hear when our French twinners will be paying us a visit next year. In the meantime please join our informal monthly French conversation sessions on the last Saturday of the month in Hungerford Library betweeen 10.30am and noon. Refreshments are provided.
July 2025
Hungerford Twinning Association are looking forward to a visit to their Ligueil hosts for Bastille Day celebrations from 11 – 15 July. The trip will include wonderful meals and trips to Loche market and the underground passages of the Château de Bezt-le-Château, and the celebrations and fireworks on Bastille Day itself.
May 2025
On Friday 23 May, seven intrepid cyclists from Ligueil (below) arrive in Hungerford – even more intrepid since we understand that they are all over seventy years of age. Herve Duchesne, Patrick Champion, Michel Boutin, Nicole Henot, Yves Chantepie, Frantz Breuzin and Christian Sitz left Ligueil on Wednesday 21 May, took the overnight ferry and cycled up from Portsmouth. The cyclists were escorted into Hungerford by a team from Newbury’s Road Cycling Club, including Hungerford’s Keith Mayes who has twice cycled to Ligueil from Hungerford. It was Bank Holiday weekend, so they experienced all the challenges of such a time; roadworks; road closures and the effect of an accident on the M3 on traffic in the area! Thanks to the support of the Newbury ‘s Road Cycling Club our French visitors arrived safe and sound.
They were welcomed by the Mayor of Hungerford, Helen Simpson, and the Constable of the Town and Manor of Hungerford, Philip Porter, together with Chairman of Hungerford Twinning Association, Penny Brookman and representatives of Hungerford’s Twinning Association.
The cyclists brought a formal communication and a medal for Hungerford’ s Mayor from the Mayor of Ligueil, Michel Guignaudeau. He was one of the original signatories of the agreement signed between the two towns in 1980.
An evening meal was enjoyed and the cyclists appreciated the experience of a great local pub. The adventurous group also managed to include a visit to London by train during their stay. This included a visit to London’s Borough Market, celebrated for its range of premier quality UK and worldwide produce.
Members of the Hungerford Twinning Association wished the cyclists ‘Bon Voyage’ when they started their return journey. The cyclists were given a formal letter from Helen Simpson, Mayor of Hungerford to give to Monsieur Guignaudeau. Fortunately for the cyclists their trip home did not present the challenges that the journey to Hungerford had done. They all reached Ligueil safe and sound.
The next formal visit from Hungerford to Ligueil will take place in July 2025 – but it will not be by bicycle!
For more information about Hungerford Twinning Association (you don’t have to live in Hungerford to join), please contact Ted Angell on 01488 682610.
Ligueil visits Hungerford, September 2024
The pandemic put paid to that for a time so this year’s visit between 5 and 8 September 2024 was the first exchange since 2019 due to lockdown (however, many twinners, have made independent visits in either direction to see the friends they have made through the association.)
The Chair of the Hungerford Twinning Association, Penny Brookman, sent us this report of the successful weekend:
“It was wonderful to see our friends again after a six year gap in Hungerford and five to Ligueil. After the horrors of covid, it was heart warming to renew friendships and make some new ones.
“This year, for the first time, the Ligueil guests flew from Tours to Stansted and were collected by a Barnes coach to bring them to Hungerford. The flight was delayed, but the guests arrived cheerfully and were welcomed in the Library hub by the Mayor, the Town Crier, a member from the Town and Manor and hosts and members. They were plied with light refreshments before joining their hosts for supper.
“The weather was at times almost as terrible as it could be (though less bad than the forecasts), but it didn’t totally spoil our planned activities. A shortened version of Pétanque took place on the Friday with a splendid tea provided by Hungerford members at Woolton Hill village hall. Some of the members of the East Woodhay twinning group joined us and also supplied some of the cakes. They also helped clear up at the end.
“On Sunday the weather was dry enough to follow a slightly shortened tour of the new Wetland area, lead by Jonathan Welfare of the Town and Manor, along the Kennet. The forward planning and environmental impact of the site was much appreciated by our guests.
“Later, we gathered for a delicious and leisurely lunch at Herongate where there was room to relax and continue conversation.The invited guests included Robert James, a founder member of the Association, the Hungerford Mayor, Helen Simpson and Peter Joseph of The Town and Manor. Toasts to the future of Jumelage were made and glasses of the award winning Winding Wood Sparkling Wine was used to toast absent friends. At the end of the meal, the beautiful gift from Ligueil was opened. This was a sculpture representing the fable of The Cricket and the Ant by Jean de la Fontaine. We shall decide where to put it to best advantage.
“Speeches followed. Michel Guignaudeau, Mayor of Ligueil, spoke of how important close friendships were in this difficult world. Penny Brookman presented him with a medal depicting 120 years of the Entente Cordiale. Being aware that the guests were travelling my plane, a small, but significant gift had been chosen. All the Ligueil visitors received a cotton tote bag with a copy of the medal and description. On the front of the bag was stamped an attractive description of the contact between Ligueil and Hungerford and the date 2024.
“The rest of the day was spent quietly with hosts and we reconvened the next day à bonne heure to see our guests off from the Town Hall. It was an emotional farewell culminating in the usual singing of Auld Lang Syne, with plans being discussed to visit Ligueil next year.”
The theme of delays and poor weather continued to the very end of the trip. One of our guests, Thérèse Joubert, emailed me on Sunday evening to say that their plane landed at the second attempt at Tours where a heavy storm was in progress. Everyone on the plane then broke into spontaneous applause.
Applause is also due to all the members of the Association on both sides of the Channel for organising this year’s trip and the various activities and for ensuring that the Association kept going despite the dark shadow of Covid. We look forward to our visit to Ligueil next year.
