Again we were lucky with the weather for this event; it was another warm day
with plenty of sun.
Barrie and Sheila kindly allowed us to use their garden.
We were treated to the usual spread with plenty for everyone. It was good to
see Marianne and Claudia from Hürth. And we were delighted to see Mike
Brindle win such an appropriate prize in the raffle.
This was arranged in conjunction with the Tom Paine 200 Committee.
The Twinning Association received funding from the European Union’s Europe
for Citizens’ Programme and also received great support from Thetford Town
Council.
The main events took place over the weekend of 6th - 7th June, with guests
from all our twin towns staying for various lengths of time from Thursday
4th to Tuesday 9th June. There was a huge variety of events in the
town, from historical reconstructions of electioneering and battles, quilt
making, traditional crafts and games, model bridge-making, morris and molly
dancing, and much, much more. The Twinning groups took the opportunity
from the life and work of
Thomas Paine to look at human rights and democracy issues in their own
towns and areas and consider ways that it can be improved. See
here for more details of the event from the
twinning perspective, and here
to go to the Tom Paine 200 committee's website.
Owing to ill-health and increasing years, Barrie and Sheila
stood down from their respective positions of Chairman and Secretary.
They were thanked for their contributions over the past years and presented
with a gift voucher. Jennifer Bullock was voted in as Chair, and John
Bullock agreed to be Secretary. There were no nominations for
Publicity Officer, nor for Newsletter Editor, so these positions were taken
over by members of the Committee. Full details of the Committee can be seen
on the Contacts page.
This was arranged in conjunction with Thetford Concert
Committee. It took place in the Carnegie Room and included
performances by the eighty-strong Randstedelijk Mannenkoor choir and John
and Krenulla Moorman. It was an excellent evening and our thanks go to
the Randstedelijk Mannenkoor who put on an excellent concert, and also to
the Moormans who also provided a first-rate show. Along with the
choir, who stayed in Norwich and performed in Ely and Cambridge as well as
Thetford, guests from Spijkenisse stayed in Thetford. The weather was
beautiful for the visit, with a misty morning when our guests left
It rained, as usual! It seems to be the rule
that when we hold our barbecue, we have torrential rain. Despite that,
everyone who said they would come, turned up and enjoyed a good evening with
the obligatory baked bananas and cinnamon cream, provided by Sheila.
The Annual Summer Lunch was held in Mackenzie
Road as usual, and again we were lucky with the weather. The usual
delicious meal was provided by members of the Association.
This was held in the gardens of Riversdale.
Several informal games of petanque were played. Unfortunately we were
not so lucky with the weather this year and rain stopped play by late afternoon.
The AGM was held on 25th January in
the United Reformed Church, Earls Street. Twenty eight people
were present, eight of whom were committee members. Reports
were circulated. Officers were elected. Barrie had
hoped to stand down but as no-one else was prepared to stand he
agreed to stay for another year with the backup of Janet as
Vice-Chairman. Sheila had also hoped to stand down but agreed
to stay for a further year. Susan Waghorn offered to take
over the monthly newsletter, and Jenny Bullock will stand as PRO.
Mark James was elected as a committee member. Other posts remain as
before (see contacts page).
The Christmas Party was a
Polish-themed evening at which the Polish meat dish Bigosz, and
Polish beer and vodka was served. Despite some technical
difficulties, a slide show of pictures from the visit in June to
Skawina was shown.
Thetford Twinning Association has just
hosted a very successful weekend with visitors from our twin towns in
Spijkenisse, the Netherlands, and Hürth in Germany, spending time in
Thetford. Eight members of teaching staff from schools in both those twin
towns came to meet with their counterparts from Thetford schools to discuss
ways of developing links between schools and their pupils in the three twin
towns. Sadly, despite assurances from Thetford schools when the weekend was
arranged that representatives would attend the meeting, only one person from
Thetford was present at the meeting which was held at the BTO premises.
Robert Ogden, Assistant Head Teacher at Charles Burrell High School,
reported that it was a very positive meeting with constructive dialogue on
ways to encourage links through sporting activities, joint projects and
virtual academies using the internet. Simultaneously, two other meetings
took place. The first, between Arie van der Stelt, a member of the Dutch
choir Randstedelijk Mannenkoor, Mrs Pat Pearson, Deputy Mayor of
Thetford, and Sylvia Armes, both representing Thetford Concert Club, also
reported a very successful meeting with arrangements made for a joint
concert with the Randstedelijk Mannenkoor and Thetford Concert Club to be
held in Thetford in October next year. Finally, representatives from
the three Twinning Associations met to discuss actions since their meeting
last year and to make arrangements for visits and activities for the future.
In addition to the formal business, the group was taken on
the Dad’s Army tour of Thetford and attended a dinner and
social evening provided by the Twinning Association. They also visited the
St George’s Distillery at Roudham. A final farewell was said in a local pub
before they left to catch their plane home.
A visit to Skawina in Poland took place from 6 – 11
June. Twenty-one people went, and were made extremely welcome by our
hosts. The visit included a guided walk around Skawina; a formal
meeting with the Mayor and Committee of Skawina Twinning Association; mass
on Corpus Christi; a trip to Krakow; a visit to Zakopane; a performance at
the Piast Cinema; events in the park as part of Skawina days; visits to
Lanckorona, and Kalwaria Debrzydowska, and a farewell barbecue. More
pictures here.
The Christmas Party was a Polish-themed
evening at which the Polish meat dish Bigosz, and Polish beer and vodka was
served. Despite some technical difficulties, a slide show of pictures
from the visit in June to Skawina was shown.
The visit was co-ordinated by Catherine Dubois-Goodall. The
French walkers had been hosted by members and non-members, and went for a long
walk each day. They had been accompanied on the North Norfolk walk by Angela
Verzijl and her friend Joan Sherb. A meal was arranged on the last night,
at the Mulberry restaurant in Thetford.
A St George’s Day Potluck Supper
was held on 20th April - yes, it should have been Monday 23rd April
but owing to events beyond our control the date had to be changed -
however, the St George’s theme still stood. Members brought along a plate of,
mostly,
traditional English food to share and we took pot luck on what we got. There was
a good balance of savoury and sweet dishes and more than enough to
go round, with plenty of chance to taste everything. It was
good for everyone to be able to take part without having the work
falling on the same group of people. It was suggested that a
'pudding evening' be held next year.
On
Friday 9th March members of the Twinning Association were preparing to receive
guests from Les Ulis, when some of us suffered a series of power cuts during the
afternoon. These power cuts continued into the evening, meaning our guests
from Les Ulis arrived to a town - and town council offices - in darkness, lit
only by torches and candles, and to the sound of shop alarms blaring. The
fact that our electricity supplier is EDF - a French company - did not go
unnoticed!
Despite this, the weekend got off to a good start, and after a brief reception
in King's House, guests dispersed to their hosts or hotels.
The
following morning, guests were treated to a viewing of the town regalia, before
processing to the Guildhall for a formal reception and lunch provided by members
of the Twinning Association. In the afternoon, guests were free to spend
time with their hosts, before meeting again in the Guildhall for an evening meal
supplied by Graham Taylor, of Farmers Market fame. Thetford's Irish Dancers
provided an excellent performance.
Guests departed the following lunchtime. For more details of the
visit, click here.
The Christmas Quiz was held in the United Reformed Church,
and mulled wine and a Christmas buffet was provided.
Albert tries to keep up with the demand for the delicious
mulled wine, while Catherine makes the old grey matter work hard in her role
as Quizmistress.
In November a
group of us
made our way, by various means of transport, to Spijkenisse for a visit to
our twin town. As usual we were treated to an excellent couple of
days, including a meal in the Pak Boli Wok Restaurant, tours of Spijkenisse
and other local towns and a visit to a
Dutch military coastal defence museum and fort at the Hook of Holland.
We were lucky to have an English guide; a gentleman who had moved to
Spijkenisse some years ago and was also involved with the museum.
On the first
weekend in September some of us travelled to Lille for the
Braderie. The
Braderie is a huge market/boot sale/flea market that takes over the streets
of Lille every year. Everyone from professional dealers to residents
having a clear-out can take a stall on the streets, and on offer is a range
of goods from genuine ethnic products to cheap tat, real antiques to broken
junk, spicy food - and of course, the ubiquitous moules frites.
The
authorities provide huge bins for the mussel shells, which are generally
full by the end of the two days.
The streets
can become very busy, with narrow passageways becoming completely blocked at
times.
A
semi-marathon is also held, attracting world-class runners to the races.
Everything
from rusty bikes to headless stuffed birds ... but there are also treasures
to be found for collectors.
Late on the end of
the second day, everyone packs up and goes home, leaving their rubbish on
the street. And part of the fun is to root through the piles left
behind to see if there is a bargain to be had for free. But amazingly,
the next morning the streets are clear and clean again, and Lille is back to
normal.
Thetford Twinning Association played host to a group of 15
visitors from Skawina, Poland, our newest twin town. Most had never before set
foot in this country and for them Thetford presented a totally new experience.
Due to arrive on Friday, at the beginning of the Airports emergency, they
succeeded nevertheless in beating the restrictions and arrived only half an hour
later than scheduled. Because of the high cost of hiring
a large enough minibus to collect the visitors from Stansted, which our
Association could not afford, a convoy of members’ cars was there to meet them
and to deliver them to peoples’ homes. We showed them ancient Thetford and
they joined us at our annual barbeque. Later we entertained them with the
delights of Bury St Edmunds and Norwich - their magnificent Cathedrals and our
wonderful beers - which many preferred in pint sized containers. After some
rather inhospitable English rain, Sunday‘s sun shone warm and bright on the
spectacle of the Dragon Boat races and their manly crews which appealed greatly
to our guests. Poles are, of course, very devout and twice they were able to
attend Mass at St Mary’s Catholic church led by Father Mathew George and his
guest, Father Vladimir who had travelled with them. These also gave them
the chance to meet several Poles who live and work in our area. Our guests
seemed very impressed with our country and vowed to return when possible. It is
hoped to undertake a visit of Thetfordians to Skawina next year. Together we
celebrated with music both Polish and English at a farewell party on the eve of
their departure (sometimes quite tearful!) for Stansted.
The Barbecue
The garden was deserted ...
... but inside the marquee it was business as usual.
This was held in Barrie and Sheila's garden, as usual.
It is always a popular event as an excellent lunch is provided by Sheila. This
year it included poached salmon, ham, salad, new potatoes and a variety of
desserts including trifle and raspberry mousse. It was another scorching hot day
- we have been very lucky with the weather for our lunches. A raffle was
held.
2006 is the 40th anniversary of the Link established
between Thetford, Hürth and Spijkenisse in 1966, so hundreds of people descended
on Hürth, near Koln (Cologne) in Germany for the celebrations from all
their‘twin’ towns – which this time included Skawina in Poland which was
officially linked with Hürth in1996 and to Thetford in 2004.
Twenty five people from Thetford, including our Mayor,
Thelma Paines, and local councillors, traveled to Hürth to celebrate the
occasion. On twinning trips, everybody pays his or her own fare whether flying
or driving but as we always stay with hosts in private homes costs are kept to
the bare minimum. Some of our ‘hosts’ were in Thetford last September and stayed
in our homes.
This year’s event coincided with the World Cup and Cologne
was packed with supporters from the various nations, but we admit that our
thoughts were directed less to the so-called ‘beautiful’ game than to matters
more appropriate to renewal of old friendships with folk who themselves have
been to Thetford many times.
It was a genuinely multilingual affair and so at times we
were struggling with German, French, Dutch and occasionally Polish! However, it
is remarkable how the standard of language has improved over the 40 years and
communication is now so much easier.
We were accompanied by the Devils Dyke Morris Men who gave
their usual fine displays over the two days, with their own very amusing
commentaries in German - several are competent German speakers. The Dutch took
their own Togodo Big Band which has entertained us in Thetford twice in recent
years, and local music and dance groups kept up a constant entertainment at the
Willi Brandt Platz in Alt Hürth over the two days. National specialities were
displayed on the various stands – English Cream Teas, German herrings, Dutch
Jenever, some Polish delicacies and other appealing diversions. An air of utter
jollity prevails on such occasions.
Click
here for more photos.
The 10th Anniversary of Thetford's Twinning with
Les Ulis, France, was celebrated in Les Ulis on the weekend of 27th to 30th
April 2006. Signs around the town announced the anniversary in both
English and French and welcomed visitors from Thetford:
10e Anniversaire du Jumelage avec la ville de Thetford. Bienvenue a
nos amis Anglais.
The Mayor and Mayoress of Thetford attended, as did several committee
members. Click
here for more photos.
Whilst there we were taken to visit the
Chateau de Beauregarde,
where the annual spring plant fair, the Fète des Plantes Vivaces, is took place.
Saturday evening was a formal event with a wonderful meal,
gifts exchanged, and friendships renewed.
MAY - 3rd ANNUAL PIQUE-NIQUE ET PETANQUE, RIVERSDALE
Sadly this event was washed out by heavy rain and a
thunderstorm; however, those of us who did brave the weather managed to 'pique-nique'
inside, even if we didn't 'petanque', and we did manage to catch up on the
gossip!
Our Mardi
Gras evening was held at the Living Word Christian Fellowship. A variety of
foods and drinks, such as would have been served at the Mardi Gras or
Karneval celebrations in our twin towns in France, Germany, the Netherlands
and Poland, was provided, and decorative face masks were made and worn.
Barrie Nutt, Chairman, read the poem he had written in the style of the
German Karneval Princes' speeches known as Reden.
The Twinning Association held its AGM on Friday 27th
January at the United Reformed Church, Earls Street. The minutes of the last
meeting were confirmed and signed. Reports were given by Barrie Nutt, Chairman,
and by Sheila Nutt, Secretary, on the activities of the past year, and by the
various secretaries for each of the twin towns on their work. Mike Edmond,
Treasurer, presented the accounts. A display board showed pictures of the
events and activities of the past year, and details about events planned for the
coming year, which include a trip to Les Ulis in France to celebrate ten
years of twinning and to Hurth in Germany to celebrate forty years of twinning.
A weekend in Spijkenisse in the Netherlands is also being arranged. The
essential posts of the committee were voted in, and comprises: Chairman: Barrie
Nutt; Secretary: Sheila Nutt; Treasurer: Mike Edmond; French Secretary:
Catherine Dubois Goodall; German Secretary: Mark James; Dutch Secretary, Janet
Fuller; Newsletter Editor, Susan Waghorn. Two non-obligatory posts were left
vacant: Vice-Chairman and Public Relations Officer. Minor changes to the
Constitution had been proposed and voted on; one was carried but the others were
thrown out by the meeting.
In December we had a visit from our twin town of Spijkenisse in Holland, and
a Christmas Party at which the Dutch sixties and seventies band, the
Timebenders, played for us. Click herefor more details.
A Taste of Beaujolais Evening -
Susan & Paul and Janet & Brian travelled to the Beaujolais region of France to
take part in the annual Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations held in the village of
Beaujeu. Whilst there they bought a selection of the newly released wines and a
range of local delicacies, which they brought back for a tasting and social
evening including a quiz, which was won by Jenny Bullock's team. Suprise
surprise, the prize was a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau! More information
and pictures here.
Our Chambres d'Hôtes accommodation (which we highly recommend) in the
hamlet of Chantemerle, close to Beaujeu.
A laser show, part of the celebrations for the release of the Beaujolais
Nouveau
Members of twinning clubs and associations across the
county were invited to a conference organised by Downham Market Twinning Club,
to share ideas to promote twinning. It was an excellent evening with each
organisation giving a presentation on its own twin town(s) and activities, and
food and wine were served. Many thanks to Downham Market for organising
it.
Son et Lumière:
Le Souffle
de la Terre, Ailly sur Noye, near Amiens, France. We took three cars
by Eurotunnel and stayed in a hotel in the centre of Amiens. On Friday evening
we had an excellent meal in a local restaurant before watching the impressive
laser show outside the Cathedrale. On Saturday we had the day free; some chose
to see the 'floating gardens' by boat, others to look at the town's sights, shops and market.
The laser light show restores the cathedral to its original colours
Boats for the floating gardens
On Saturday evening we had
places booked at a meal in Ailly town hall, then we travelled the short
distance to the show, which was excellent.
The following day we set off for a
leisurely trip home, which included stopping at the obligatory wine warehouse
(or three!) and having a meal in the old town of Boulogne.
Visitors from Hürth, on their way to a
holiday in the West Country, stayed with us for the weekend. On the
Saturday we were treated to a buffet lunch in the grounds of the BTO, followed
by a visit to West Stow and a tour of the Iceni Brewery at Mundford. This
included a hog roast along with the beer tasting, and was a great success.
Traditional English Pimms was enjoyed in the grounds of the BTO ...
... and traditional English beer in the grounds of the Iceni brewery
The party left on Sunday morning after
goodbyes had been said.
Annual Barbecue at the Marriotts' in
Castle Street. This year we were not so lucky with the weather, but there
was still a good turnout (no-one was going to miss Sheila's baked banana
dessert!).
The Summer Lunch at Mackenzie Road co-incided
with Barrie's 80th birthday. Unbeknown to him, the committee had arranged
for visitors from twin towns to come over as a surprise. The marquees were
decorated with balloons, and there was a cake, of course. The weather was
excellent.
Pique-Nique et Pétanque at Riversdale
-
Following the success of last year's event, another afternoon of Pique Nique et Pétanque
was arranged. Around 20 people, including children and grandchildren,
brought food and drinks, to Riversdale in Tanner Street on the afternoon of Sunday 15th May for a gentle
afternoon's entertainment. Admittedly more 'pique-niquing' took place than 'pétanquing',
but it was a lovely afternoon and we all enjoyed ourselves.
The weekend of 8 - 10 April saw the signing of the second half of the
Twinning Agrement first signed in Skawina on 11 November. There was a full
programme of events and full details can be seen by clicking
here.
A Scrapbooking Evening was held at the United Reformed Church on Friday 18th
March. Susan Waghorn, a member of Thetford Twinning Association and an
experienced scrapbooker herself, demonstrated to members how to present and
preserve photos, memorabilia and stories in a scrapbook-style photo album. They
were then able to have a go themselves, producing some excellent work in the
time available.
Almost thirty people met in the URC on the
evening of Shrove Tuesday to enjoy pancakes with a wide variety of toppings.
Provided by Paul and Susan and enjoyed by all of us (particularly those who
travelled to Spijkenisse as it brought back memories of the Pannenkoeken
Boot), and with Mike as the usual excellent barman, we chose from a wide
range of savoury and sweet fillings. No pancake races - we didn't think
Corinne would appreciate having to scrape pancakes from the ceiling and
sugar from the floor - but a great evening all the same.
Thirty eight people, including
two guests, attended the AGM of Thetford Twinning Association on the evening of
Friday 28th January at the United Reformed Church. In addition to the official
business of committee members’ reports, election of officers and information
about future social and twinning activities, members enjoyed wine and soft
drinks with snacks and mince pies.
The Twinning Association held a Christmas Party in the
United Reformed Church on the evening of Friday 3 December. An selection
of party games followed a meal of Coronation Chicken and salad, followed by a
selection of seasonal desserts, which had been prepared by committee members.
Mike Edmond was our barman, serving a selection of wines and drinks. The games
included old favourites such as Snakes & Ladders, Shuffleboard, Pick Up Sticks,
Shove Ha’penny and Quoits, which many members remembered playing in younger
days, so it prompted a lot of reminiscing along with the playing – including
different versions of the rules! Prizes were awarded for the skilful – or
just lucky! winners of the individual games. Roll a £1 for a bottle of
whisky was won by Bob, and there was the usual raffle with a good selection of
prizes. The evening finished just after half past ten.
A Portuguese market was held in the Carnegie Rooms in Thetford
from 11 am to 4 pm on Sunday 21 November. A wide range of goods was on
display, including delicious cakes and pastries, cheeses, coffee and wines and
beers. Also for sale were CDs, candyfloss and football themed items. The
market was busy and there were long queues for some of the stalls, especially
where tasting was possible!
The first part of a twinning
agreement between Thetford and the Polish town of Skawina has been signed.
Eight representatives from Thetford visited Skawina for the signing on
Polish Independence Day, November 11.
Barrie Nutt, Chairman of Thetford Twinning
Association, thanked the town for their warm reception and promised special
efforts to develop the partnership, with an emphasis on student exchange
whenever possible.
The agreement was signed by their Mayor,
Adam Najder and by Slawomir Kopec and Thetford’s Mayor, Ray Key, and Mr
Nutt. The final sentence reads: “We hereby sign this Twinning Agreement in
the belief that peace and goodwill must prevail in our new Europe. Let our
partnership be a sign of it.”
Mr Key greeted the people of Skawina in
Polish and was met with warm applause. He told them that November 11 is also
a special day in Great Britain, and that all the representatives from
Thetford were wearing a red poppy to signify peace and remembrance. He said:
“In and around Thetford, many Poles are living among us as comrades and
descendants of families from more difficult times. The British people have
many reasons to respect and admire Polish people for their steadfastness,
great faith and their enormous courage during the 1939 war. The Mayor of
Skawina referred to some Polish Thetfordians, including Stefan Zurowski and
Konstanty Pleszko, who had fought with General Anders and had visited
Skawina a number of times.
There will be a reciprocal signing in
Thetford in Thetford in April 2005.”
On Thursday 18 November nearly 30 people packed into the Mulberry
restaurant in Raymond Street for a Geman themed meal, created specially for the
Association by the chef. After a choice of starters, we were treated to
delicious Sauerbraten. This is considered to be Germany's national dish
although there are variations from region to region. The description from
the menu reads:
"A marinated and casseroled joint of beef,
which in our case is Scottish topside which has been immersed in a variety of
ingredients including sugar, wine, vinegar and fresh root vegetables for 3 days
... and then slow cooked for 4 hours. The gravy is made from the marinade, along
with the drippings, and a hint of ginger. This will be served with a
German version of baked red cabbage with apples and bacon, together with a
selection of steamed fresh vegetables and gratin potatoes".
This was an excellent warming meal on a very wet evening. It
was followed by a choice of puddings and was excellent value. Vielen dank
to the Mulberry staff for a most agreeable evening.
On a typical British autumn day (either
drizzly or raining) une ambience française descended upon
King Street, filled to the brim with French and Continental goodies from
Brittany - a wide choice of cheeses, a charcuterie, a patisserie and delicious
French bread, chocolate, wines, lots of French goods and leather and
art from Africa. However, despite the poor weather when I visited in the
mid-afternoon the market was packed with people. There were queues at most
of the stalls and all around people could be heard practising their French, from
stumbling schoolday language to fluent discussions. The market was obviously a
great success and hopefully it will visit again in the future.
On the evening of Thursday 14th October the
Mayor of Thetford, Ray Key, gave an illustrated talk in the United Reformed
Church. The talk was entitled Papillons in the Aveyron and followed
the visit by members of the Twinning
Association to Camarès in the Aveyron region of
France (the South-west) in August. It was a
fascinating glimpse of the sights of the area and the excursions made for
those who had been unable to go. The talk was followed by cheese and wine and
the chance to chat with members who had visited Camarès.
(More details of
the trip can be seen below).
Susan arranged a guided tour of the BTO lakes. We started
from the BTO headquarters and headed towards Arlington Way, turning right along
the BTO walks. It was a beautiful evening and as well as the wildlife and
lakes themselves we were also lucky lucky enough to see some of the BTO workers
ringing birds. Click here for more details.
TRIP TO CAMARES, AUGUST
In August several members of the Association travelled to
Camarès in the Aveyron
region of France (the South-west). Comments below from Alison Chart-Key.
Our first visit was to Albi, the oldest town in the region,
where we enjoyed the many old buildings and a unique exhibition of the work
of its famouse son, Toulouse Lautrec. The visit was rounded off with a
meal of regional dishes.
A time for reflection in Roquefort (or the only way Ray could
get into the photo J) where we visited one of
the cheese making firms and had a tour of the natual caves where this cheese
is matured. Samples were tasted and cheese purchased.
The 'Viaduc' is a new and major link due to open in December
2004. This will create a direct link between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers
and Narbonne. The design by Norman Foster and the engineering involved
were both breathtaking and beautiful.
We were so pleased when Pam Marriott offered the use of
their garden once again for our anuual BBQ. We were blessed with a lovely
weekend and eight helpers arrived on Friday afternoon to erect the tents. (Isn’t
it amazing how eight people can find eight different ways of doing anything !)
We had our own large gazebo and the use of the BTO one,
which together made an excellent cover in case of unexpected rain or excessive
sun. There was also a small gazebo for drinks.
We missed Gerald’s help with the cooking as he was away,
but were very grateful to Jack Kramer for again doing this and providing the
sausages and burgers, and to Con Roddy for helping him.
Numbers were down on previous years as several people were
on holiday and notice was shorter than usual, but those who came all enjoyed a
super evening of good food, perfect weather, and the usual barbequed bananas
which are always popular.
The tents were taken down the next morning and our thanks
to all those who helped, and to the council for the loan of chairs tables and
cutlery ---- and of course to Pam and Bill for making this possible.
On a warm Thursday evening a few of us
travelled to Pampisford to watch the Devil’s Dyke Morris Men
performing at The Chequers, Pampisford and The Pear Tree, Hildersham, near Newmarket.
The Morris Men are excellent dancers and entertainers
and a great time was had by all. From the Chequers at Pampisford we then
followed them to their next venue at the Pear Tree, Hildersham, where the Morris
Men danced into the night.
The Chequers, Pampisford
The Pear Tree, Hildersham - dusk
With lit torches
Click to enlarge the pictures.
Move your mouse pointer over the picture below (it will take a little while to
download) to watch a small, but unfortunately
soundless, video clip of the Morris Men.
On Sunday 3rd July more than 40 members met in
Barrie and Sheila Nutt's garden for the Association's annual summer lunch.
Members enjoyed a marvellous meal, provided by Sheila, of salmon and ham with
salad and new potatoes, and a variety of desserts which had been prepared by
committee members. Raffle prizes were won by Toni Woodrow, Vi Edmond, Brian
Gibbons, Albert Paines and Mike Brindle.
Twinning Association Committee Members recently
travelled with town councillors and officials to Spijkenisse in Holland as part
of an official visit which also included visitors from Hürth and Skawina.
Mostly hosted by local people, they took part in a programme of events which
included an official reception, a series of seminars, a dinner dance and
presentation, a boat trip around the town's waterways, a barbecue and evening of
entertainment (on the night of the Holland v Sweden Euro 2004 match) and a boat
trip around Rotterdam harbour.
The trip re-established links with Spijkenisse
and its people and was greatly enjoyed by everyone.
Click for more photos.
Polish Kapela dancers performing in the Royal
British Legion premises
Thetford International Carnival took place over the weekend of 4th & 5th
June. Guests came from all of our twin towns and were hosted in
members' homes. The weather was excellent.
On Saturday 22nd May, a small group of members brought along a pique-nique
to the gardens of Riversdale and in the pauses between eating, drinking and
chatting, some friendly games of pétanque were played. Despite a cool
breeze, the weather was kind and everyone agreed that it had been a most
enjoyable afternoon. It is hoped to repeat the afternoon again soon,
perhaps with a more formal tournament next time.
On Friday 16
April a group of members enjoyed a French-themed meal at the restaurant at
High Lodge Forest Centre. It started with French Onion Soup, followed
by Boeuf Bourguignon or Coq au Vin, with chou-fleur beurre fondu, courgettes
provençale, carottes glacées au beurre and pommes duchesse.
Dessert was Pots de Chocolat. A good time was had by all.
On the evening of 30th
March members visited the Iceni microbrewery in Mundford and were treated to
an excellent buffet meal, followed by a guided tour of the brewery and the
opportunity to sample some of the beers.
On the evening of Tuesday February
17th, members watched a showing of the French film 'Le Placard' at Breckland
House in Thetford. Starting with wine and nibbles, kindly donated by
Albert Paines, the film was enjoyed by all and we hope to offer further film
showings in the future.
The Annual General Meeting was held in the United Reformed
Church on Friday 30th January 2004 and, despite the inclement
weather, was attended by approximately 35 people, with four people responding to
the advert and notices in the
Thetford and Watton Times.
Committee members gave reports on the Association’s work and
activities over the past year, and all stressed the need to attract new members
to the Association, and to encourage members to host visitors from twin towns,
especially during the International day in June.
The current Committee members were re-elected unanimously for a
further year, with no new nominations received for any of the posts.
Another French Market was held in Gentleman's Walk in
Norwich over the first weekend in October, on Friday 3rd October and
Sunday 5th October. Gentleman's Walk was transformed into a French-style
'rue' where it was possible to buy a wide variety of French goods.
Members of The Twinning Association Committee staffed the
Norfolk Association of Twin Communities stall on the Sunday.
Unfortunately the stall was rather tucked away out of the main drag of the
market, but those members that did make the trip were unable to miss it as
Susan Waghorn had designed and created a large eye-catching banner for the
NATC which was on display across the top of the stall.
For those who missed it, the market will be in Norwich again over
Easter, and also visits Newmarket, Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds at
various dates throughout the year. It will also be coming to Thetford
in October 2004 and hopefully this will be an annual, if not more
frequent, event.
A chocolate tasting evening was held at the United
Reform Church in Earls Street on 31st October. Members were able
to stock up on gifts for Christmas and taste some of the wares.
On Sunday 14th September members met in the Mulberry restaurant in Raymond
Street for a lunch, finishing off the Town Trail quiz which took in sights and
events of the Heritage Weekend. The weather was glorious and members
enjoyed an excellent meal in the Mulberry, which had opened especially for
us.
The quiz was won by Steven and Christine Davey, with Paul and Susan Waghorn
runners up. Both sets of winners received Thetford china items to follow
the Heritage Weekend theme.
On Saturday 9 August nearly 50 members of
Thetford Twinning Association enjoyed a barbecue in the pleasant
surroundings of the gardens of one of our members. The weather was
marvellous and everyone enjoyed the meal of burgers, sausages and salad,
followed by Sheila's speciality, baked bananas with cinnamon butter and
cream. The next event is a Town Quiz, to be held on the weekend of 13th and
14th September (linked in with the Heritage Weekend).
On Friday 25th July, 17 members of the Twinning Association travelled to
Montreuil sur Mer in northern France to see a son et lumière, an annual
outdoor production of Les Misérables, which is put on by the community of
Montreuil in the town’s Citadelle.
Most of the members travelled by minibus, meeting up with the remainder of
the party in a restaurant in Montreuil where they enjoyed an excellent
meal.
After the meal members walked the short distance to take their seats at the
Citadelle for the show. Luckily the rain, which had persisted most of the
day, had eased and everyone was fascinated by the 90 minute production in which
it appeared that every member of the local community must be
involved.
The spectacle recreates Victor Hugo's story of Les Miserables (the outcasts)
which was set in the days of the Napoleonic empire and part of which took place
in Montreuil. This was the 8th year of the production which is held in
July and August each year.
The next morning there was time for a little sightseeing and shopping before
returning to Thetford.
The town of Hürth held an anniversary weekend at the end of
June (Friday 27th to Sunday 29th) to celebrate 25 years since the twelve villages
were joined together to create
the town of Hürth.
Members of the Association were invited.
Friday 27th June: An evening reception was held for
visiting town dignitaries and members of the twinning associations.
Saturday
28th June: A stadfest, which started with an ecumenical church
service. This was followed by a procession which was led by the Town's
mayor who was followed by people from local schools and clubs, carnival bands
and dancers, and members of the twin towns - Thetford; Argelès sur Mer, France;
Kabarnet, Kenya; Spijkenisse in Holland and Skawina in Poland. In the evening there was entertainment from live bands
and groups, culminating in a grande finale with a firework display.
Sunday
29th June: A tour of the town by coach, with a commentary by the
Mayor, followed by a barbecue lunch at the Town Hall with entertainment by the
visiting twin towns' performers, including the
Devils Dyke Morris Men.
This was held in Barrie and Sheila's garden on 22nd June and was
attended by about 30 people, who enjoyed a marvellous lunch of poached salmon,
ham and a selection of salads.
Thetford Mayor's Carnival was held on Saturday 21st
June. It started with a procession through the town, finishing at
Castle Park, where there was a continuous programme of events from late
morning through until 10 pm.
A busy day for our overworked representative!
The Twinning Association took a stall in one of the
marquees, to promote the organisation and to publicise its activities. We
had information boards showing the history and activities of the
Association, a short quiz and a competition (find the twin towns on a map of
Europe).
On 1 March a Welsh themed evening was held at the United
Reformed Church. Forty members and guests enjoyed a Welsh themed
meal of soup, leek and potato gratin and a variety of breads and cakes
prepared by committee members.
There were competitions to make a Welsh hat and a paper daffodil, and a
quiz about all things Welsh.
The Annual General Meeting was held on Friday 21st February
2003 and was attended by almost 40 people, with some new members responding to
the article in the
Thetford and Watton Times.
A wine tasting session was held on Tuesday 19th November, with
wines from France supplied by T&W Wines of Thetford. Members were treated to
a demonstration of tasting methods and information about the wines, grape
varieties and wine areas of France and were able to taste a wide variety of
wines, both red and white, and complete tasting notes on them.
Peter Beaven gave a fascinating talk on his collection
of original Pelham Puppets and the history of the Pelham Puppets
company. Peter was recently seen on Channel Four's programme Collector's
Lot , including a display of some of his huge collection of puppets
made by the Pelham Company, Marlborough, England from 1947 to 1992. As
well as the first puppet he owned, a schoolteacher, Peter brought along
a variety of other puppets including a giant, a witch, and also, of
particular interest to the Association, some puppets in international
costume.
We were delighted to have been invited to attend the Festivale
in Les Ulis on 6 October. The visit included a dinner at the Town Hall, a
présentation des spectacles at the town theatre on the Saturday
evening, a visit to the town cave for a winetasting session on
Sunday, and a chance to visit and take part in the festival.
Around 27 members of Hürth Twinning Association visited
Thetford on their way to a holiday in Wales. During Saturday the visitors were
able to visit the Council Chamber and view the regalia with the Mayor and Town
Clerk. In the evening a get-together had been organised at Rosemary Musker
School for both visitors and association members, which was enjoyed by all. A
cylinder of Kölsch from Köln was much appreciated!
The next day the guests were taken on a trip on the Norfolk
Broads on a paddle boat, with lunch in Horning. They left for Wales on Monday
morning, with many sad goodbyes said on both sides following an enjoyable
weekend. More pictures.
On 17 August a barbecue was held at The Homestead, by
kind invitation of Mr and Mrs D W Marriott. The weather was marvellous,
having been extremely hot all day, and the wonderful marquees erected
were luckily needed only for shade. About 50 members attended and a
great time was had by all. Thanks especially to the Marriott's and to
Sheila Nutt for an excellent spread, and to the chefs for their hard
work in cooking on what was a very warm evening.
On 16 May members of the Twinning Association travelled
to Pornichet in Southern Brittany for an 11 day holiday. Most of them
travelled by overnight ferry from Portsmouth t St Malo and arrived in
time for an 'official' reception at the holiday village where members
were warmly welcomed by the Les Ulisiens we met last at Camarès. The
remaining three members took the Cherbourg route and arrived a little
later.
After lunch we were taken on a guided walk of about 15 kms
along the coast to St Marc. Its beach is called La Plage de M Hulot (Jacques
Tati) where, on the promenade, you find his statue in characteristic pose
(reminiscent, we think, of Charles de Gaulle) gazing out over the rail,
apparently, of the liner 'La France'. The Hôtel de la Plage is in the
background just as it was in that famous film*, which was made at this resort.
The holiday village comprises two large accommodation blocks, a
restaurant, bar and meeting rooms plus a further hall for dancing, films, etc.
All is extremely comfortable and is surrounded by pleasant gardens. The complex
is about 10 minutes walk from the beach and the local ships and provides
excellent food.
The first of our excursions was a visit to La Briere in le
pays noir , an area of marsh and reed beds where peat is cut (not unlike
our Broads). The thatched houses are very pretty and we were given a tour of the
wetlands in a local wooden barge.
A second excursion was to le pays blanc , the salt
marshes of Guérande where the marine salt is collected in large pans. Its
museum explained the method of collection. This salt has a sandy, grey colour
but is of course widely presented as indispensable to good cuisine! Thence we
saw also the village of Le Croisic and the Côte Sauvage.
An all day visit took us to the Gulf of Morbihan where we made
a somewhat breezy tour by boat and we were grateful to reach the warm shelter of
the Ile aux Moines. There was time to visit, too, the lovely old town of Vannes
which has a great street market.
Our final organised visit was, with guide, to the dockyards of
St Nazaire (the last French town to be liberated in 1944) which now specialises
in the building of large cruise liners. Under construction were the new Queen
Mary II and the Island Princess, both my modular methods where complete
pre-fitted cabins are hoisted into place like Portakabins on a building site.
the Coral Princess too was just being given its final topcoat of paint. All is a
massive undertaking by a consortium, we think, of French and Swedish firms.
Our evenings were organised with dancing, stage entertainments
and, if you can imagine, Bingo "quatre-vingt-neuf"; "soixante-et-onze".
Here the old name of Lotto has been kept!!
Altogether 9 most enjoyable days with the friendliest of companions; our third
joint affair. The weather could have been better but then everywhere has been
the same. Congratulations and profound thanks, again, to the irrepressible
Claude Gargallo for her excellent organisation and, of course, for kindly
inviting us in the first place, to take part in this holiday - thoroughly
enjoyed by all five of us.
Sheila Nutt *I think we have a video of the film somewhere if anyone wants to borrow it
How lovely it was to enter Sheila and Barrie's
delightful garden on 9 June to see the decorations and the many gazebos
that had been erected for the occasion. Vi and I had only arrived back
in Thetford from Ireland hours beforehand so did not have time to dress
up, but those who had looked brilliant.
Such an occasion entails
much preparation, time and effort, so many thanks to Sheila, Barrie,
Susan, Barbara and Christine who helped to put on a wonderful display of
food which I know was enjoyed by all 36 who attended. Stephen Davey was
excellent as the Barman. Get-togethers like this are so worthwhile, when friends old and
new in the Twinning Association can chat and have such an enjoyable afternoon.
Mike Edmond
On 23 April (St George's Day) members of the Association
visited the British Trust for Ornithology's
Headquarters
at St George's Nunnery, Thetford. A most interesting tour of the buildings that
make up St George's Nunnery was given by Chris Mead, during which we were given
an insight into the history and varied uses of the site through its fascinating
lifetime. Chris himself had been involved with the actual archaeological work
that the BTO undertook and indeed it was superb to see their continuing
commitment to one of Thetford's historic buildings.
This was followed after refreshments (a wonderful spread - I
believe that Susan may even be making her magical recipe public) by a
fascinating talk by Dawn Balmer, Migration Watch Organiser, who took us into the
world of the migratory birds who return to Britain after over-wintering in
Africa. The BTO's new internet-based project, Migration Watch, tracks the
arrival and flow of migrating birds in the country. The visual aids utilised in
the presentation gave one a real feel for the mass invasion every spring. The
main aspect to the talk was Dawn's specific role within the BTO. Dawn explained
how it was possible for anyone to take part simply by logging the details on the
BTO's website and to see their details updated the following day. The project is
designed to enhance knowledge of the survival, arrival and flow of summer
migrants through the country.
Alongside this, Garden Watch was explained in which volunteers
record the numbers of birds visiting their gardens. This project is currently
done on paper only, reassuring for those of us who are not quite Internet ready
(although may shortly be available on the Internet too). Dawn then finished off
with Bird Spotting for Beginners (Twitching for Twits) showing the birds that we
may be fortunate enough to see.
All in all a lovely way to spend a mild spring evening. Thanks
to all those that helped organise this event. As new members, my husband and I
have been pleased with the welcome received and look forward to future events.
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