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Petersfield Twinning Association
Promoting goodwill and friendship with Barentin in France and Warendorf in Germany
Designed by Phil Chapman.
NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2006
Dear Fellow Members,
Here we are, nearly at the end of a splendid summer. It has, as always, been a busy time, I expect, for most of us. Certainly a number of twinners have been very much occupied with twinning activities.
The Car Treasure Hunt in June took place on a beautiful evening and everyone made it to The Three Horseshoes in Elsted for supper. The Chapman family, who, despite a breakdown along the route, still succeeded in joining the rest of us, were the winners of the hunt and well deserved their box of chocolates after the car problems they had had.
The Bring and Buy Sale on 1st July was held on a very hot morning, and we made exactly £100 for the funds. Our thanks go to everyone who supported this, whether by supplying goods, helping behind the stall or by buying.
The Hon. Sec. completed her walk for Diabetes UK and raised £200. Again, thanks to those who sponsored her and helped to fund vital research into this increasingly common disease. In the press recently it was stated that in the world as a whole there is now a greater risk of dying of diabetes than of AIDS!
In mid-July eight members, plus the Town Mayor and his wife, went to Barentin for the double celebration of the Barentin Millennium this year and of their 40 years of being twinned with Warendorf. There was an ‘invasion’ of the French town by 91 Italians, 44 Germans, and us 10 Petersfielders. To say it was an event-filled two and a half days is an understatement! A barbecue, a dance display by some young Italians, a ceremony at the war memorial, the signing of documents between the German and French mayors, a formal dinner, the official opening of two art galleries, two firework displays and an excellent Haydn and Mozart concert at the end of the visit, all in very hot weather, kept everyone on their toes.
A few days after our return to Petersfield, we welcomed 28 Warendorfers for a week. About half of those who came had not been here before and they seemed impressed by our town, which is less than half the size of theirs. All the activities we arranged were greatly enjoyed. They all said how much they had appreciated our hospitality and friendship. The highlight of the visit took place on Tuesday, 25th July when the Charter confirming the official twinning of our two towns was signed in the Rose Room of the Town Hall. The charters, beautifully produced by Petersfield calligrapher Wendy Essex, look splendid now that they are framed. One has gone to Warendorf and the other hangs in the foyer of the Town Hall, where everyone can see it. The Mayor provided a buffet supper and there was an exchange of civic gifts. The week ended with a dinner at The Half Moon in Sheet, and the Association presented each German family with a mounted print of Petersfield Square, from an original painting by one of our members, Tony New, to commemorate the special occasion. To quote an old cliché ‘a good time was had by all’.
In this connection the Warendorf Mayor, Jochen Walter, and their Freundes- kreis have invited us to send a group for the Second Charter Signing on 8th December in Warendorf. The Germans are planning the weekend to include a celebratory dinner and visits to Warendorf and Münster Christmas markets. (As a result, we shall not proceed with the suggested visit to either Trier or Bonn Christmas market mentioned in the last newsletter.) We already have a number of people who hosted our German friends wanting to go to Warendorf for this long weekend (Thursday, 7th December to Tuesday, 12th). However, at present only 14 want to travel by coach. We need 25 for the coach to be viable (£100 per person return), so if you would like to join this party please telephone us (01730 302862) IMMEDIATELY as we need to finalise the travel arrangements as soon as we can. If we do not have 25 for the coach, then it will be necessary to take individual cars, with some people offering a lift to one or two others and sharing the cost of petrol and the ferry. Accommodation will be provided by German families, almost all of whom have one or two members who speak English, so the language should not be a problem. With regard to this it has been suggested that a crash survival course in German could be offered to those who know no German at this stage. Again, if you would like to take advantage of this, please telephone us (phone number as before) as soon as you can. If you would like to go but cannot manage the full weekend, you could still travel separately and return on either Sunday, 10th or Monday, 11th. Just let us know. We can also give advice on the best routes to take.
Other future activities in the pipeline are as follows:
1) An American Supper on Saturday, 21st October. This will take place at Bob and Dinah Duffy’s, 11 Buckmore Avenue, Petersfield. The time: 7.30 for 8.00p.m. We will need to take something to drink and glasses, together with a light folding chair. As there will be no charge for this “DIY” evening, a raffle will be held to help raise funds for the Association and you will be expected to provide a starter, main course or dessert for a number of people instead. Please return the reply slip at the end of this newsletter by 7th October at the latest if you would like to come. Please feel free to bring friends if you wish.
2) There may be a flying visit from the Barentinois some time in December, if they go to London on a shopping expedition. Nothing is fixed at the time of writing. It all depends on ferry routes and timetables. If they have to travel by Newhaven-Dieppe or Dover-Calais, then they definitely will not call in at Petersfield. If you have French friends who might be likely to come over, do check with them. We shall not issue any further information about this.
Looking forward to 2007, these events are in the planning stage:
1) A Sausage Supper some time in February;
2) A combined A.G.M. and ‘Frog Evening’ (bet you can’t wait to find out what that is!) in March;
3) The biennial visit to Petersfield from Barentin - last weekend in April;
4) A possible mini-trip to Strasbourg
5) Our visit to Warendorf in August (including the weekend of 18th August, as some special events are due to take place there then. This visit will be for a week but it is possible for some people to go for a shorter time, if they don’t mind making their own travel arrangements).
So we shall continue to be busy. Meanwhile, the recently re-instated monthly social chats at The Half Moon have been welcomed. The next one is Thursday, 5th October from 8 o’clock onwards. Then it will be the first Thursday in November, but please note that the first Thursday in December is the departure day for Warendorf, though this needn’t stop those who will still be here from gathering if you wish.
Any questions, please do not hesitate to telephone us on 01730 302862.
May we ask those members who have an e-mail address that they might like us to use to let us know what theirs is - maybe by e-mail to: honsec@petersfieldtwinningassociation.org.uk <mailto:honsec@petersfieldtwinningassociation.co.uk>
Don’t forget to look at the “new website” if you haven’t already done so on
www.petersfieldtwinningassociation.org.uk <http://www.petersfieldtwinningassociation.org.uk>
Hoping to see as many of you as possible in the near future,
Your Chairman,
John Kent
__________________________________________________________________________
LINK BACK TO CURRENT NEWSLETTER
_____________________________________________________________________________
Here we are, nearly at the end of a splendid summer. It has, as always, been a busy time, I expect, for most of us. Certainly a number of twinners have been very much occupied with twinning activities.
The Car Treasure Hunt in June took place on a beautiful evening and everyone made it to The Three Horseshoes in Elsted for supper. The Chapman family, who, despite a breakdown along the route, still succeeded in joining the rest of us, were the winners of the hunt and well deserved their box of chocolates after the car problems they had had.
The Bring and Buy Sale on 1st July was held on a very hot morning, and we made exactly £100 for the funds. Our thanks go to everyone who supported this, whether by supplying goods, helping behind the stall or by buying.
The Hon. Sec. completed her walk for Diabetes UK and raised £200. Again, thanks to those who sponsored her and helped to fund vital research into this increasingly common disease. In the press recently it was stated that in the world as a whole there is now a greater risk of dying of diabetes than of AIDS!
In mid-July eight members, plus the Town Mayor and his wife, went to Barentin for the double celebration of the Barentin Millennium this year and of their 40 years of being twinned with Warendorf. There was an ‘invasion’ of the French town by 91 Italians, 44 Germans, and us 10 Petersfielders. To say it was an event-filled two and a half days is an understatement! A barbecue, a dance display by some young Italians, a ceremony at the war memorial, the signing of documents between the German and French mayors, a formal dinner, the official opening of two art galleries, two firework displays and an excellent Haydn and Mozart concert at the end of the visit, all in very hot weather, kept everyone on their toes.
A few days after our return to Petersfield, we welcomed 28 Warendorfers for a week. About half of those who came had not been here before and they seemed impressed by our town, which is less than half the size of theirs. All the activities we arranged were greatly enjoyed. They all said how much they had appreciated our hospitality and friendship. The highlight of the visit took place on Tuesday, 25th July when the Charter confirming the official twinning of our two towns was signed in the Rose Room of the Town Hall. The charters, beautifully produced by Petersfield calligrapher Wendy Essex, look splendid now that they are framed. One has gone to Warendorf and the other hangs in the foyer of the Town Hall, where everyone can see it. The Mayor provided a buffet supper and there was an exchange of civic gifts. The week ended with a dinner at The Half Moon in Sheet, and the Association presented each German family with a mounted print of Petersfield Square, from an original painting by one of our members, Tony New, to commemorate the special occasion. To quote an old cliché ‘a good time was had by all’.
In this connection the Warendorf Mayor, Jochen Walter, and their Freundes- kreis have invited us to send a group for the Second Charter Signing on 8th December in Warendorf. The Germans are planning the weekend to include a celebratory dinner and visits to Warendorf and Münster Christmas markets. (As a result, we shall not proceed with the suggested visit to either Trier or Bonn Christmas market mentioned in the last newsletter.) We already have a number of people who hosted our German friends wanting to go to Warendorf for this long weekend (Thursday, 7th December to Tuesday, 12th). However, at present only 14 want to travel by coach. We need 25 for the coach to be viable (£100 per person return), so if you would like to join this party please telephone us (01730 302862) IMMEDIATELY as we need to finalise the travel arrangements as soon as we can. If we do not have 25 for the coach, then it will be necessary to take individual cars, with some people offering a lift to one or two others and sharing the cost of petrol and the ferry. Accommodation will be provided by German families, almost all of whom have one or two members who speak English, so the language should not be a problem. With regard to this it has been suggested that a crash survival course in German could be offered to those who know no German at this stage. Again, if you would like to take advantage of this, please telephone us (phone number as before) as soon as you can. If you would like to go but cannot manage the full weekend, you could still travel separately and return on either Sunday, 10th or Monday, 11th. Just let us know. We can also give advice on the best routes to take.
Other future activities in the pipeline are as follows:
1) An American Supper on Saturday, 21st October. This will take place at Bob and Dinah Duffy’s, 11 Buckmore Avenue, Petersfield. The time: 7.30 for 8.00p.m. We will need to take something to drink and glasses, together with a light folding chair. As there will be no charge for this “DIY” evening, a raffle will be held to help raise funds for the Association and you will be expected to provide a starter, main course or dessert for a number of people instead. Please return the reply slip at the end of this newsletter by 7th October at the latest if you would like to come. Please feel free to bring friends if you wish.
2) There may be a flying visit from the Barentinois some time in December, if they go to London on a shopping expedition. Nothing is fixed at the time of writing. It all depends on ferry routes and timetables. If they have to travel by Newhaven-Dieppe or Dover-Calais, then they definitely will not call in at Petersfield. If you have French friends who might be likely to come over, do check with them. We shall not issue any further information about this.
Looking forward to 2007, these events are in the planning stage:
1) A Sausage Supper some time in February;
2) A combined A.G.M. and ‘Frog Evening’ (bet you can’t wait to find out what that is!) in March;
3) The biennial visit to Petersfield from Barentin - last weekend in April;
4) A possible mini-trip to Strasbourg
5) Our visit to Warendorf in August (including the weekend of 18th August, as some special events are due to take place there then. This visit will be for a week but it is possible for some people to go for a shorter time, if they don’t mind making their own travel arrangements).
So we shall continue to be busy. Meanwhile, the recently re-instated monthly social chats at The Half Moon have been welcomed. The next one is Thursday, 5th October from 8 o’clock onwards. Then it will be the first Thursday in November, but please note that the first Thursday in December is the departure day for Warendorf, though this needn’t stop those who will still be here from gathering if you wish.
Any questions, please do not hesitate to telephone us on 01730 302862.
May we ask those members who have an e-mail address that they might like us to use to let us know what theirs is - maybe by e-mail to: honsec@petersfieldtwinningassociation.org.uk <mailto:honsec@petersfieldtwinningassociation.co.uk>
Don’t forget to look at the “new website” if you haven’t already done so on
www.petersfieldtwinningassociation.org.uk <http://www.petersfieldtwinningassociation.org.uk>
Hoping to see as many of you as possible in the near future,
Your Chairman,
John Kent
__________________________________________________________________________
LINK BACK TO CURRENT NEWSLETTER
_____________________________________________________________________________
