Chairman’s report of the 2009 visit to Biéville-Beuville - 30 April - 3 May As the twenty two members able to go were insufficient to justify the hire of a coach, the decision was taken in Committee to travel by cars, asking all adult members to contribute £35. The Association then subsidised the remaining travel costs, proportionately working out at 48%. Whilst we had been invited to arrive on Thursday to take advantage of the Friday French holiday, our bank Holiday fell on the Monday. Thus travelling by car gave those with work commitments the flexibility to choose their respective ferry crossing times. The official opening of Rue Edmund Jupp occurred on the Friday of this visit and Lympstone twinners welcomed 4 new members including grandson Tim Jupp and partner Hayley. We were also joined by Edmund’s son and Tim’s father Peter and his wife Steph from St Andrews making our total number, 24. The formal opening of Rue Edmund Jupp was enjoyed by all. A small group unveiled the two road signs with a good crowd looking on. Then a tricolour ribbon stretched across the road was cut, with souvenir pieces given. We then walked a few tens of metres to where a marquee was erected overlooking a large grassy plot where speeches drinks and canapés were enjoyed.Delightful anecdotes of Edmund were recounted from family and French alike. We then dispersed for lunch. By the time lunch was done and one had had time with one's host, it was time for drinks before dinner, then dinner itself before rushing off to the Village Hall to hear an 80-voice choir singing well-known French songs. A nine o’clock start on Saturday morning saw us take an hour-and-a-half coach trip to one of three bell foundries in France at Villedieu-les-Poêles towards St Malo. An hour-long guided tour of the foundry by the young director with good English proved most interesting and informative…… We then picnicked in groups in the adjacent public garden area along with veteran Panhard car owners, then wandered around the town centre before returning home. In the evening, the main event of the weekend took place in the spacious Village Hall. As we were celebrating 30 years of twinning, the speeches were somewhat longer than normal followed by an exchange of gifts. We presented a print of the Furry dance gathering by the Swan Inn for the Mayor and a painting by Martin Hebdige of the Lympstone waterfront for the Twinners. In return, we received two definitely heavyweight items, a hamper of Normandy produce – cheeses, biscuits, calvados, ceramic tray and calvados cups , pommeau, poiré, chocolate and so forth, and if that wasn’t enough, I struggled to unwrap a 10kg parcel which turned out to be a 18cm-diameter cast chiming bell with oak mounting, wall bracket and cast inscription from the very foundry that we had visited earlier! The very enjoyable dinner was followed by a French 10-man rhythm and blues group called the Soulmen who noisily entertained us and encouraged many to dance. So loud in fact that they kept blowing the trips of the power supply! To be fair, they were more used to playing to multi-thousand-sized audiences but their levels could have been more moderate. The description above charts the main group activities throughout the weekend. However, these only form the framework within which the real business of twinning occurs, namely meeting old friends and seeing their families develop, establishing new ones, growing the circle of those not just within your personal host/guest circle and developing a shared memory of moments, meals, stories, laughter and situations together. These benefits go beyond the interactions during visits too, proving useful in establishing social networks both within and between the communities, whether twinning-related or not. One such initial contact was with the Head of the B-B primary school in the hope that LTA might be the catalyst for future inter-school activity. |
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Past Events >
2009 visit report |