Welcome Message from the New Chairman… As your new chairman, I would like to whether you have been able to help welcome you to the new season of by acting as hosts to our French Twinning with Gournay-en-Bray! visitors, assisting in the organisation of our 10th Anniversary events, or by Firstly, a very big thank you to our simply joining in a visit to Gournay. I previous chairman, Paul Simmons. hope you all enjoyed last year's What an act to follow! During his long activities and, again this year, we term at the helm, Paul has avidly have a busy social programme with all maintained contact with our friends the usual popular events, plus a string while in Gournay, strengthening our of others, some with a new twist. links with the twin town and ensuring that the profile of the Association I would like to encourage you to reached a high level. support at least one of the exchanges this year, so please consider reserving On behalf of all Association officers and the dates listed in this newsletter in members, thank you again Paul for your calendar for 2011 now! your many years of service and a job very well done. In closing, it is important to maintain our enthusiasm as a group, and I look Thanks must also go to all Association forward to involving all members in members... What would we do without the successful growth of Hailsham & them? I am grateful for your invaluable District Twinning Association and its support during the previous year, link with Gournay-en-Bray. whert
A Decade of Twinning with Gournay-en-Bray! Bray on the Friday. Their mayor, JeanLou Pain and Hailsham & District Twinning Association vice-chairman Councillor John Puttick signed the Twinning Charter – once again affirming the friendship between the two towns - in the presence of guests of honour such the Mayor of Remshalden (Gournay-en-Bray’s twin town in Germany) and the delegation from Hailsham Town Council. This was followed by a Civic Reception at Gournay’s Chateau Fleurette de Foret on the Saturday, which included a pre-reception tour of the Chateau, followed by a 5-course dinner. “We would like to thank everyone who made our visitors from Hailsham so welcome last weekend,” said Association chairman Keith Townsend. “Thanks must go to the host families Over 40 people, including Association who looked after them and made them chairman Keith Townsend and Town part of the family during their stay.” Clerk Liz Jones visited Gournay-enBray on Friday 26th to Sunday 27th “The Twinning Charter was renewed in February to witness the official renewal Gournay with all due ceremony and the of the twinning partnership between programme of events was very our two communities. impressive and well organised. There can be no doubt that the Hailsham A ceremony to re-seal the twinning community is really welcomed in the agreement took place in Gournay-en- twin-town family!” bb
New Members Needed! The Hailsham & District Twinning Association is currently looking for new members, who can be as much or as little involved as they want to be in the group’s various activities. Through membership, a myriad of opportunities exist to take part in hosting exchanges, and to meet other people at social events organised throughout the year, such as quiz nights, open evenings, and annual trips to Gournay-en-Bray. Annual membership for 2011 costs £7.50, rising to £10 in 2012. For further information, contact John Puttick on 01323 441787 (eves). Membership forms are available at the Hailsham Town Council offices, Inglenook, Market Street.
HAILSHAM & DISTRICT TWINNING ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER (ISSUE 4) ● Page 2
Getting ready for the weekend trip to Gournay!
It’s a snip at the official opening of ‘Rue de Hailsham’
John Puttick; Liz Jones; Paul Holbrook; Sharon Cottingham
The unveiling of the new road sign commences!
HAILSHAM & DISTRICT TWINNING ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER (ISSUE 4) ● Page 3
Gournay-en-Bray mayor Jean-Lou Pain delivers his speech
Monsieur Pain and Cllr Puttick sign the Twinning Charter…
Preparations Underway for Saint Clair Festival… Year! The weekend trip to Gournay-enBray will take place from Saturday 16th to Monday 18th July. Live music, competitions and other activities take place alongside the carnival procession itself which will parade through the streets of Gournay, and we are confident the festival will once again be popular and extremely well received! Further details of the trip - including travel costs and hosting arrangements - will be made available to all Association members when they are finalised in the coming months.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2011 Chairman • KEITH TOWNSEND Vice-Chairman • JOHN PUTTICK Treasurer • LIZ JONES Secretary • PAULINE TOWNSEND Membership Secretary • JOHN PUTTICK Social Secretary • PAULA ROSE Members: Ian Haffenden, Robin Kempe, Sharon Cottingham, Gary Smith, Pam Smith
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY… Fri 8 April 2011 (7.30pm, HTC offices)
Preparations for Gournay-en-Bray’s summer St Clair Festival are well under way, with event organisers promising something even bigger and better this year!
If you are interested in taking part in the weekend trip, please contact Pauline Townsend on 01323 846539. Alternatively, send an email to
[email protected].
Hear French… Read French… Speak French! Those of you wishing to learn the French language at Beginner/Refresher level may be interested to hear learn that Mrs Pam Smith is setting up a new language course group, to be held weekly at her home. If you are interested in joining, please contact her on 01323 442151.
TWINNING LINK EVENING Fri 15 April 2011 (7.30pm, HTC offices)
QUIZ AND SUPPER EVENING £7.50pp – to include fish or pizza and chips
Sun 22 May 2011 (Alan and Nicola’s) BARBECUE AFTERNOON Sat 18 June 2011 (Time/route TBC)
HAILSHAM CARNIVAL Tue 21 June 2011 (Details TBA)
GOURNAY MUSIC FESTIVAL Fri 24 June 2011 (7.30pm, HTC offices)
PRE-COACH TRIP SOCIAL EVE £2.00pp – includes light refreshments / raffle
Conversational French (Advanced level) takes place at the Association Chairman’s home every other Monday. We now have Katie Layer joining in with the Conversational Group, who has the experience of being a former French teacher. Group sessions start at 7.30pm. For further information, call Keith or Pauline on 01323 846539. So, if you are interested in getting to grips with the French language, you know what to do and who to call!
Sat 16 July – Mon 18 July 2011
ST CLAIR / COACH TRIP Travel arrangements TBA. Call Pauline on 846539 if interested. Approx cost £70pp
USEFUL INTERNET LINKS HAILSHAM / DISTRICT TWINNING ASSOC
(www.hailsham-gournay.org) We hope our website helps promote our Association and is useful to all members, prospective members and local residents. Please do take the time to view this.
About This Newsletter
Twinning Link Evening
The Hailsham & District Twinning Association produces a newsletter three times a year to keep members up to date and informed about all twinning developments, social events and future hosting exchanges.
The Hailsham & District Twinning Association is arranging another Twinning Link Evening this year, which takes place on Friday 8th April (7.30pm) at the Hailsham Town Council offices in Market Street. Entrance is £2 per person. There will be light refreshments and raffle draws.
GOURNAY EN BRAY TWINNING C’TEE
Although a social event, there will be a formal discussion at the beginning of the evening - so we ask that each Association brings with them an item of discussion which is “of interest”. Up to five members are invited from each Association. Please email Pauline Townsend (Association Secretary) at
[email protected] to confirm attendance.
Please note that subscriptions for 2011 were due in December 2010. The Association would like to thank all members who have renewed their membership for another year. If you have not done this yet, we would be grateful if you could do so as soon as possible.
If any members can supply news items, relating to visits to or from our twinned towns, they will be welcomed for inclusion in future newsletters. PUBLISHED BY: Hailsham & District Twinning Association, Town Council Offices, Market Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2AU. T: 01323 841702 | F: 01323 842978 W: hailsham-gournay.org
(www.gournay.hailsham.free.fr) Information on the Gournay-en-Bray Twinning Committee’s activities, plus useful resources.
MEMBER SUBSCRIPTIONS
Please pay any outstanding subscriptions at the Hailsham Town Council offices (Inglenook, Market Street).
