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DIDCOT TWINNING ASSOCIATION

Twinned with Meylan and Planegg

Didcot
Meylan
Planegg
Planegg

Click on the above images to find out more about the twinned towns.

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Twinning Association at Hagbourne ClubFest

The Twinning Association attended the Hagbourne ClubFest yesterday, Saturday 16 March 2024. There was an incredible number of clubs and societies represented and it was a valuable opportunity to promote the Twinning Association. We spoke to a large number of individuals and hope that some of them will feel enthused to join us in the future.

Dr Rudolf Boer

We have received the sad news that Dr Rudolf Boer died on the 10 March 2024 at the age of 84. Dr Boer was a Citizens Medal winner and long-time Chairman of the Partnership Committee in Planegg. He was a key member in setting up the twinning between Planegg and Didcot and continued to offer support even when his health declined. Rudolf will be sadly missed by those who knew him. The Twinning Association sends their condolences to his family and friends.

New Committee Members

We are delighted to announce that 3 new members have joined the Twinning Association Committee: Jim Broadbent, Sarah Nohre and Jim Loder.  Jim Broadbent has also agreed to take over as Treasurer to the Association.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Phil and Diane Jenkins, who have retired from the Committee, for their contribution to the Twinning Association.

The current list of Committee Members can be found here.

Visit to Planegg 2023

A small group from the Didcot Twinning Association visited our twin town of Planegg at the beginning of September (7-10 September). As usual we immediately went into action, taken to the construction site of Planegg’s new underground railway station which will provide another route into Munich. Constructed in the most economic method of trench and top, this will open in 2027 and provide a welcome boost to the town’s infrastructure

Although the group was small in number, it provided a good opportunity to get to know our hosts better and I feel much better acquainted with our Planegg friends now than before. The group outing of the visit was a trip a few hours away to the Stein Castle Brewery. Situated under baron Heinz von Stein’s fort, the brewery made full use of the cliff it was built into, storing the beer within the cave system. The guided tour of the “best preserved cave castle in Europe” was informative and, for me, energetic as the climb to the top was steep over those ancient stairs! I was encouraged by the prize of a dunkel beer at the top though.

On the next day the group split and were shown other local sights and flavours. For me and Denise, it was a trip to the hills to view the spectacle of the brown cows coming down from the summer pastures for winter – frisky horned cows running here, there and not in the direction they were meant to just added to the experience.

Our gala dinner took place in a local hostelry  close to the civic hall by the river running through the town. This provided me with ample opportunity to talk to the local councillors and establish the issues affecting Didcot are not that much different than those that affect Planegg.

On our final morning before leaving, we were honoured with a typical Bavarian breakfast of white sausage and beer. This was our first meeting with our Planegg partners since COVID and I have taken away happy memories from the event and look forward to welcome them to Didcot in the coming years. 

AGM 2023

The 2023 AGM will take place on Tuesday 11 July at 7:30pm in the Boundary Park Pavilion.  Please come along and support the Twinning Association, meet old and new friends and have a drink.  We look forward to seeing you there.
Please also remember that membership fees are due and these can be paid on the night at the AGM or anytime by BACS (see here for details.)

Meylan visits Didcot September 2022

It was a great pleasure to welcome our friends from Meylan, France to Didcot after a gap of 3 years due to the Covid pandemic. The party of 7 arrived on Thursday 15 September and attended a reception at the Boundary Park Pavilion to be met by the Mr David Johnston MP, Mr David Turner, Chair SODC, Mr Mocky Khan, Leader of Didcot Council and the Twinning Committee.

L to R: Olivier Husson, Denise Macdonald, Anne-Laure Husson, Mock Khan, Axel Macdonald, Philippe Cardin (Mayor of Meylan), David Turner (SODC), Christine Elise, David Johnston MP, Xavier Mioland, Chantal Mioland and Michel Bally

On Friday morning we visited Nuffield Place and in the afternoon hosts and guests visited other local places where their interests lay.  In the evening a dinner was held at the Hart of Harwell where we were joined by the Mayor of Didcot, Dr Pam Siggers. Saturday was an opportunity for hosts and guests to visit other places of interest and to get to know each other better.  Sunday morning came around too soon and it was time to say farewell.  Those travelling by train had a very early start due to the vagaries of the railway timetable while those going by plane had a more civilised departure time!

We are already planning our return visit to Meylan in 2024 which will be the 25th anniversary of our twinning.

If you would like to know more about twinning or even get involved please contact any member of the twinning committee.

Twinning provides an opportunity to understand other cultures, improve language skills and make new friends among other things.

German Exchange 2022

In late June a party of 21 year 10 and 11 GCSE German students from Didcot Girls School went to Planegg, near Munich for a 5 day cultural exchange.  As usual this was  immensely enjoyable and rewarding for the students.  Mrs Sarah Cohen (Head of German, DGS) has provided a report of the visit including comments from a number of the students which can be read here together with photographs.  They are looking forward to the return visit by Planegg students to Didcot in November 2022.

AGM 2022

The 2022 AGM was held on Tuesday 14 June at 7:30 pm in the Boundary Park Pavilion in Great Western Park.

The meeting was chaired by the Mayor of Didcot, Dr Pam Siggers. The Chair of the Twinning Associated, Dr Axel Macdonald, said that he was delighted to report that after a gap of almost 3 years due to the Covid pandemic twinning activities would restart this autumn with the postponed visit of our friends from Meylan.  Mebers were reminded that membership fees were now once again being collected – these remain at £20 per annum for a family.

Meylan visit 2022

The visit by Meylan that should have taken place in 2020 will now, hopefully, take place this year from 15 to 18 September!!!  The Committee is currently making bookings for the Reception and the Gala Dinner, and planning activities for our guests over that weekend. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the Covid situation continues to improve (and definitely doesn’t go backwards!!!) and the visit can go ahead as planned.  If you are interested in knowing more or getting involved please contact one of the Committee Members or use the contact form on this page.

A message from the Meylan Twinning Committee

Dear friends,
We were saddened to learn of the death of Prince Philip.
We know the British affection for the royal family, especially in special circumstances. The Meylan Twinning Committee presents its sincere condolences to all our English friends.
Each nation has its tutelary figures and their disappearance always generates an emptiness difficult to fill. But life is unfortunately made like this, with its good and bad moments.
Our hearts go out to you in these sad moments.
Best thoughts.
 The Meylan Twinning Committee
9 avril 2021

April 2021 Newsletter

The latest newsletter (April 2021, #69) can be found here.  Due to pandemic all our physical interactions with our twin towns and especially any planned visits have had to be put on hold.  Although we hope that meetings can restart again in 2022 we want to know when people will feel confident with this.  Also we are looking into additional ways of maintaining and developing our links.  We are all probably now aware and familiar with using virtual platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams etc for meeting with others and this looks like a mechanism we should adopt.  The newsletter describes virtual meetings we have had recently with Meylan and Planegg to start to explore this opportunity.  If anyone has any suggestions for possible topics to share with our twins or would like to take part in language exchanges please get in touch.  Please let us have any other ideas and suggestions.

December 2020 Newsletter

The latest newsletter (December 2020 #68) can be found here
This edition contains some information on when we hope to restart our twinning activities and some guidance on what travel between the UK and continental Europe may look like from January 2021 – as best we can tell given all the uncertainties!
There are some photos of previous twinning events to remind us of the good times we have had and will have again in the future.
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year to all.

2020 AGM postponed

Our AGM normally takes place in June each year but due to the pandemic which would prevent us gathering and mixing we have decided to postpone it. The AGM will now be held in the Autumn (September or October) when we hope restrictions have been lifted and it is safe for us to get together.  More details will follow when we have greater clarity on what is permissible.

2020 Visit by Meylan postponed

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty about travel movements around Europe this summer and autumn we have taken the decision that we must postpone the planned visit by our friends from Meylan.  This should have taken place in September but will now go ahead next year when, hopefully, things will have returned to close to normal.

Exchange programme Feodor-Lynen-Gymnasium Planegg and Didcot Girls‘ School

From 26 November to 2 December a group of 20 pupils from Feodor-Lynen-Gymnasium in Planegg together with two teachers, Elisabeth Buinger and Carolyn Berger, came to Didcot for an exchange programme.  They attended school and were invited to a tea party with their partners, the headmaster of DGS, Mr Goodenough, and  members of DGS staff.  They were joined there by members of the twinning committee and the Deputy Mayor, Eleanor Hards.  Thanks to Ms Sandra Cohen from DGS who organized everything. In the evening they, and their partners, all went to the Didcot Street fair together. They especially enjoyed it because it is different to German Christmas markets – being more colourful and including fun rides. The group also went to Oxford Castle. On Sunday they were able to experience a British Sunday in the families of their exchange partners.

Next winter a group of DGS girls will be going over to Planegg for the return visit.

Pupils from Planegg in Oxford

Latest Newsletter

The latest newsletter (Autumn 2019 #67) can be found here.

It includes dates for the diary:
– a Social evening on 4 December2019
– a report on our visit to Planegg
– plans for 2020 visit by Meylan on 21st anniversary of our twinning

Planegg 2019

A group of 13 led by the Town Council Leader, Mocky Khan (seen above dancing in lederhosen!) has recently returned from a fantastic weekend visiting our twin town in Germany, Planegg.  You can read more about this trip and see some more photos on our Twinning Visits page.

If you would like to get involved in future twinning events then get in contact either using the form on this page or speak with any of the Committee Members.

 

Didcot Summer Fayre 2019

Didcot Twinning Association's pitch all ready to go at the Didcot Summer Fayre 2019!!!

We had a good day at the Summer Fayre on Saturday (3 August).  We saw a number of old friends and met a few new people who will hopefully become friends of Twinning too!  The weather was not so hot as last year which was a relief but it was still a wise decision to replace the chocolate prizes from last year with something a little more forgiving to the heat!  There was a gentle, cooling breeze and no rain which made for a successful event.

Lots of people were there and we managed to raise a little money for the kitty to support the next group of visitors when they come to Didcot in 2020.  Thanks to everyone for their help – Penny for organising everything, Sue and Geoff for manning the stand with her on the day, Axel for the gazebo and the pitch in a good central spot and of course the organisers of the Fayre.

AGM - Tuesday 4 June 2019

The AGM went smoothly  and the current Committee was re-elected.  Many thanks to the Mayor, Anthony Dearlove, for his efficient chairing of the meeting.  In his report Axel Macdonald commented on the busy year we have just had, the forthcoming visit to Planegg and the loss of one our twinning members, Peter Read.  The minutes and accounts for 2018-2019 are available here.

Mayor Anthony Dearlove (centre), Axel Macdonald (Chair, Twinning Association, right) and Geoff Oldham (Secretary, Twinning Association, left)

BACA nominations

The Twinning Association has been short-listed in 2 categories for the Business and Community Awards (BACA)!!!  The Gala Presentation is on 12 October and we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed.

Didcot visit to Meylan September 2018

A party of 17 from Didcot visited Meylan from 20 September to 23 September 2018.  The group included the Mayor, Bill Service, and 3 other Councillors, Mocky Khan, Steve Connel and Denise Macdonald.  We had the usual warm welcome when we arrived at the Reception on Thursday evening where we met up with our host families.  There was a varied and interesting programme over the weekend.  On Friday there was an all day visit to Lyon with lunch in a traditional Bouchon restaurant.  Saturday morning started with a meeting with the Accueil des Villes Francaises association who make new residents in Meylan welcome by providing guidance and friendship so helping them to settle in.  This was followed, for the Councillors, by a meeting with their counterparts in the Mairie (town hall) of Meylan to discuss current shared issues, how to resolve them and opportunities for working together.  The rest of the day was spent with hosts visiting Meylan or other places of interest in the region.  The traditional Gala Dinner was held at the restaurant ‘Le Chateau du Mollard’ not far from Meylan.  The Mayor, Bill Service, and Chair of the Twinning Association, Axel Macdonald, both gave speeches, in English and French (thanks to the help of Penny Wilde providing translations and some coaching in pronunciation).  Sunday morning and the departure of most of the group arrived too soon but old friendships had been re-invested, new friendships made and valuable links between the two town councils established.

Twinning visit to Lyon September 2018 [Photo: Mocky Khan]

Didcot Town Fayre 2018

You couldn’t have wished for a better day to hold the Didcot Town Fayre and we were pleased to have a stall there to raise the profile of the Twinning Association.
Penny (left) organised our entry and is seen here having a rest just before the opening of the fayre.

It seems it’s never too hot for chocolate roulette!!!!  We had a steady stream of visitors throughout the afternoon, mostly small children (right) but also some big kids too, including the Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Bill and Angela Service (below right) and our local police (below left).

It was good to meet Lisa Khan, who will be going on the next visit to Meylan, and others interested in the towns twiining links.

AGM 2018

 L to R: Axel Macdonald (Chair of the Association), Bill Service (Mayor of Didcot) and Geoff Oldham (Secretary to the Association)

The AGM at the Civic Hall was well attended tonight (Tuesday 12 June 2018) including by a number of Town Councillors.  We are grateful to Bill Service, Mayor  of Didcot, for chairing.

Didcot Twinning Association at Get on Board Event​

A useful day promoting Twinning  at the Didcot Get on Board Event on Saturday 2 June 2018.  Signed up a few more people for the newsletter (some of whom might become members!), and making contacts with other groups in Didcot who we hope will establish links with their counterparts in Meylan and Planegg.  Thanks to the Rotary Club and Didcot First for organising the event. 

Penny Wilde explaining what twinning is about to a member of the public.

Didcot Twinning Association gets Facebook Page

The Didcot Twinning  Association now has its own Facebook page so that you can keep up to date with what’s going on with twinning.  Please have a look at the site and comment, share and like!!  Click on the icon below to visit our site:

Youth Exchanges
From time to time we are approached by families in Meylan and Planegg who would like to arrange private exchanges or penpals for their children. If we have any such inquiries they will appear on this page.
In addition details will be circulated in our newsletter.
We are happy to pass on your requests too.

Clubs and Societies
If your club or society is interested in establishing links with an equivalent organisation in any of our twin towns, please get in touch. Although we do not get directly involved in such cultural and sporting exchanges, we are happy to try to put you in touch with your counterparts in Didcot, Meylan or Planegg.

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