Didcot–Meylan Twinning Association
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Didcot–Meylan Twinning Association |
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Newsletter no.7, May 2002
Editorial
Congratulations to you all for another successful twinning exchange.
Our friends from Meylan are unanimous in their praise of the Didcot people
and their hospitality. The April weekend was an enjoyable and busy one
for us all and we hope that we have reinforced friendships as well as starting
new ones.
Our chairman, Cheng, met the party at Heathrow and
then escorted them to Windsor where they had time to visit the castle and
to see some of the sights. Then on to Didcot where our host families met
them and took them home for an evening meal and time to get to know each
other.
Saturday was spent in Oxford visiting the colleges,
taking a tour bus and a typical English pub lunch! The Mayors of both towns
joined us for lunch. Saturday evening and it was of to St. Birinus School
for a Barn Dance.
Sunday morning saw us planting trees at Didcot’s
Millennium wood and after a quick refreshment break our visitors boarded
the coach for France. A whistle stop weekend but very enjoyable for all
concerned.
A final word from the Chair!
This is likely to be the last time that I write to you as Chairman.
I think that after 2 years as Chairman, it is time someone else takes the
reins and lead us into the future. Over these last two years, I have enjoyed
the job of leading the Association enormously and I hope that your trust
and patience have been worthwhile. We visited Meylan back in June 2000
and their return visit was April this year. Elections and world events
conspired against us and led to that return visit being postponed twice.
I believe that we now have built a strong foundation for our twinning relationship
with Meylan. The challenge for the future is to deepen that relationship,
but that is another story.
In this newsletter, you will read a report about
the recent visit to Didcot by a Meylan delegation of 24 persons, which
included Mme Marie-Christine Tardy, the Mayor of Meylan. By all accounts,
the visit went well, but I have to report that the costs of the visit meant
that the Association currently has a deficit account.
The 2002 AGM of the Association is to be held at 7.30 pm on Thursday
13th June at the Civic Hall. I hope that we will have a good turn out and
lend support for the new committee. If you wish to nominate a member onto
the committee, please either complete the form or let me know.
It is also that time when you need to renew your
subscription. This continues to be excellent value at £5 for a family
membership and £10 for an organisational membership. Please complete
the subscription renewal form and forward it to Dr Geoff Oldham with the
appropriate remittance.
Looking to the future, there will be a Sports Event in Meylan in November
2002 and a possible visit by Didcot to Meylan next spring/summer. That
will be for the new committee to get their teeth into.
Finally, let me thank the committee and a number
of members who have provided enormous guidance and pleasure during these
last two years. Whilst there have been frustrating moments, it has been
mostly fun and enjoyable. Your committee works extremely hard and I hope
you will join me in thanking them for their hard work.
Cheng Lee
Meylan visit to Didcot - 12th to 14th April 2002
The long awaited visit by our friends from Meylan finally took place
on the week-end beginning 12 April 2002.
About 25 citizens of Meylan arrived at Heathrow
airport early on the afternoon of Friday, 12 April to be met by the Chairman
of the Association, Cheng Lee, and a Tappins bus. On the way from
the airport to Didcot there was a short visit to Windsor, where they saw
the castle and the queues of people paying their respects at the tomb of
the Queen Mother. The Mayor of Didcot, Jeremy Goff, Town Councillors,
members of the Association and hosts were waiting to welcome our visitors
as they arrived at the Civic Hall at around 5:30 pm.
In between short speeches by Mayor Goff and Mme
Charrier (deputising for the Mayor of Meylan), hosts and guests paired
off and had a light snack provided by the Town Council. Friday night
was spent with hosts and their guests becoming acquainted.
Saturday was a busy day! The Mayor of Meylan, Mme
Tardy, arrived on an early morning flight and reached Didcot around 9 am.
Mme Tardy had been unable to come with the main party the day before due
to a prior engagement but had got up at the crack of dawn to reach Didcot
at the earliest opportunity. She and Jeremy Goff spent the morning
discussing issues of common interest to our two towns, seeing various aspects
of Didcot and sharing ideas on ways of working together.
For the rest of the Meylannais, there was a trip
to Oxford and a programme of tours around the City, visits to colleges,
shopping and lunch in a pub or café. All arrived safely back
in Didcot later in the afternoon, tired but having had a very enjoyable
day.
After a couple of hours to rest and change it was
time to get on the move again. This time St Birinus School was the
venue for a Civic Reception to officially welcome the Meylannais to Didcot
followed by a barn dance.
In front of an audience of around 100 the Mayors
of Meylan and Didcot made rousing speeches of welcome and thanks.
Both Mayors extolled the virtues of twinning, which enables people of different
nations and cultures to meet and develop an understanding and shared their
hopes and wishes that the links between Didcot and Meylan will continue
to grow stronger. Mme Charrier, on behalf of the Meylan Twinning
Committee, generously presented gifts to the members of the Didcot Twinning
Committee and Dr Cheng Lee, on behalf of the Didcot Twinning Committee,
presented Mme Charrier with a photograph album as a souvenir of their visit
to Didcot. All present raised their glasses to toast the continued
success of the Didcot-Meylan twinning.
The evening then moved up a gear with the barn dance.
This was highly successful, in good part due to the excellent band Reel
McCoy who got everyone up on their feet and, at times, thoroughly confused!!
A buffet dinner and wine provided the much needed refuelling to keep up
the energy levels!!! Many thanks to St Birinus School for allowing
us to use their hall and to Mr Alan West, the school caretaker, for all
his help.
Despite the late night on Saturday, Sunday had to
be an early start as sadly our guests were due to leave Didcot at 11 am
to catch their flight home. However, before that there was
one last event, a tree planting ceremony. With great ceremony,
two trees were planted by the two Mayors near the entrance to the Millennium
Wood. A plaque was placed near the planted trees to serve as a reminder
of the tree planting event and of our commitment to our twin town.
There was then just time to go back to the
Civic Hall for a final cup of tea or coffee before our guests boarded their
bus for Heathrow.
Geoff Oldham
Agenda for the A.G.M to be held on Thursday June 13th at the Civic Hall, Didcot
Some Images from the Visit by Meylannais to Didcot 12-14 April 2002
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| Arrival at Didcot | Queues to see Queen Mother's Lying in State at Windsor Castle during our visit there | View from the Open Top Bus in Oxford | View from the Open Top Bus in Oxford |
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| View from the Open Top Bus in Oxford | View from the Open Top Bus in Oxford | Re-grouping during our visit to Oxford | Image during the Saturday night's barn dance |
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| Image during the Saturday night's barn dance | Image during the Saturday night's barn dance | Image during the Saturday night's barn dance | Image during the Saturday night's barn dance |
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| Image during the Saturday night's barn dance | Speeches and giving and receiving of gifts | Speeches and giving and receiving of gifts | Tree planting on Sunday morning |
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| Tree planting on Sunday morning | Tree planting on Sunday morning | Tree planting on Sunday morning | Tree planting on Sunday morning |
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| Last goodbyes | Last goodbyes | Last goodbyes | About to depart from Didcot |
Click on these links view two short movies of the tree planting ceremony - movie 1 movie 2