Bathford Twinning Association - October 2006 Newsletter

Message from the Editor
I do hope you all had a good summer and enjoyed your holidays. As I look out on this first day of September, the blustery stormy weather is sending me a clear message that summer is over! Time to turn our attention to the many things that occupy us on an every day basis!

In the June Edition of the newsletter, I mentioned that there was plenty of hard work ahead in applying the benefits of twinning, now that the formal part of the liaison is complete.

The work starts here! Later in this letter, I will tell you what we are setting in motion and invite you to play your part in developing the ideas.

I also want to tell you that this is probably the last Newsletter that I shall write as Secretary. It is my intention to retire from the post at the Annual General Meeting. I was one of the small group of people who went on the first exploratory visit to Artannes some five years ago. On our return, I became the Association's first secretary and have remained so ever since. Having seen the Twinning through to completion, I feel that this is the time to stand back and let someone else have a go - probably with more energy than I now have at my disposal!

I have greatly enjoyed playing my part in all that has been achieved and will certainly continue to do everything I can to further the objectives of the Association. My thanks to the membership and the committee for all the ways in which they have supported and worked with me and towards finding a special place in our hearts for a small corner of France and a wonderful group of new Artannais friends.

Annual General Meeting
Monday 6 November 2006 at 8.00pm in the Rugby Club:
We very much hope to see you at the AGM of the Association. The usual reports will be presented, along with the audited accounts for 2005/06.

The posts and committee places are all the subject of annual election; so if you have someone you wish to nominate, please let me have his/her name as well as a proposer and seconder. We will also invite further nominations on the night.

If you are interested in playing a greater part in the running of the Association, you can also have a word with Maureen Breeze (853444) or me (859132) & we can let you know what is involved etc. Do not be put off if you have little or no French! It does help but should not be seen as a barrier to taking part.

After the formal business is over, we will take a look at ideas for future activities between Artannes and Bathford. Your input to this part of the meeting would be most welcome.

It is hoped that we will put on a visual display of photographs taken at the May Twinning in Artannes. The bar will be open for your refreshment!

The Annual general Meeting is open to all residents of Bathford and Kingsdown so do please bring along any friends and neighbours who may be interested in what we are doing.

The Future
Following a Committee meeting to discuss future contact and activities, a number of ideas have emerged. On the subject of larger group visits, we propose to suggest to our friends in Artannes that these should take place on alternate years - i.e., in Bathford in 2007, in Artannes in 2008 and so on. It is our hope that the programmes for these visits will be much more informal than in the past, leaving more time for visitors to pursue their particular interests and get to know their hosts better.

We also want to broaden our contact through a series of smaller special interest group visits which would take place over a weekend or whatever the activity to be followed demands. These would involve the Lead Person making up the programme and making most of the arrangements. The role of the Committee would then be more 'facilitators' rather than 'doers'. Nevertheless we would ensure that guests were properly hosted and entertained. A number of these proposals are already under very active consideration for 2007 and I am giving a brief indication below.