Youth Twinning Archive:

On this page, you can see all content that has appeared on the Youth Twinning part of the website in the past. Feel free to browse through to see all of the old newsletter articles, competitions and events!

Note:This section of the site is provided for historical and entertainment purposes only. The information here may no longer be accurate, or may refer to events that have already taken place. In particular, although we encourage everybody to have fun completing all the great competitions shown here, we're afraid that we can't accept any new entries for these. To see more up-to-date information (including new competitions), you should explore the rest of this website...

[ Go to: | Autumn 2004 | Summer 2004 | ]

Welcome

Welcome to the second issue of Les Actualités. I hope you had a fantastic summer holiday. Things have been quiet for us over the summer. This was partly because lots of people were away but also because we’ve made some big changes to Youth Twinning, which you can read about in the rest of the newsletter.

All that is now complete and we are ready to start a new season of events and activities with a French theme. The first one of these will be the evening of 7th January 2005. Make sure you come and bring your friends. It would be fantastic if everybody were to bring a friend each time because that way the club would really grow.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter and don’t forget to work on the competitions (available from the 'Competitions' page).

Best wishes,
Richard Lees
Forum Member
Editor of Les Actualités

Twinning Online

The Twinning Association has a superb website which some of you may already have looked at. We are delighted that Youth Twinning now has it’s own part of this website. If you have access to a computer, please go to the BTA website at www.bathfordtwinning.org.uk and click on 'Youth Twinning'. You can catch up with all the latest including articles, competitions and events. Tell your friends about it too. The web is a wonderful tool for Twinning because it brings people together. Patrick Hathway, web master of the BTA website, has made it possible for us to be online and we’d like to thank him for all the work he has put into it.

A French Wedding

An invitation to a French Wedding? Of course we had to accept. The parents of the bride, Anne-Cécile, were people we had met through the twinning with Artannes, and we like to call them our friends.

It was a lovely July day, and the whole village seemed to be congregated in the square in front of the church in Artannes, including the bride and groom (Mathieu). There had just been the ‘civil’ ceremony, in the ‘Mairie’, which had been conducted by the Deputy Mayor - a man who had known Anne-Cécile since she was a little girl.

The assembled crowd, including Keith and I, then went into the church, where some people had to stand because there was not enough room to sit. Mathieu then entered, accompanied by his mother, and finally Anne-Cécile, accompanied by her father. They walked down the aisle to a recording of a Negro spiritual.

There was very little music, no bridesmaids, but the happy couple had four of their friends as ‘witnesses’, and a little boy and girl in the congregation went forward with the wedding rings at the appropriate time.

Photographs were taken on the church steps, then the whole congregation crossed the square and went into the ‘Salle des Fetes’, which is rather like Bathford Parish Hall. This was decked with flowers and there were lots of good things to eat and drink.

Eating and drinking continued, with not quite so many people, at a nearby hotel / restaurant. This was a really fun evening, with a magician, music and dancing, and special songs and quizzes made up by the friends of Anne-Cécile and Mathieu. There were no speeches and no ‘top table’ like we have at English weddings, and the partying went on until 5 o’clock on Sunday morning.

As if these celebrations weren’t enough, we and lots of friends and relations were invited to yet another party in the garden of our friends (the Vasseurs) at lunchtime on Sunday. Need I say - there was yet more to eat and drink!

We had lots of fun practising our rather ‘rusty’ French, (it is rather a long time since we took our ‘A’ levels!) and equally, some of the French people enjoyed practising their ‘rusty’ English with us. One of the things I will always remember happened during the party in the garden. I don’t know whether it is customary in all parts of France. Mathieu’s Mum had five sons, and Mathieu was the last one to get married. So, having no further use for her ‘wedding’ hat, it was placed on the ground and ceremonially burned!

If you are fortunate enough to receive an invitation to a French wedding, take my advice and accept. I am sure it will be something you’ll always remember.

Julia Masdin
Forum Member

Message from the Twinning Association

We’re glad to hear that you are all continuing to take an interest in all things French and in our intended ‘twin’, Artannes, in particular. I am just back from a month in France during which I spent a couple of days in Artannes and received the usual warm welcome from our friends there.

A small group from Bathford paid a more official visit when they discussed plans and dates for the first part of the formal twinning ceremony to take place in Bathford in summer 2005.

As all went well at these meetings, we shall have a busy Autumn and Winter planning events to celebrate the Twinning. Our successful fundraising activists this year will help to pay for these activities in 2005.

We will be asking various groups, clubs etc, to participate in the celebrations and will certainly look to you as young people of the village to be a part of them.

If you or your parents want more information about what is going on please contact me.

Best wishes,
Tony Woodcock
Secretary, BTA

Wordsearch

Find the French words for the colours in the wordsearch below:

R	L	O	W	E	M	V	R
C	G	R	L	N	J	E	I
N	R	A	O	U	S	R	O
A	E	N	N	A	O	T	N
L	V	G	N	J	G	E	W
B	L	E	U	U	A	S	E
R	O	U	G	E	A	O	L
S	I	R	G	S	V	R	B
O	T	V	I	R	O	N	B
T	P	S	N	M	C	D	O

ROSE ROUGE VERT ORANGE JAUNE NOIR BRAUN BLEU BLANC GRIS

Pink Red Green Orange Yellow Black Brown Blue White Grey

Previous Competition Result: -

Previously we asked you to send in images, poems or anything creative to express your thoughts about France. The prize went to Charlie Allan-Gething for this fantastic drawing of his memories of friends visiting from our twin village in France. Well done Charlie!

We are looking forward to a new season of events with Le Club Français.

The first will be on 7th January 2005 at 6.30pm in the Bathford Rugby Club. There will be food, drinks and entertainment with a French theme. Please make sure you come along and bring your friends. It will be a great opportunity to meet up. Entry is £1 for members and £2 for non-members and don’t forget to bring something for drinks at the bar. This will also be your opportunity to meet the new forum and give us your suggestions and ideas for the club. We’re looking forward to meeting you.

This is only the first event for the season. More evenings to come!

Welcome

Welcome to all our new members of Le Club Français. Welcome to an exciting club and to an exciting event in the village. Well done for taking up the opportunity of becoming involved because we are sure that you will enjoy being a member. In this newsletter you will find details of some of the events we’ve got lined up over the next few months.

Membership of Le Club Français will mean different things to different people. Maybe you’re a socialiser who enjoys meeting new people and getting out, or maybe you’re the sort of person who would prefer to be on your own. Either way, with the programme of newsletters and events, there’s sure to be something for you. There’s no need to learn French or to know anything about France, it’s all for fun and you’ll learn plenty along the way.

Best wishes
Richard Lees
Forum Member

Message from the Twinning Association

The Twinning Association is delighted that young people in Bathford are beginning to join Le Club Français and the Youth Forum. As a result, we hope you will learn more about France, the French and the French Language. There is a lot going on involving young people in Artannes and I’m sure you will find out a good deal about French life and customs by keeping in touch with them. I know they are keen to get in contact with you.

As Richard says elsewhere in this Newsletter, the Club is yours and it is for you to run but we will be happy to give you all the help and support in setting it up that we can. If your parents or other family would like to be kept informed of our Twinning activities, please ask them to get in touch with me and I will send them Newsletters and other mailings regularly.

Best wishes
Tony Woodcock
Secretary, BTA

‘Our corner of France’

Twinning is a very special opportunity for people from different countries to make friends and get to know each other. Bathford is forming a twinning arrangement with Artannes-sur-Indre, a village about the size of Bathford, in central France (see the map). In this column, we’ll try and find out some "things you didn’t know" about the area and the people. Many of us have visited them, including a group who are now part of the Youth Forum. Maybe you’ll go sometime. If you are over 18, look out for exchange visits in the Twinning Association events section.

Artannes in France

How well do you know France?

Test your knowledge of France in this short quiz:

1. In which French city would you find the monument shown?

   

2. What is the name of France’s highest mountain?
3. What is France’s famous high speed train called?
4. The shortest Channel crossing is from Dover to ......
5. The Mediterranean coast of France is know as the French R......
6. What is the name of France’s highest Football league?
7. The French are famous for eating snails. What is the French word for a snail?

France and me