PORTHCAWL TOWN TWINNING ASSOCIATION

AUTUMN NEWSLETTER

We planned to send out a short newsletter in the Summer, but the delay is, perhaps, serendipitous, as we at last have something more positive to report.

As you know, the St Sebastien sur Loire twinning association effectively ceased to exist, and all attempts to revive it failed, though relationships with individuals and families remained positive, and several committee members have visited SSSL this summer and were well received, so individual links are likely to continue.

You may remember from the AGM that our search for a replacement twin led us to make enquiries of the town of Fouesnant, in South-western Brittany, since a search of the Twinning website suggested that they were seeking an English speaking twin. With the blessing of the Town Council, a letter was sent in June from the Town Clerk to the council in Fouesnant exploring this possibility. No response to that letter was received so when in France in September John and Cathryn Hodges called in at the town hall in Fouesnant, where they were told that the letter had been received and would be considered the following week by the committee responsible for such matters. Sadly, nothing further has been heard.

In the meantime, the Council had also agreed to us widening our search so when in October a member of the twinning group from Plouzane visiting Pencoed mentioned that they understood that the town of Ploudalmezeau, on the western coast of Brittany, were looking for a twin, we quickly made contact, and received a very positive response. It’s very early days, and formal contact has yet to be made between the two councils, but things are looking promising - the committee there intends to ask the Mayor to agree to twin with us - which is very welcome news after so long in the wilderness. We’ll keep you all informed.

On more domestic matters, we had a very enjoyable barbecue in August, kindly hosted yet again by Mary and Bobby, with a well devised quiz provided by Dave Bush. Our Christmas meal at the Atlantic Hotel on 5th December is fast approaching so please don’t forget to let John Hodges know whether you’re attending, your choices from the menu, and your deposits of £10 per person.