News Update
It’s been quite a busy summer for SHDOFA and there are still a few activities planned for the rest of the year. Hopefully, some of you will have seen our stall at the TS Brilliant Fun Day in May and at the Gala Day at Meadows School in June which has helped raise our profile within the community. A major attraction on both occasions turned out to be our pétanque competition which everyone could have a go at and it was amazing to see how addictive some people found the game to be. Pétanque has been an ongoing theme for us with regular sessions at the new ‘piste’ in Yew Tree Road. We now have over a dozen players and can easily field two or three teams which usually consist of four members each. Yet more encouraging is that we are gradually getting to grips with the rules and even with some of the tactics. These were used to great advantage when we trounced Tonbridge French Circle in September in what for us was our first ‘official’ match.
In June our twin town of Lambersart, near Lille in North Eastern France, joins with a number of nearby communes which are all connected by the River Deûle for the Fête de la Deûle. A weekend of fun, festivities and fireworks as well as numerous races between a number of weird so called ‘flying machines’ belching out fire and smoke all over the participating villages. It is also the time when the riverside beach makes its annual appearance in Lambersart. 700 tonnes of sand are imported together with palm trees, sun-loungers, children’s play equipment and a guinguette for eating, music and dancing. Some of our members were able to go and were hosted en famille. The locals certainly know how to enjoy themselves and we hope we can go again next year.
We try to organise at least one coach trip to France each year and this time we went to Arras for the day. The town, with its fine old centre, is said to be one of the prettiest in northern France. Around its two large squares are magnificent, restored seventeenth and eighteenth-century mansions built in the Flemish style as well as a grandly ornate, gothic Town Hall, not to mention the wide selection of cafés and restaurants.
The main purpose of the trip, however, was to visit the “Wellington Quarries” where 24,000 British and New Zealand troops lived for 6 months in the tunnels 20 metres underneath the town close to the German front line before breaking out for a major offensive in April 1917. Needless to say, this was a moving experience. It also reminded us of the importance of mutual understanding and strong relationships with our overseas’ neighbours, which is one of the major objectives of our twinning association.
North Eastern France has seen more than its fair share of conflict over the years. Nowadays, Lambersart is also twinned with Viersen, a town in Germany. On the 11th November, delegations from both Southborough and Viersen will be visiting Lambersart for their annual Armistice Commemoration. This year, being 11-11-11, is a special one and each of the nationalities will be laying wreaths at the town war memorial and at the British and German cemeteries in a display of international co-operation which would not have been possible during much of our turbulent histories.
Back on home soil, we managed to select one of the few sunny days in August for our annual barbecue having put up with rain on the previous three occasions. Hopefully, the weather won’t be an issue for our DVD evening in late October when we shall be showing a selection of French films – with English sub-titles of course! Soon we will be putting together our programme for next year and without a doubt the major event will be our 20th birthday celebrations in October. A full programme of events will be available ahead of our AGM next March.
The SHDOFA Constitution emphasises community activities and encourages visits in both directions by people of all ages to foster friendship and mutual understanding of the cultural, recreational, educational and commercial activities of both towns. We would like to do even more to further this objective so if you think you, either as an individual or as an organisation, like the sound of it and would like to be involved please contact our chairperson, Mrs Colette Marsh, on 01892 525042. Of course you can always visit the web site and become our Facebook friend too!
Web site: www.shdofa.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/shdofa
In June our twin town of Lambersart, near Lille in North Eastern France, joins with a number of nearby communes which are all connected by the River Deûle for the Fête de la Deûle. A weekend of fun, festivities and fireworks as well as numerous races between a number of weird so called ‘flying machines’ belching out fire and smoke all over the participating villages. It is also the time when the riverside beach makes its annual appearance in Lambersart. 700 tonnes of sand are imported together with palm trees, sun-loungers, children’s play equipment and a guinguette for eating, music and dancing. Some of our members were able to go and were hosted en famille. The locals certainly know how to enjoy themselves and we hope we can go again next year.
We try to organise at least one coach trip to France each year and this time we went to Arras for the day. The town, with its fine old centre, is said to be one of the prettiest in northern France. Around its two large squares are magnificent, restored seventeenth and eighteenth-century mansions built in the Flemish style as well as a grandly ornate, gothic Town Hall, not to mention the wide selection of cafés and restaurants.
The main purpose of the trip, however, was to visit the “Wellington Quarries” where 24,000 British and New Zealand troops lived for 6 months in the tunnels 20 metres underneath the town close to the German front line before breaking out for a major offensive in April 1917. Needless to say, this was a moving experience. It also reminded us of the importance of mutual understanding and strong relationships with our overseas’ neighbours, which is one of the major objectives of our twinning association.
North Eastern France has seen more than its fair share of conflict over the years. Nowadays, Lambersart is also twinned with Viersen, a town in Germany. On the 11th November, delegations from both Southborough and Viersen will be visiting Lambersart for their annual Armistice Commemoration. This year, being 11-11-11, is a special one and each of the nationalities will be laying wreaths at the town war memorial and at the British and German cemeteries in a display of international co-operation which would not have been possible during much of our turbulent histories.
Back on home soil, we managed to select one of the few sunny days in August for our annual barbecue having put up with rain on the previous three occasions. Hopefully, the weather won’t be an issue for our DVD evening in late October when we shall be showing a selection of French films – with English sub-titles of course! Soon we will be putting together our programme for next year and without a doubt the major event will be our 20th birthday celebrations in October. A full programme of events will be available ahead of our AGM next March.
The SHDOFA Constitution emphasises community activities and encourages visits in both directions by people of all ages to foster friendship and mutual understanding of the cultural, recreational, educational and commercial activities of both towns. We would like to do even more to further this objective so if you think you, either as an individual or as an organisation, like the sound of it and would like to be involved please contact our chairperson, Mrs Colette Marsh, on 01892 525042. Of course you can always visit the web site and become our Facebook friend too!
Web site: www.shdofa.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/shdofa