The Christmas market took place in Chantilly on 8^th and 9^th December. Six members of our twinning association and a friend from the Epsom Choral Society set up a stall alongside those also twinned with Chantilly from Germany. The Belgians could not join us this year but the town mayor came for one day. The main aim of the stall was to promote the twinning activities between our towns, and a number of contacts were made, as well as being able to meet up with loyal friends who live in Chantilly. As in previous years our mince pies and Christmas puddings were popular purchases, and a small profit was made for society funds. New items this year included English cheeses, which we had taken for people to taste. The green sage cheese got a lot of attention, as well as the Stilton, Wensleydale with ginger and traditional cheddar. They proved so popular that people were asking to buy the cheese. We also took souvenirs of Epsom & Ewell such as tea-towels. The children loved the free crackers, bookmarks and Santa stickers.

Bill Barwell’s coach party visited us on Sunday morning and it was good to chat to friends of the association. Sadly Bill was not well enough to come on the trip this year. We wish Chris and Bill a speedy recovery.

The Chantilly market had a wide range of local and regional produce with wines, cheeses, honey, and many other items. There were many craft stalls with ideal presents for Christmas. Hot and cold food, and drinks were served throughout the day, and an excellent choice of local recipes. We always receive a warm welcome from our friends in the Chantilly association and we are very grateful for their hospitality.

Our mayor, Jean Steer, and around 20 people representing Epsom and Ewell and including a local Choir 'Sponsalia' visited Chantilly on the weekend of the 15th September. Presentations were made and everyone was able to visit the racecourse and see the Prix d'Epsom on the Chantiily Horse-Racing track on the Monday afternoon. For a picture book of the event click here.

Singers in the Sponsalia chamber choir were thrilled to be invited to sing in Chantilly as part of the twinning 10th anniversary weekend. It was an honour to perform for the Mayors of both Chantilly and Epsom at the Saturday reception. Our programme consisted of English music for unaccompanied voices covering a period of over 500 years.

Our journey began on Friday evening on Eurostar accompanying the Mayor of Epsom. We were met at the station by our conductor Beresford Bell and M Peter Brandt who escorted us to the hotel. On Saturday morning after enjoying our special breakfast and formal introductions we rehearsed at St Peters, the English church where we were to sing for the Sunday morning family service. After lunch we took a relaxed walk through the beautiful parkland around the Chateau in glorious sunshine before the preparing for the evening reception. On the Sunday morning we were pleased to sing for the Rev Nick Clarke and his English speaking congregation at St. Peter's. Included in the service was music by two particularly well known composers William Byrd and John Rutter. Sunday afternoon was spent relaxing, some taking advantage of the Portes Ouvertes and Monday afternoon we had a great afternoon at the Races. We are all most grateful to M Rigola for supporting our visit, enjoying exceptional hospitality from everyone involved with twinning and being made to feel very welcome throughout our stay. We hope that we can return as part of future twinning events.

The Twinning Association had a colourful stand in Bourne Hall, publicising the twinning to the thousands of visitors to the Herald of Spring during the weekend of 24th-25th February. There were many enquiries from potential new members.

On Friday 16^th June a party of excited Epsom and Ewell residents, and two extras, departed in the early morning for France. Bill Barwell, our trip organiser, did his best to make everything run smoothly, indeed I have never seen the sea so calm as for our crossing. After a stop at the Baie de Somme service station, well worth a stop if you are ever in the area, we arrived at the Campanille in Chantilly. For those of us with stamina the coach left soon after our arrival to take us for dinner in Paris. This would have been enjoyable but for the delay caused by a ‘convoi exceptionnel’ and the difficulty our coach driver had in parking, but all was forgiven after an excellent meal as we watched dusk fall behind the Eiffel tower with its twinkling lights gracing the skyline.

After an ‘all you can eat’ breakfast for which the Campanille is famous, we set off for Senlis, a beautiful medieval town a short distance from Chantilly. We took in the start of the ‘Alternative World Cup’ on the way as Epsom and Watermael Boitsfort football teams fought with Chantilly for some impressive cups.

Senlis is well worth a visit as it has museums, a gothic church and winding streets containing interesting shops, as well as the usual selection of cordon bleu cafes.

The Chateau of Chantilly was the spectacular backdrop for the firework competition. Bill arranged for an early arrival in the car park at the chateau so we had time to wander the streets of Chantilly and picnic by the racecourse. We were then issued with white caps, which were a stroke of genius as it made spotting our group easy, and arrived in our seats as dusk fell. The firework displays were preceded by gymnastics from the Paris fire brigade’s cadets and a pianist who was suspended on a platform high above the stage.

Fireworks provided by a previous winner began the displays. Then the three competition pieces began. Each competitor had to produce a display which used a passage of music from The Firebird by Stravinsky, to use green and blue fireworks for one part and to produce two minutes of the display using the rhythm of the fireworks with no music. It is hard to describe the brilliance of the displays, as the fireworks made patterns over the water beside the chateau. They were all magnificent, but the most thrilling was the Canadian display created by Alain Carbonneau which had us spellbound, and which won the Gold Bouquet for the best display of the three days of competition.

Our return journey on Sunday took in two fascinating places, the Chateau at Pierrefonds and the town of Compiegne, before heading back to the ferry.

Many thanks to Bill and Chris for organising this fantastic trip, if they do it again put your name down straight away!

The Epsom Male Voice Choir went to Chantilly in May 2006. Here are some of the photos they took.

Christmas Market in Chantilly - 8th Dec 2007