Spring Newsletter 2009 (no 38)

Christmas market in Chantilly

Epsom & Ewell Town Twinning Association was once again present at the Christmas Market in Chantilly. Our stall of traditional English Christmas fare is now an established feature, and several people sought us out for our mince pies and Christmas puddings. One person even specifically asked if the pudding ‘was made by the same lady as last year’.

Anne Richardson is the pudding maker, and the puddings always look beautiful, taste even better and go down very well in Chantilly. We diversified a little this year and offered several varieties of English cheese, the Sage Derby in particular attracted a great deal of interest.

We always try to offer something locally produced on the stall and this time we sold some products by Mayfield Lavender from Banstead. The soap and lavender bags were particularly popular and there was also some interest in lavender oil, which is less strong than lavender oil from Provence. Many people were astonished to learn that there are lavender fields just outside of Epsom!

As usual the Christmas Market was a great opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new ones. We had great fun giving out Christmas crackers and explaining this very peculiar English tradition to the bemused children of Chantilly. We also enjoyed meeting the folk from Überlingen once again.

Anyone in the Association is welcome to join us for this weekend. It usually takes place on the second weekend in December and we are always looking for more helpers. It is not all work, so do let us know if you would like to come along.

Mary Talbott, Chair

The Town-Twinning stall at Chantilly Christmas market

Championing ‘Eco Gardens’ together

On Saturday 30^th May the Twinning Association in Chantilly is taking part in a one day event being organised by their Jardins Familiaux and Chantilly town to celebrate and exchange ideas on biodiversity, organic gardening and recycling. Along the river Nonette, Chantilly has a large area with allotments and on this area and the public walkways by the river and canal, there will be a variety of stands and stalls. People will demonstrate and share ideas about composting, natural pest control, irrigation, the National Park of the Region, conservation, and protection of birds. There will also be exhibitions by local artists and photographers, tours of the gardens, and local produce to buy, such as local honey.

A special request was made for Epsom & Ewell to share its expertise on recycling and composting through the Town-Twinning Association. Alan Rose, the proprietor of a local composting and recycling business, will be attending to demonstrate his knowledge of composting, while Ian and Jane Melia will spend the week-end in Chantilly and will take information about the development and expansion of Epsom & Ewell’s recycling scheme.

It would be lovely to see others from the Association in Chantilly that week-end, so do think about coming along. Further details can be obtained from Jane Melia on 01372 728333 or jane@epsomtwinning.com.

Jane Melia, Vice-Chair

Bruges - a day of pleasant surprises

Forty local residents took part in the day trip from Epsom to Bruges on 21^st March, organised in support of the Mayor’s charities. It was a day with many pleasant surprises.

Epsom' Coaches’ Luxury Coach picked everyone up from Epsom at 07:45 and we were soon surprised by the quality and quantity of the on-board breakfast.  The tunnel had us across the Channel quicker than we planned, so we trekked across the Belgian flatlands to Chocolate Heaven at Castle Flora, which was also a good booze opportunity. This brought us to the lunch venue in good time and the food was as good as they promised, and then we were off to Bruges.

Our two drivers were old hands and knew exactly where to drop us. Call me un-travelled but I couldn't believe the tangled acre of bicycles in front of the railway station! A sunny stroll into Bruges, the experience of different shops in a mediaeval setting, then a boat was the best way to discover the extent of the canals and the variety of the buildings.  There was still a chance for a hot chocolate and a toasted sandwich to enjoy on the coach. 

Time had passed so quickly that the chill of evening had set in by the time the nice warm coach picked us up, and we were likely to catch a later crossing than planned but, what the heck, we'd fitted a lot of fun into one day!  Little did we know what drama awaited us at the tunnel.... We arrived to find "Maintenance Closure" signs telling us we wouldn't get into the tunnel till Sunday morning.  I don't mind telling you, there were a tense few minutes before we caught what was definitely the last train home. We had a whole train to ourselves apart from the tunnel workers minibus!

Did I mention Robin Willes amongst the surprises?  Because of his undoubted talent and his portable guitar, the homeward sing-song was a far higher quality than even the drivers had ever experienced.  There was time for a few more "opportunities" which meant the Mayor's Charities raised another £1,000.

At this late stage I thought I would have forgotten it all in the euphoria of 3000 people enjoying the Ewell West 150 railway celebration.  It's nice to write about it now and to remind myself what a good time we'd all had. Brian Angus, Committee member

Überlingen update

We are gradually moving forward in our relationship with Überlingen, Chantilly’s German twin town. A new mayor has taken up office there and she is keen to establish a link with Epsom. As in France the mayor is directly elected by the people. This is also a year when their entire council has to be re-elected, and as in Chantilly, the organisation of the town twinning is done largely by councillors on a much more official basis than is the case in our own borough.

There were some tentative plans for a small delegation from Überlingen to visit Epsom in March. However this was postponed due to the illness of one of their group and so it has now been agreed that a delegation will visit us in September or October. The main aim of this visit will be to foster links between Überlingen and Epsom & Ewell, which should in turn strengthen the twinning with Chantilly.

We will be looking for a wide variety of organisations in the borough who would be interested in establishing a link with Überlingen, and we would be particularly keen to involve more people in the twinning committee. So if anyone would like to get more involved, please let us know. We have already had offers of help from several German speakers and we hope to involve these and anyone else who would like to help move all aspects of our twinning link forward, (whether or not you speak French or German). If you are interested please contact any member of the committee.

Mary Talbott, Chair

Visit to St Malo

I have always been an independent traveller preferring to make my own arrangements rather than join a package tour.  So when I saw that Brittany Ferries had advertised a day in St Malo for ￡20 I was interested.   Brittany Ferries sail overnight from Portsmouth to St Malo.  Usually the ferry returns the following morning, but on Saturdays only until 28^th March, the ship remained in St Malo until 10pm local time, thus giving a complete day in Brittany.

I had visited St Malo previously and like the town very much indeed.  After a walk along the walls we obtained a timetable from the tourist information office and decided to catch a local bus to Dinan to see the medieval buildings, ancient town walls and the steep streets down to the River Rance.  This appeared to be a good way to see the countryside and to sample French life.  We certainly benefited from the generosity of the local authority because the fare for a journey of over 20 kilometres was only 2 Euros!  And yes we had a lovely walk around the old town, a look at the marina, gazing in the windows of the artists’ shops on the steep hill down to the river. 

The return journey presented some excitement.  Although we waited patiently by the stop, at 5pm when the bus arrived hoards of people surged forwards, evidence that the French do not queue!  There were too many intending passengers for the bus - perhaps this was one downside of the 2 Euros fare!  The driver explained that he would have to return to the depot for a larger vehicle!  This certainly tested my French, especially when two of the "locals" asked me what was happening!  A long wait ensued but finally the bus arrived.

Back in Portsmouth I discovered that an old friend from the Immigration Office was due to retire, so an invitation to the celebrations in May followed. In all, it was a very enjoyable full-day visit to St Malo.   

Peter Hardy, Twinning member

Members’ dinners

The latest members’ dinners at Café Rouge on Tuesday 10^th February and Tuesday 14^th April were both very enjoyable, as a group of us enjoyed an excellent set dinner together, their “menu du soir” which we had pre-ordered. On both occasions we were very well looked after, and we all had a delightful evening in a truly French ambiance!

We continue to hold our members’ dinners on the 2nd Tuesday of alternate months, so do put the dates in your diaries! I'd still like your suggestions of other possible local venues, so if you have a favourite restaurant, ideally with a French flavour, we’ll try it! Also could I ask you all to make sure I have your email address if you have one? This will enable me to contact you in between newsletters! Please call me on 01372 209704 or email me at margaret@epsomtwinning.com

Meantime please make a note of our next dinner on Tuesday 9^th June at the Epsom Club. I look forward to seeing you then!

Margaret Nightingale, Membership Secretary

STOP PRESS! October promotional event

It is planned to hold a ‘welcome evening’ this autumn, provisionally on Thursday 8th October, to promote the activities of the Town-Twinning Association and to generate more interest amongst residents and organisations within the borough. The event will take place in the Town Hall, and invitations will be extended to other potentially interested groups, such as the Choir, the Rotary Club, Model Railway Club and sporting bodies, with the idea that they could mount displays alongside our own presentation.

We are hoping to include a wine tasting and possibly a related quiz. This will also be an opportunity for members to bring their friends along to meet us. Further details will be available nearer the time, but please put the date in your diary now.

Calendar of Events
2009
Monday 11^th May	Committee meeting, Town Hall
Weds 20^th - Sat 23^rd May	Epsom Protection Society visit to Chantilly
Saturday 30^th May	Organic gardening event, Chantilly
Tuesday 9^th June	Members dinner, Epsom Club
Thursday 25^th June	Town Twinning Association AGM, Town Hall
Monday 6^th July	Committee meeting, Town Hall
Mon 3^rd – Friday 7^th August	Seine River Cruise
September or October	Visit from Überlingen Delegation to Epsom
Thursday 8^th October	Welcome evening at the Town Hall

Committee for 2008/9

Mrs Mary Talbott, Chairman 01372 743336

Mrs Jane Melia, Vice Chairman 01372 728333

Mr Brian Vandervilt, Treasurer    0208 3958996

Mrs Susan Gill, Secretary 0208 3936462

Mrs Margaret Nightingale, Membership Secretary  01372 209704

Mrs Betty Emery, Publicity Officer 01372 725027

Cllr Clive Woodbridge, Newsletter Editor 0208 3932853

Mr Brian Angus 0208 3931749

Mrs Alison Chatterton    01372 811099

Mr Cyril Frazer        0208 3933628

Cllr Jonathon Reed 0208 3935355

Alderman Reg Saviel    01372 377420

Mr Ron Smith    01372 811229