Newsletter - Viry

In this issue:
Special points of
interest:
Social Programme update
May Twinning Visit notes
.
Newsletter
Spring 2007
Chairman’s Report
1
Beer and Wine Festival Report
1
Basildon House
2
Social Calendar
3
Quiz Night Report
3
General Information on Visits
4
Erftstadt news
5+6
Viry Chatillon news
7
Exeter Twinning Circle
7
Committee
8
Revellers at the ever popular Beer and Wine Festival
Wokingham Town Twinning Association
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
The period since my last message in July 2006 has been
a very busy time for the Association.
Interest from
members to see
w h a t
i s
prospective members has increased and we now look
forward to a further period of activities which we hope
happening
with
our friends in
will provide something for all members.
France.
They
are now putting their Newsletter online with issue No 1 at the
This edition of the NEWSLETTER contains reports of the
various activities we have undertaken and I would like to
thank the Committee for their dedication to Wokingham
beginning of February.
www.viry.wokingham.com.
Twinning and all the hard work which has been necessary to
achieve a successful Association.
I also welcome Judy
We have much to look forward to in the coming months
The
website
is
Tomlin as our new Newsletter editor. Many thanks to her.
including a visit to Viry-Chatillon, our summer BBQ and the
visit from Erftstadt in September which will celebrate 30 years
In the near future we hope to be updating our W ebsite
of Twinning between the two towns. The Committee very
much hope that these events will be well supported.
www.Wokinghamtwinning.org.uk. This will contain details
of the Committee and upcoming activities. It will also contain
Have a happy summer.
a link through to the Viry-Chatillon website to enable
Brian Davis
BEER AND WINE FESTIVAL
As one time members of the Twinning Association Kathy
and I were delighted to receive an invitation to attend the
Beer and Wine Festival which was held recently in the
Town Hall. Having moved down to Exeter five years ago
when the Met Office moved from Bracknell we were more
than happy to accept the invitation as it meant that we
could go back to Wokingham to renew old acquaintances
and catch up with what the Association had been doing
over the last few years.
The town hall was packed with people when we arrived
and everybody made us feel so welcome that it felt as if
we’d never left! Not only was the company good but the
food and wine were excellent as well. We also appreciated
the music - the accordion entertainment fitted the evening
admirably. Our thanks go to all those members of the
association who organised such a splendid event. We’re
now wondering whether we could organise a similar
Twinning Circle event in Exeter.
Steve Morris
1
Visit to Basildon Park
On a sunny, warm afternoon in October, 15 WTTA members met at Basildon Park, a delightful symmetric Palladian mansion built around 1780.
After its original heyday, the house gradually fell into disrepair. Large amounts of
lead were removed from the roof. It was
used during both World Wars for military or
hospital purposes. Some of the mahogany
doors were destined for use as firewood
during the hospital era. Fortunately the
house was rescued by Lord & Lady Iliffe
who set about restoring it and refurnishing
it with items appropriate to the age of the
house before donating it to the National
Trust.
Although Lady Iliffe, who at nearly 90
years old still lives in one of the side
wings, refuses to allow information leaflets
around the house, many human guides
were on hand to answer questions and give those extra facts and stories which made the visit so much more interesting. How
else would we have known about, let alone found, the initials and date woven by Lady Iliffe into the rug depicting flowers found on
the estate which she made for the Crimson Bedroom? Also the impressive staircase was a slightly later addition to the house as,
although always planned, funds were not at first available for its completion and therefore the ‘back stairs’ were the only means of
accessing the upper floors. The hall originally had a cupola, but as it had suffered from lead theft, this was removed by the Ministry of Defence and replaced with a flat ceiling: and some of those wonderful mahogany doors were found in the boiler room; others were returned from the London home of Lord Iliffe’s father, who had owned Basildon in the 1930’s.
The two most unusual rooms are the Octagon Room and the Breakfast Room beneath it. We learned that the octagonal carpet
now in the magnificent Octagon Room had been rediscovered by the Iliffes at an auction. It was totally black with dirt but, as the
shape was correct, it was purchased for under £150. When it was unfolded on the lawn, the dimensions matched the room exactly. There is no actual proof that the carpet was made for the room, but it seems too much of a coincidence for it to be otherwise.
The Breakfast Room unsurprisingly reflects the shape of the room above it. This room contained the exhibition on the changes
made to the house for the filming of ‘Pride & Prejudice’ and therefore the walls painted with, I think, Eastern scenes were not easily visible. But this exhibition was informative and fun: to walk through a seemingly solid 19th century door, complete with plaster
mouldings, and then to look at the back and realise that it was in fact mainly plywood and battens, was both of these. The skill of
present day artists and craftsmen was apparent when seeing and being able to touch examples of plasterwork made for the
transformation. I came to realise just why the house had to be closed for a comparatively long time (incidentally we chose to visit
it during this time without knowing of the closure!). The video clips showing, for example, the removal of the carpet from the Octagon Room and the covering of the magnificent mirrors, and the written explanations and drawings showing what care had been
taken, explained the closure.
Bill and I had no time to explore the grounds as the visit to the house and exhibition – and of course the obligatory coffee and
cake – had taken the whole afternoon. However, some of our group did take advantage of the good weather. The formal garden
at the rear, although not large, is attractive and the view across the Thames valley is spectacular, enhanced by the cows just beyond the ha-ha, - in my imagination there is definitely a ha-ha even if there is not one in reality. To the front the country park extends for many miles, through which are several leaflet guided walks. I remember from our previous visit how pleasant it is at this
time of year with such a great variety of berries on the bushes.
Cont’d over….
2
Although this was not my first visit to Basildon, I really enjoyed rediscovering it and hearing some different stories from the
guides. When I look back now, what impressed me most was the plasterwork throughout the principal rooms – which is outstanding, both literally and in quality! – and those wonderful mahogany doors of varying styles. But of course by writing this I am
also remembering the Shell Room, Lady Iliffe’s bedroom………
Janet Forfar
Thank you Jill for such a good selection of venue.
Social Calendar 2007
Month
Activity
Date
27th
January
Wine and Beer Fest
February
Visit: Wokingham to Erftstadt for
Karneval
March
Wokingham Theatre
Rachel”
April
Spring Ramble
15th
Annual General Meeting
10th
May
-
“My
17th – 20th
Cousin-
22nd
26th – 29th
Wokingham to Viry-Chatillon visit
25th**
June**
Windsor evening race picnic**
July
Summer in an English Country garden
- Stockbridge
29th
August
BBQ
12th
September
Visit: Erftstadt to Wokingham
October
HQ No 11 Group Ops Room RAF Uxbridge
November
Skittles
December
Christmas Evening
** N.B. Change of date to 25th June
and venue is WINDSOR and is NOT
Newbury on 26th June.
Any ideas of places you would
like to visit?
21st – 24th
14th
14th
QUIZ NIGHT REPORT
8th
-
DECEMBER 2006
We have been having a quiz night at Town Twinning as the Christmas event for the last
few years, and it has become a very popular event, this year attended by 48 people. John
and Marian Robertson very kindly offered to set and run the quiz, which was very much
appreciated by the committee.
Please let me know:
Members and their guests made various teams; ours was entitled “John and his Harem”
as Connie Brown and Eileen Yates, both of whom answered most of the questions, joined
us. During the interval, everyone enjoyed hot punch, mince pies and sausage rolls.
social@wokinghamtwinning.org
Much to our surprise when the scores were added up we found we had won, thanks to
Many thanks
Connie and Eileen so our team went home with a bottle of wine each, which certainly
helped the Christmas spirit.
Jill Bowman
Jo Cullinane
3
General Information on Visits
To give members some idea of the preparations and financial commitment for all visits to our twin towns and with particular reference to the forthcoming visit to Viry-Chatillon, here is a schedule of major events so far and to come.
September to December 2006
• The dates for the weekend in May 2007 are arranged to suit both visitors and hosts and a certain amount of diary matching takes place before
agreement is reached.
January 2007
• With firm dates it is then possible to get quotations for coach travel. This year the best coach price is £2,475.00 for a 49-seat coach.
• Viry-Châtillon committee offer some suggestions for the ‘day out’. These are discussed and other possibilities suggested.
February 2007
• To ensure that the coach is reserved we must pay a deposit of 10% with the final sum payable 28 days in advance of the travel date.
• Thus we need at least 25 members to pay for the visit at least 30 days in advance to keep the price at approximately £100 per person.
• Please note that unlike commercial coach operations that do not travel with less than 85% occupancy we adjust the price to cover the cost. It is
also worth remembering that the Viry-Châtillon committee must arrange accommodation and it is courteous to give them as much notice as
possible.
March 2007
• Final details are agreed on transport. If a coach is used then agreement is reached with the coach company regarding start time, rest halts on
the outward and return journeys
April 2007
• Members must have made all payments.
• Coach Company to be paid
What will you need to do?
• REMEMBER to ensure you have Travel Insurance
Either arrange your own Insurance or purchase it through W.T.T.A. There will be an opportunity to do the latter on the booking form.
It is a requirement for the trip that you have insurance otherwise the coach company will refuse to carry you.
• REMEMBER your PASSPORT!!!
Check your Passport is up to date and has sufficient left on it for the return journey
• Take some EUROS
The need for some cash is for lunches during travel, on the communal day and during whatever private visit you make with your hosts.
• Because we lose an hour on the outward journey it is a good idea to have a good breakfast on the ferry or to take a packed lunch. On the return journey we do not lose the hour and timing is a little more relaxed. A visit to a town and/or a restaurant is therefore a possibility.
• Take a GIFT
It is normal to take a small gift to your host (as you would here). Something English (not Marmite!!) is always acceptable
INTRODUCTIONS:
•
•
•
•
Coach
The experienced members are unlikely to leave you in peace during the journey unless, of course, you require it.
Hosts
This will take place soon after the coach reaches the centre of Viry-Châtillon. On your first visit it will appear totally chaotic. Never fear, organi-
sation will eventually force itself onto the scene and you will be introduced to your host.
Clothing:
• I will endeavour to give a 5-day weather forecast for the weekend to enable packing to be refined.
Food:
• Generally speaking, the French still pride themselves on their cuisine and you should expect breakfast, lunch and dinner with time allocated for
all three.
COMMUNICATION:
• You will be provided with a list of host telephone numbers including my mobile.
• If you have a problem please ask your host or telephone my mobile.
REMEMBER
Wokingham Town Twinning Association and Le Club Viry-Wokingham try to do everything possible to make the weekend a success
John Cullinane
4
ERFTSTADT VISIT—SEPTEMBER 2006
A super weekend.!
food.
Good company, beautiful scenery, interesting visits, excellent hosts and delicious
When we arrived in Liblar we met our host families, and then the Mayor of Erftstadt and the Twinning
Committee welcomed us.
On Saturday our host family decided to take Harriet and myself to Cologne as we had never been there
before. And what a day we had! We went from the chocolate museum (mmmm…….) to the cathedral,
then the Rathaus, the Roman ruins and finally to the Museum Ludwig. In the evening we went to Alte
Liblar to a Croatian restaurant.
On Sunday we joined the coach for a visit to the Westerwald region near Koblenz where we visited a
ceramics museum. There we learnt all one ever wanted to know about ceramics and its uses in our
everyday lives- mobile telephones, false teeth, hip replacements, knives that never need sharpening,
insulators for electricity etc., - the list goes on.
After lunch in the beautiful village of Hohr Grenzhausen we set off for Girod. Afternoon tea was “Kaffee und Kuchen “ –delicious – followed by a
five kilometre walk through the nearby forest. On our return to the hotel Freimuhle we had a magnificent buffet supper featuring local delicacies.
Our drive back to Lechenich was through pouring rain. I am glad I was not driving.
Next morning we said farewell to our hosts and then it was back onto the coach for our journey back to Calais and a visit to the hypermarket at
Cite d’Europe for some shopping and lunch before joining our ferry. It seemed to be no time at all before we were back in Wokingham.
Our thanks go to Ian, our coach driver, who did a magnificent job. Our thanks also to everyone who organised the trip. You did a great job,
right down to Plan Z! Harriet and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and I am sure that everyone else did too. I am now looking forward to visiting
Viry-Chatillon in May.
Views of Wir Rheinlander Exhibition
Louise Parsons.
visited by members of the group during visit to Erftstadt
Traditional wooden framed buildings
Twinners having a well-earned rest!
Display of gourds
(Many members made a purchase or two!!)
5
KARNEVAL
WILLKOMMEN IN ERFTSTADT
-
FEBRUARY 2007
Well what a welcome it was!! ‘Our’ first twinning visit to our sister town, full of
colour, pomp, ceremony and Karneval music.
We travelled from Gatwick to arrive at Cologne/Bonn airport around mid-day
met by Helga Focken acting as our guide and then on by train via Köln, where
we started to get a taste of the Karneval atmosphere.
WTTA were given a very warm reception in the celebration of 30 years of
twinning, to the festivities for the culmination of the Karneval which had, for
the Karneval Princess started in November, with a rest break for Christmas!
The colours and fancy dress variety
in the ballroom ranged from bright
red town criers to multicoloured
clowns and dancing mice. WTTA
dressed up to the occasion, with
costumes ranging from a holy nun, witch, cowgirl, tramp, graduate, love-hearts, Venetian masks and of
course the police to keep law and order. The pictures tell a thousand words however they do not capture
the warmth and kindness extended by all the Karneval goers and the total meaning of what this season
means. All of course aided by the occasional drink or two.
The second day was spent individually with the hosts with the opportunity to get to know each other a little
better as well as attend the Liblar Karneval Procession.
Unfortunately the weather was colder than predicted by about 8 degrees lower at around 4 degrees C so
this cooled the festivities until the procession arrived where the cries of “Kamela” started to rise from the
crowd and then to our surprise the people on the floats started to propel sweets abundantly into the
baying crowd and the scramble for the off loaded goodies. At this point it becomes a matter of who can
collect the most in this near dangerous occupation in particular due to the ferocity of the flight of such
substances of bars nay boxes of chocolates and biscuits, they may be sweet but sure can cause a little
discomfort.
The following day, “Rosenmontag”, we congregated to meet for a visit by coach to
Ahrweiler a picturesque village nestling in a valley in the Rhine wine growing region
guided by Thomas and a chance for another Procession.
Arhweiler is on the site of a Roman Settlement and is bounded by a 15th Century wall
that adds to the quaintness of the whole village. Our excursion started with a walk
around the outskirts of the wall and through one of the four old gates that are situated
at each cardinal point. From here we travelled along the main street towards the
market place passing a mixture of both old and new shops, bars and restaurants
decorated with balloons, pennants and other regalia.
The procession was another
explosion of colour and music
accentuated by passing down one of
the narrow streets. A small yellow
bucket was dropped from a window
above to collect gifts from the
passing parade and winched slowly
back up to its expectant owner.
Our last day was spent in Bruhl and
thanks to Liselotte Engmann, started at the Max-Ernst Museum of Art with a guided tour in English
of the two-floor building. Though not every one’s “cup of tea” as the contents were not classical
more surreal impressionistic expressionist using mediums from bronze, collage photographs, clay,
oil and pen, I believe may have stimulated some thought from everyone, which I suppose is the
objective of the subject.
To round off the day’s trip we then walked to the Bruhl Schloss (Castle) an impressive stately
home with French styled gardens, not quite in bloom. Sabine Boebe then gave us an insight into
the history, style of the castle and the grounds and the association with Queen Victoria. It is still
used for State visits.
We completed our day with a quick trip to the shops and lunch and made ready for our return.
Saying our goodbyes to our hosts we departed with Jens-Uwe Gehrman who hosted us to the
airport.
We will all take many fond memories of this visit and the new places we have seen with new
friends that we have made.
Thank you to all our hosts in Erftstadt for their hospitality and hearty welcome. Prost!
6
Gill and Jerry Howorth
roposed visit to Viry-Châtillon –
Saturday, May 26 to Tuesday, May 29
2007
P
MAY 26
Travel to Viry-Châtillon
Reception and introduction to hosts
Dispersal to host families for evening meal
MAY 27
Day out to place of interest (morning Chateau de Pierfonds, afternoon Compiègne)
Dinner with hosts
MAY 28
Day free with hosts
Communal dinner
MAY 29
Depart Viry-Châtillon
Visit to place of interest OR hypermarket (TBA)
Return to Wokingham
Exeter Twinning Circle -
what another group does in Town Twinning
Exeter Twinning Circle to which we now belong has had a very busy year as 2006 was the 50th anniversary of twinning with Rennes in France.
Rennes made an inward visit to Exeter early in the year and Kathy was very much involved in helping to organise the visit. Then it was Exeter’s
turn to visit Rennes during the autumn and we had a very full visit.
As part of the anniversary celebrations the Twinning Circle facilitated a number of visits to Rennes by various societies. These included Exeter
Rowing Club, the Flotilla which is an ex-navy officers club, and a couple of private pilots from Exeter Flying Club who attempted to fly over the
channel to Rennes but didn’t make it. As one of the pilots said: “On the day, the battle against such an exceptionally strong headwind would
probably have caused us to run out of fuel before we reached the French coast. So we turned back, rather than having to swim the last few
miles! “ We understand that they’re going to try again later this year!! Joint art and photographic exhibitions were also held in Rennes and Exeter at the time of the visits.
To cap it all there was also an outward visit to Exeter’s German twin city Bad Homburg! This year should be somewhat quieter with just an inward visit from Terracina, Exeter’s twin town in Italy.
Steve Morris
7
Committee 2006—2007
Position
Name
PRESIDENT
E-mail
Town Mayor of Wokingham
civic@wokingham-tc.gov.uk
Cllr. Diane King
Chairman
Brian Davis
chairman@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Acting Vice-Chairman
Jill Bowman
vicechairman@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Secretary
Dorothy Underwood
secretary@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Treasurer
Stefan Dahmann
treasurer@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Membership Secretary
membership@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Finance Sub-Committee
Chairman, Vice-Chairman,
treasurer@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Treasurer
Social Sub-Committee
Jill Bowman
social@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Visits Sub-Committee
John Cullinane and Bill Forfar
visits@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Committee members
Linda Barnes (council representative for
Wokingham Town Council)
Solveig Duncombe
Ursula Morris
Marcus Stroud
We regret to announce the sudden and unexpected death of our
Membership Secretary, Colin Fair, on Monday, 26th March
Editor’s Note:
Contributions from members for the
Newsletter are always welcome.
Articles should be sent to me in Word
We are desperately seeking a new Membership Secretary and would like to be able to elect someone at our
A.G. M. in May. If you feel you could help us with this,
please contact Brian Davis or any of the committee.
format, please, with photographs sent
as jpg. attachments:vicechairman@wokinghamtwinning.org.uk
Many thanks.
8
We’re on the Web!
www.Wokinghamtwinning.org.uk