WESTBURY is celebrating its 20th anniversary of twinning with French town, Chateau du Loir.
Members of the association are to visit the French town next month to celebrate. The two towns meet annually, with each taking it in turns to host.
However, Chateau Du Loir was not Westbury’s first twin town. In 1998, Westbury and Soisy Sur Seine in France were the first towns in Europe to divorce following the demise of the twinning association in Soisy.
A year later, chairman of Westbury Twinning Association at the time, Keith West and his wife Bobbie, visited Chateau Du Loir whilst on the hunt for a new twin town and knew it was the perfect match for Westbury.
The following year he took a party of ‘twinners’ to visit the town and to meet with the people from the schools, churches, council and their Twinning Association. A link was formed and during 2000 the current charter was signed in the spring in Westbury and in the autumn in Château du Loir.
During the annual visits, visiting members stay with host families and participate in activities that are traditional to the country. These may include wine tastings, dances and visits to tourist attractions, museums and more.
Jean Dew, of Westbury Twinning Association said, “We all just have so much fun. We have all made a lot of good friends – relationships that have lasted and will last a lifetime. It’s a great town and there isn’t a clear divide between the English and French, everyone gets involved. We would encourage all ages to join us, even if it is just to come along to one of our many social events including quiz nights, skittles and films.”
The group currently has around 45-50 members of all ages and 36 members are visiting France next month.
A 20th anniversary gift has been commissioned by Westbury Town Council to give to Chateau du Loir to commemorate the anniversary. A local artist has created a painting that shows the church’s stained glass window from Chateau du Loir alongside the Laverton window.
On the town’s 10th anniversary, gifts were exchanged in the form of a quilting rug from Chateau Du Loir to Westbury, featuring appliqued destinations in and around the towns including the White Horse and can be found in the Laverton.
Westbury gave the French town a weather vane with a silhouette of a white horse on the top, which can be found on top of the tourist office in Chateau Du Loir.
The towns have also forged links between primary schools. Westbury Leigh Primary School children have written letters to the children in a school in Chateau Du Loir, who then sent letters back to their new English friends.
If you are interested in getting involved in the Twinning Association or would like more information email Jean at postmaster@jeandew.plus.com or visit their website http://www.westburyanddistricttwinning.co.uk.
