DOZENS of Gillingham folk travelled to France this month to meet up with their twin community.

On May 22, 27 Gillingham Twinners – and three Shaftesbury Twinners – travelled by coach and car to their twin town, Le Neubourg, in Normandy.

On arrival, the English group was greeted by members of the French Twinning Committee and hosting French families.

After settling in, the following day the guests enjoyed a guided tour of Evreux, focusing on the city’s history, enjoying a lunch at a restaurant in the shadow of Evreux Cathedral.

In the evening, visitors and hosts congregated in the Iville village hall for a meal and entertainment, including whimsical circus scenes from artists and actors of the Iville Culture Loisirs troupe.

French Twinning President, Jean-Paul Adam, donned a flamboyant costume and acted as ringmaster for the show.

The following day, on Sunday, coaches took the English and French groups to Muchedent, Seine-Maritime, to visit the bisons and wolves enclosed in the meadows and woods of Parc Canadien (Réves de Bisons).

Monday was regarded as a family day, which included the opportunity to visit the Whit Monday horse racing in Le Neubourg, before the group returned on Tuesday.

The twinning of the two towns dates back to 1977 and exchanges occur annually, with Gillingham Twinners travelling to France in even years.

In 2027, the French members will visit Gillingham to celebrate 50 years of Twinning.

For more about the Gillingham Twinning Association, contact David Lloyd by email to president@gillinghamdorsettwinning.com.

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