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Members of the Committee elected May 2008 |
Chairman |
Members |
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Dates for your diary |
10 January 2009 Jumble Sale, Great Shelford Memorial Hall |
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About Verneuil |
Great and Little Shelford were officially twinned with Verneuil-en-Halatte in September 1988. Verneuil is a village about the same size as the Shelfords, and has a thriving community life. It is situated approximately 30 miles north of Paris (about three hours drive from Calais) and is bordered by three large forests. Senlis, a cathedral city with a beautiful mediaeval centre, is only a few miles away, as is Chantilly famous for its race course and château. |
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Aims of the Association |
The object of the Shelford Twinning Association is to foster the friendship between the people of Shelford and Verneuil-en-Halatte, and to deepen our understanding of each other’s cultures. This is achieved mainly through our regular exchange group visits, although we can be sure of a welcome whenever we go. You do not have to live in the Shelfords to join the Association. |
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Exchange visits |
One adult visit per year is organised (alternating between France and England). Trips for children of primary school age are arranged in both directions annually - usually about 30 children take part, and about 10 adults some of whom are parents of the participating children. Accommodation is in families, so we get to know each other on a personal level. The programme for all visits includes a full day's outing, and a day with the host family; the children have an extra day when they have a taste of school life, joining their counterparts at one of the local primary schools in the morning, then spending the afternoon together. |
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Outings with the French are always full of interest and have included visits to Paris, Amiens, Reims. In our turn we have taken the French to London, the Suffolk villages, Saffron Walden, Bury St Edmunds and of course, Cambridge. One year at the end of November they experienced something of our Christmas preparations, including the novelties of Christmas pudding and crackers! The French children have been to Hunstanton, with a boat trip to see the seals, Wimpole Hall, Duxford, Mountfitchet, Greenwich, Windsor Castle, Tower of London. |
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Language |
Although obviously it is helpful to have some knowledge of French, it is definitely not essential. Many of the French know at least some English, and every effort is always made to accommodate non-French speakers in families where at least one person has some English. Many people, both French and English, have made the trip without being able to speak the other's language but have nonetheless had a great time! If you are interested in learning French we can give you some suggestions about classes. |
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Communications |
Newsletters are issued four or five times a year with reports of recent events and news of forthcoming plans. We try to keep the wider community informed by sending reports to the Great Shelford Village News and the Little Shelford Parish Newsletter. We also aim to organise one or two socials a year for members.
We post news of upcoming events on our noticeboard outside Great Shelford Memorial Hall, to the right of the door. In future we hope to include this information on our website as well.
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Fund-raising |
We have taken part in the Shelford Feast for a number of years, for the last two or three years running a tombola with French goods and a bric-à-brac stall for the first time in 2008; participation in this village event is most enjoyable and we are grateful to The Bunch (who organise the Feast) for the generous donations we, in common with other organisations, have received. We also hold annual jumble and cake sales to raise funds, essential in order to ensure that we can entertain our visitors appropriately. We are very grateful to our members for their encouragement and support on these occasions The French are better provided for financially in that they receive large grants from their municipal council, but we have also much appreciated receiving grants on occasion from Great and Little Shelford Parish Councils. |
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The future |
We have over the years built strong links with our friends in Verneuil and have enjoyed many good times together. We look forward in coming years to strengthening our ties of friendship. In 2008 we will be celebrating 20 years of twinning with Verneuil. We welcome enthusiastic committee members so if you would like to be involved in the organisation, please complete the membership form. |
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This page was last updated on 9th December 2008
