2019 – chair’s report

IS IT REALLY AGM TIME AGAIN? WHAT HAVE WE DONE THIS YEAR?

  • Our first social event after last year’s AGM was a bring-and-share pre-Christmas Social, which is to be repeated in a couple of weeks’ time.
  • Twinners enjoyed a film with a bring-an-d share supper at Soraya’s home. We enjoyed the film’L’appartement’ despite some feeling that it was not the genre of film they’d generally watch.
  • 26 April 2019: The History Society made Twinning the focus of one of its coffee mornings, and not long afterwards, the Village Café Team facilitated a memorable evening with a French theme at which villagers enjoyed the music of Djangophonix and an enormous range of delicious desserts. We were very fortunate to be the recipients of the profits from the event.
  • 24 to 27 May 2019: Biennial visit to Villedômer by thirty Stapleford twinners, celebrating forty years of Twinning, renewing old acquaintances and making new ones. (Vive le jumelage!) and where as always, we were wined and dined most generously. The weekend included a formal welcome by the mayor, the planting of a tree in memory of Twinners no longer with us and a visit to Chenonceau. For some there was a visit to Amboise where Leonardo da Vinci spent his latter days. On the final evening there was a dinner at the Château de Jallanges preceded by a stroll around its rose gardens. The evening culminated in a magnificent firework display.
  • 22 June 2019: Stapleford Village Show – as in previous years, Twinning had a stand  and made a little bit of cash for the Association from our bottle-bola. Thank you for your donations and help!
  • 3o June 2019: Post Villedômer visit barbeque at Tony Smith’s, always a great occasion.
  • 21 July 2019: Reception and catered lunch to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Association at the Jubilee Pavilion where we had a wonderful time reminiscing with past and present Twinners. Four of our friends from Villedômer (Marie Claude, Gérard, Joël and Isabelle) flew over to Stapleford to join us for this special occasion. They were also entertained by a visit to the Genome Campus, a trip to the seaside, a barbecue (guess where?) and more eating and drinking!
  • 26 October 2019: social evening at the Johnson Hall, This took the form of   board games’ evening and supper. Event to be repeated with French visitors perhaps.

Next year’s visit will be the first weekend in May when our French friends come to Stapleford.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the contribution to the Association of the late Nick Pett who was the treasurer of the Association in its first three years and a member for almost 40 years.

I would like to extend my thanks to Mary for her continued work on the Villedômer Garden, about which more later in the meeting, to the Village Estate Fund for the generous donation we have received, and of course o all the members of the Committee. They all work very hard on our behalf.

Thank you very much! Vive le jumelage!

Jackie Bow
Chair