BECCLES TWINNING ASSOCIATION » Beccles Twinning Association

With our counterparts, Les Amis du Jumelage, in Petit-Couronne, we are maintaining the permanent bonds of friendship between our Towns that were set up in 1978 by providing exchanges of all kinds for our inhabitants with the aim of fostering through greater understanding, peace and prosperity for all.

We are a group of volunteers working on behalf of Beccles Town Council. We are not a 'membership' organisation and are there to support and enable all those who live, work or are otherwise associated with Beccles, so why not contact us and join in some of our events which run throughout the year.

Contact us at: twinning.beccles@gmail.com with any queries or to join our mailing list and get the latest information by email.

To view the Twin Towns Virtual Art exhibition please click on this link

http://www.lesamisdujumelage.fr/EXPOJUM/Page1_ie.htm

Click on each painting or object and view full screen for inforamtion for each and contact if you would like us to put you in touch with any of the artists.

While we are sorry to report, despite our hopes at the beginning of the year, that this year's visit in October has now been put back another year to 2022. We are working on an alternative 'Library exchange' for 22nd-24th October this year. We also hope to organise a mini event at the Quay in August this year, the restored Twinning Noticeboard will be unveiled

We are delighted that after 8 months, we were able to ask Shelagh from the 3 Horseshoes in North Cove to award the Pumpkin competition certificate to 4 representatives of Clinks Farn on Thursday the 1st July, and provide celebratory cups of tea after a fun game of Petanque

As we started 2021, Angela vice president of Les Amis du Jumelage sent the following message:

Dear friends,

the unprecedented events of 2020, have taken us all by surprise, changed our habits, suspended our projects, blocked travel and sadly made our usual twinning exchanges impossible.

Nevertheless we remain hopeful that sometime during 2021, we shall be able to resume our visits and have the pleasure of your company again. On behalf of the twinning committee in Petit Couronne, Les amis du Jumelage. I wish you all a prosperous, happy and peaceful New Year. The traditional wishes of good health, take on a particular significance in these very unusual circumstances!

Our very best twinning wishes to all for 2021

Angela Therain

Now that we must look forward to 2022 to resume those visits our thoughts continue to be with those in Petit-Couronne and Ahlem.

Meanwhile we have looked at some innovative ways to keep in touch with our friends in Petit-Couronne as well as Ahlem and here is our entry for the on-line: Hungate Christmas tree festival when we wished everyone:

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Nöel and Froëliche Weihnachten 'The Christmas Three' Celebrating Christmas Exchanges and Christmas Markets, since 2005, although for technical reasons we could not incorporate photos from our Christmas Market exchanges, you can click on the link on the Les amis du Jumelage Website and the Christmas Market tab to see hundreds of photos!

Many thanks to those who have helped us to take part in the online Pumpkin festival which we shared with Les amis du Jumelage in Petit-Couronne, to see all their photos just click on the link.

Congratulations to Clinks Care Farm, who were the winners of the Homegrown Pumpkin competition in Beccles. We have yet to arrange a date when we can safely invite them for a game of Petanque at the 3 Horseshoes in Northcove. We look forward to that in 2021.

French chat (all welcome) continues to be held every Saturday, during the COVID-19 crisis on 'Zoom', for 30 minutes at 10.30am. Please contact us if you would like to be invited to join the group meetings

Just pre covid: Huge thanks to our friends from Beccles Helping Hands for loaning their Skittle Alley for our first fund raising event of 2020 in February. 26 enthusiastic players of all ages, braved the elements for a fun evening of Skittles and Chips in Blyburgate Hall.

Please see below, a few pictures from 2019

The small group of young people from Beccles who joined the IV Couronnais '2019 October holiday club' in Petit-Couronne had a great time and although they were not able to retain the 'silver plate' for a 4th consecutive year, it will return next October when we will be competing in a different game!

Many thanks to Beccles Men's shed for donating a planter filled with english produce, given as a gift for our hosts and to the Becles Townlands charity trust for contributing towards the hire of the minibus

Last year we also welcomed 4 teenagers to Beccles for their first visit, alongside the deputy mayor of Petit-Couronne and the president of Les Amis du Jumelage, they stayed for 4 days and all helped us to 'swim the channel' on Sunday July 14th

And we did it - 32K in 1 hour and 17minutes and went on to swim a grand total of 56K! With over £945 being raised which will be split between the Lido and the twinning Association

Thank you to everyone who helped with the arrival and sale of Amities Ale at the 2019 Beccles Food and Drink Festival in May, especially Beccles Helping Hands, the Beccles Beer Festival team and the Countess of Light.

A great collaborative effort

Our 'Cake stall' in Exchange square on the 13th April. was also a great sucess, with a total of £141.22p being collected.

Thanks to all who made and bought cakes and especially the organisers for all their hard work ,

And everyone who helped make and sell our 'sell out' French Onion Soup at the 2019 Switch-on event in Beccles - We will make more next year!

Additional photos taken by our friends in Petit-Couronne from time to time and can be seen on their website (by clicking on the 'Les Amis du Jumelage' text at the top of the page).