Argentan
Sint-Niklaas
Schongau
Lucca
Colmar
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Go to 2022 Events. See also the list of all Events since 2007, Future Events and the Newsletters. Most images can be enlarged by clicking on them.
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Evening Meeting - "Would I lie to you?"Thursday 21 December 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre
Is ADTTS WILTY a code specially designed by GCHQ to tease our brains over Christmas or is the Twin Town Society wilting? No. Our meeting on the evening of 21st December, attended by fifteen or so hardy souls who had written all their Christmas cards, wrapped all their presents and run out of wine, was, thank you Rob Bryden by way of Richard Smart, our take on ‘Would I Lie to You?’ Howard kicked off with a story about falling asleep in the mayor of Colmar’s lap after a long journey and a heavy night, followed by more alcoholic excesses related by Nick, who claimed that he didn’t know that Belgian beer was rather stronger than your average pint and Richard who showed us the dangers of subtle differences in French pronunciation. It was to do with oue and eh, or something like that as a first syllable, which can make the difference between bottom and good. Another story illustrated the dangers of a little language used at the wrong time (innocently) which implied you were asking a patrician Spanish lady to go to bed. More stories followed, from Stella, about a chance meeting in an exclusive hotel bar, an invitation Phil received to go backstage and meet the Hollies before they were famous, and Margaret’s account of a Korean child falling into a fountain. There were more but their themes escape me at the moment. After a very brief outline of the story members of the audience questioned the storyteller and then voted as to whether he or she was telling the truth. I thought most speakers were being truthful but was sadly disillusioned in my fellow man/woman when they owned up and said it was, usually, a pack of lies. At last, our gullibility exhausted, Nikki and Susan produced sausage rolls, stollen, mince pies, satsumas (in leaf) and mulled wine. It was a most enjoyable evening. Whether my account is true or not, I will leave you to decide. Neil Hancox, 22 December 2023.
The story tellers – did they lie, or not? Christmas LunchSunday 17 December 2023 - at Hilton Garden Inn, Marcham Road, OX14 1TZ Each year we look forward to meeting together for the Christmas lunch. Following last year's successful occasion, we again chose to hold the meal at the Hilton Garden Inn, this year on Sunday 17th December. We were greeted with a non-alcoholic welcome drink, followed by a three-course festive meal in a private room. As an innovation this year, the gathering concluded with a free raffle for everyone, which offered prizes connected with our twin towns. We are grateful to Peter Dodd for organising it all. Evening Meeting - The Romantic RoadThursday 16 November 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre In September 2024, ADTTS plans a coach trip to Germany to travel along the famed Romantic Road (Romantische Straße). To set the scene, Brian Read gave a presentation of this picturesque route of nearly three hundred miles through the forests and mountains of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, passing though attractive medieval towns and villages. It starts in Würzburg and heads south via Schongau to Füssen, near King Ludwig II’s "Disney" Neuschwanstein Castle.
Following the presentation, Stella Carter then described the proposed ten-day trip by coach, starting and finishing in Abingdon. Calling at Sint-Niklaas on the way, towns on the Romantic Road would be visited, including a few days based in Schongau. Susan Read introduced the appropriately themed refreshments. Along with two German wines, members were invited to try Bratwurst dipped in honey-mustard sauce and also Obazda, a typical Bavarian recipe for a tasty cheese-based spread. Remembrance SundaySunday 12 November 2022 - The Square, Abingdon
The Sunday's proceedings began with the civic service in St Helen's Church. This included a welcome to our Schongau visitor from the Rector, the Revd. Charles Miller. From the church, everyone processed through the crowds to reach the war memorial for the traditional short service of remembrance. Doris laid her wreath along with Stella Carter laying the one from ADTTS. After the ceremony, guests moved on to the Royce Room for the mayor’s reception. Over a glass of wine, there were speeches from the President of the British Legion and the Mayor of Abingdon. This was also an opportunity for Doris to meet the mayor and some members of the Town Council.
Lunch followed in the Nag's Head for twelve of us, efficiently organised by Ian and Rosemary Jardine. Evening Meeting - French GamesThursday 19 October 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre
On offer were, cheat, bidding whist, Scrabble, en Francaise, Happy families, ditto and Spoons. I had never come across the latter before and in a way – a very remote way - it reminded of Musical Chairs. Although played with cards, the principle was the same. When the first person had collected four cards of a kind, he or she grabbed a spoon. The other three players then competed for the two remaining spoons. The one who missed out received the first letter, P in this case, against their name. You get the idea. When one player had accumulated POUTINE, the game was over. You then either moved onto the next offering – say Happy Families or went to get another drink to calm your nerves. I lost at Spoons, chatted over Happy Families, as there were only two players and tried to shine at Scrabble. Alas my attempted rendition of English words with an added e on the end (wax and waxe for example) did not meet the requirements of the French dictionary, fortunately at hand to settle any disputes. My final score, allowing for the fact that I had a collection of ws, xs and js, was -9. All this intellectual effort was helped by a glass of wine and at the end complemented with slices of baguette (or the British version thereof) covered with soft cheese, or pâté, including the mushroom, vegetarian, variety, to restore our energy levels – they say the brain requires a lot of calories to function properly. Our thanks to Richard for organising the evening and providing the games, Nick for tending the bar and Nicky and Susan for providing the refreshments. Neil Hancox 22 October 2023 Pétanque Taster SessionMonday 9 October 2023 - at Wallingford Pétanque Club, Hithercroft
Our second activity of the new season was a trial session of Pétanque. Oxfordshire's only pétanque club is at Wallingford and they very kindly offered ADTTS a taster session. The club has its own splendid boulodrome and is very active with over seventy members. It competes in the Thames Valley league as well as national events. On a sunny afternoon, six ADTTS members were greeted at the Wallingford Sports Park by Sarah, Bridget and Peter from the club. They were there to take us through the rules and show us how to play. After instruction on how to best throw, we split into two teams and with expert guidance played a game, learning the rules and tactics as we progressed. It's a mix of mostly skill, some luck (and sometimes frustration). The afternoon ended with drinks all round sitting in the sunshine outside the posh club house. So where will we go from here? Maybe we can create our own team and challenge teams from Argentan and Colmar! Brian Read Afternoon "St Edmund" Guided WalkThursday 5 October 2023 - around the centre of Abingdon
Edmund of Abingdon, born in the 12th century, is arguably Abingdon’s most nationally important son, but is not well known in the town of his birth. He became Archbishop of Canterbury, had struggles with the king, like Thomas à Becket, and is buried in France. On Thursday afternoon 5th October, a group of eleven members and friends met outside the museum in the Market Place. Anne Dodd led a most informative walk in the centre of town to places connected with Edmund. This was another welcome opportunity to discover more about Edmund as Anne previously did this guided tour in July last year. (See the report of 2022 events on the website for full details.) Evening Meeting - AGMThursday 21 September 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre Despite the heavy rain, a good number of members came for this year s Annual General Meeting. Unfortunately, the Mayor was unable to attend at the last minute. Her part in the meeting was ably filled by senior councillor and past Mayor, Lorraine Oates. Also, at short notice, Anne Dodd agreed to take the minutes. The business of the meeting proceeded smoothly. The agenda and officers reports had been available on the Society s website for members to read in advance. In her report, the chairman, Stella Carter, emphasised the value of twinning, including, not least, its economic benefit to the participating towns. Ian Jardine presented the healthy accounts. He particularly expressed appreciation for the diligence and helpful advice from Bruce Hunt who examined them. Reassuringly, the present officers and committee members were all re-elected. (See the website for details.) The long-serving joint treasurers announced that this would be their last year, so replacements should be sought. The vacancy for a secretary still needs to be filled. Any member interested in the work of the committee was invited to attend a meeting. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the draft programme for the coming year. The chairman and committee had been busy putting together a comprehensive list of monthly evening meetings, plus other events, making twenty-five dates in all. Of particular interest were the planned visits to our twin towns: to Lucca next April and in September to Germany's Romantic Road, incorporating time in Sint-Niklaas and Schongau. Celebrating the eightieth anniversary of D-Day in June will add to the visits to and from Argentan. Details of the programme will be on the website and in the newsletter. Four members were just back from a twinning weekend in Sint-Niklaas. We heard a brief account of how they and representatives of the other twin towns enjoyed extensive guided tours of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture in Brussels, Antwerp and, of course, Sint-Niklaas. The last agenda item was a report by Richard Smart on the activities and plans of the Church Twinning group. These include a trip next month to Argentan, a barn dance in November and a visit from Schongau next April. In any other business, the importance was advocated of publicity and of the Society engaging more broadly with other organisations in the town. The evening concluded with members informally socialising over cheese and wine. Nikki Henton had prepared some appropriate cheeses: Bavarian smoked cheese, Italian dolcelatte, French camembert, together with Ardennes pâté. Brian Read Twinning Weekend in Sint-Niklaas31 August - 4 September 2023
Each year at the beginning of September our Twin Town of Sint-Niklaas in the northern, Flemish speaking part of Belgium commemorates its liberation by troops from the UK and Poland at the end of the Second World War. The commemoration encompasses memorial services, the awarding of a Peace Prize to a citizen who had made a notable contribution to the town, and in the very extensive Market Place, parades, a firework display and a spectacular display of hot air and helium balloons over the whole weekend. This year, as in the past, their local Twinning Association Invited four people each from Colmar, Lucca, Schongau and Abingdon to join them for a Twinning Weekend. Alongside the annual celebrations the local Twinners put on an interesting programme of architectural visits and games. So, on the last day of August, Ian & Rosemary Jardine and Peter & Anne Dodd set off with an early start from St Pancras on the Eurostar to Brussels. It was a very straightforward journey, and we were in Brussels in time for coffee and croissants. Another train journey took us to Sint-Niklaas by late morning being met by our host families. The Sint-Niklaas team were very pleased that representatives from all the twin towns, Abingdon, Schongau, Colmar and Lucca were coming to the themed weekend of Art Nouveau & Art Deco. We met together for a welcome drink that evening but it was an early night as tomorrow would be a busy day in Brussels - and so it was! We were all back on the train to Brussels by 9.00 am and it was pouring with rain with the streets awash. There was some delay on the trams because of the weather but we eventually caught a tram to see the Maison Hannon. This beautiful Art Nouveau house had only been opened to the public this year after extensive repairs and decoration as at one time when Art Nouveau was not so popular. It had been occupied by squatters and had got into a very poor state before being taken over by the authorities. This visit was followed by lunch at an Art Nouveau restaurant and then a journey on the metro to see Victor Horta's house which was wonderful. A beer break, another tram ride, another metro journey and eventually the train back to Sint-Niklaas where we arrived back very tired after such a long but interesting day and the weather turned fine for the rest of our stay.
Friday evening saw the first of the hot air balloons as they were “flared” in the Market Square, that is, they were inflated and lit but remained held on the ground. It really was quite a sight. On Saturday Sint-Niklaas was getting ready for the hot air balloons to fly but we had more Art Nouveau to see and this time it was Antwerp, so back to the station and on the train to Antwerp where Mark gave us a wonderful tour of some of the beautiful houses. Antwerp is a wonderful city and so often missed out by tourists to Belgium. We arrived back in Sint-Niklaas in time to see the hot air balloons rising from the Market Square. There were some amazing designs and the weather was perfect. Back in the Market Square, after dinner with our hosts, there was an impressive firework display. Sunday was our last day and started with a guided walking tour of the Art Deco houses of Sint-Niklaas culminating in a visit to the Art Deco school and then on to the Town Hall for a reception with the mayor. This turned out to be a much bigger event than we had expected as they were giving a Peace award to one of their citizens and it was followed by a drinks reception. That afternoon we all went out of town for our fun & games afternoon and barbecue. This is where the planning team led by Siegfried, Felix, Chantal and Mark excelled. They had spent a lot of time setting up games for us to do – a bit like our Task Master - we were divided up into teams with a good mix of people from all the towns and ended up doing things like running with grapes, trying to pot balls into cups and one or two that required flexibility more suited to the 20-year-old Italians than the Abingdon contingent. All this merriment was followed by a three-course barbecue brought in by professional caterers so that our hard-working hosts could sit down and enjoy it with us. It was a wonderful weekend and the Sint-Niklaas team are fantastic and we hear that they are already planning for 2024. Peter Dodd Canoe/Bike Camping Along The ThamesMonday 24 - Sunday 30 July 2023
The plan was to have half of us in canoes and half on bikes, to paddle and pedal to Sandford where we would have a picnic then swap canoes for bikes and continue to the Oxford campsite. The cancellation of Eline meant that I had to go the whole way by canoe. We would spend the 26th exploring Oxford on foot, the 27th returning to Abingdon, the 28th exploring Abingdon in the morning and canoeing in the afternoon. PARTICIPANTS ME, RICHARD SMART a 71-year-old has been who should know better than to think he can keep up with teenagers. One thing I did say to them is that as you age you tend to regret the things you could have done and did not do, rather than the reckless things you did. MARIE-LISE MARIE, an English teacher and mum who came to last year s catastrophe. CATHERINE HAMELN, another teacher and mum who came last year and still wanted to come again. OCEANE An 18-year-old student whose English is not great but the fact that she is 18 means she counts as an adult. ELINE A girl from Colmar who heard about the trip, signed up for it and dropped out at the last minute. SIMON Marie-Lise`s son who made my day when he called me a salopard when he caught me cheating at cards. LUCAS Simon`s close friend and a bit of a ladies man. EMILE A newcomer and a member of Alencon running club, he came 6th in the Saturday Park Run. ROMAINE Could not come last year but she loves the UK and the English language, hopes to be an English teacher. LOUISE came last year and must have enjoyed it. MATEO When he introduced himself, I heard Macdo the slang word for a MacDonalds, so that is what he became known as. NOLAN Kept me amused by capsizing 4 times. ROS, STEVE AND VIV, three friends who kindly offered to host French visitors. JEN, DAVE, ANDY AND ALISTAIR provided the canoes and accompanied the canoeists. JOHN, ANNE MARIE AND PETER accompanied cyclists. Monday 24 July I went with the coach to meet them off the 14.00 Ouistreham-Portsmouth ferry. We assembled chez Smart, chatted, played games and waited for hosts to come and pick up their guests, take them home, feed them and put them to bed. Tues 25 July Some came to my house and some met us at Abingdon canoe club, half of us set off in canoes and the other half on bikes intending to have a picnic together at 1.00 at Sandford Lock. It took us 45 minutes to get through Abingdon Lock which meant we were an hour late for lunch after which we proceeded to the campsite. Jen locked up the canoes and almost immediately the cyclists arrived followed by Nick with all our camping gear. We all mucked in putting up tents, blowing up airbeds and deciding who would sleep where. Having said thank you and goodbye to Jen`s group, the cyclists and Nick, we had a 30-minute walk to Chutneys, the Indian restaurant in Oxford which we had booked. We were all very hungry but I was still amazed at how much these teenagers can put away. Every time I looked up, they were shovelling it away, especially Emile, one of the skinniest in the group. After a much-needed copious meal, we headed back to the campsite. I was exhausted and longing for a good night s sleep. The teenagers, however, stopped off at the Hinksey playground for a relaxing play before bed. Wed 26 July I do not think anyone slept well because the site is very close to a railway line and a recycling centre so it was very noisy. After a fry up breakfast the kids walked and we oldies cycled into Oxford, spent an hour or so at the Ashmolean, had a picnic there and then got a message from Pete Dodd suggesting a tour of some colleges, so we met him at St John s, then went to St Edmund Hall which reminded me of something which I find quite interesting. My parents were both from poor backgrounds and won scholarships for Teddy Hall and St Hugh`s during the war! They must have both been frighteningly brainy. Where did they go wrong with their children? They met when my mother was giving a talk in German on German literature, my dad was in the audience and afterwards approached her and invited her to come to Teddy Hall for tea.
After Teddy Hall we all had free time so I went to the library for a snooze behind the paper in a warm place while the others went shopping. Later we all met up at the library, read for a bit and then as the skies darkened walked to Bella Italia for our dinner. After a lovely meal we came out to heavy rain. I felt so sorry for the youngsters walking back in the rain as we sailed past them on our bikes! We all had a fairly early night. Thursday 27 July It had rained hard during the night and the large tent which I had borrowed but had not checked beforehand turned out to be very leaky. The good news, however, was that I was not in that tent but two of the boys had a sleepless night with rain dripping down on them all night. After a fry up breakfast, we packed everything away, Nick came to take all our gear. Jen s group arrived to accompany the canoeists and Peter Dearlove arrived to accompany the cyclists to Sandford Lock for a picnic together. What could possibly go wrong? We canoeists got there in good time and I got out to help everyone disembark. Louise had got out so I got one end of her canoe and without looking gave it as powerful a yank as an old has-been can and did not notice that Nolan had stood up. He sat down again, lost his balance and capsized the canoe in a few feet of water. There is nothing funnier than seeing someone capsize so I sniggered inwardly while apologising profusely to Nolan. He was very gracious and said that s OK, I`ll get my revenge. But I didn`t do it on purpose, I said, nor will I he replied menacingly. The cyclists, should have got there a long time before us, however because they made such good time, they decided to go a bit further to Radley Lake, lock up the bikes and have a nice walk. Peter insisted on locking all the bikes together with his combination lock but at the end of the walk he could not free the bikes so either he had the wrong number or, as he claimed, there was a problem with the lock. He had to phone for help from his family and cut the cable on his lock but eventually we all arrived at Abingdon Lock and set up camp, this time without the leaky tent. We then walked to the Broad Face for a lovely pre-booked dinner. Friday 28 July After a fry up breakfast of Cumberland sausages, which Kat described as degueulasse , we spent the morning on a walking tour of Abingdon, meeting up back at the lock for a picnic. At 2.00 Jen and Dave arrived to give us some canoeing. The plan was to shoot the Ock weir and go up the tunnel known as the Spider Tunnel, which goes under Stert Street for a few hundred metres. I had the following conversation with Louise
We paddled up the lower part of the Ock, took our boats out and one by one relaunched them into the higher part prior to shooting the weir. I watched from the bridge hoping to see a few people capsize. Each time someone made it I uttered a disappointed zut!!! , so it was obvious I was praying for people to capsize. When it came to our turn in a Canadian, I could feel the crowd willing me and Romaine to capsize, which we very nearly did but just managed to right ourselves and everyone was very disappointed. Only four people did capsize and I was devastated to miss two of them. Most of us then went up the Spider Tunnel one at a time with a torch. Initially Romaine said I should go up it alone but I am glad to say she changed her mind and found it quite exciting. We then returned to camp and got ready for dinner at the Dil Raj at 7.30. The youngsters left the restaurant fairly early to play in the playground and I walked back with Marie-Lise and Kat. We had learned that one of our visitors had not done a poo since arriving in Abingdon so we tried to compose limericks in French and English to illustrate this problem. I composed:
The French adults quite enjoyed this. Saturday 29 July The Park Run was taking place as we were preparing breakfast and packing up. Emile, who is a member of Alen on Running Club, decided to take part before breakfast and came SIXTH beating James Wigmore fairly decisively and the Dodds by miles. After breakfast we packed everything away and Nick and Stella arrived to take it all to my house. We had a picnic in my garden then the visitors went shopping or sightseeing or stayed behind to play table tennis, boules, darts or pallets. Between 5.00 and 6.00 the hosts came for their charges. Anne and I fed our guests and they went for a walk before an early night. Sunday 30 July 5.30 am we met the Pearce s coach outside OLA and said goodbye. We hope to do some kind of exchange canoe camping next year because although it is exhausting it is so exciting and the French participants are so kind and such fun. Richard Smart Trip to Argentan for Bastille DayTuesday 11 July - Monday 17 July 2023 A small group from Abingdon visited Argentan in July, primarily to enjoy the Bastille Day celebrations. Some travelled by bicycle and some by car. The trip was organised by Richard Smart. Pete and Anne Dodd went by car on the 12th and were hosted by their old friends the Chuquets, James Wigmore went by train on the 14th and stayed in a hotel. Anne-Marie, John and I planned to cycle to Basingstoke and go by train from there to Portsmouth for the night ferry to Ouistreham. 11.7.23 Anne-Marie, John and I met at Abingdon Market Place at 9.00 am and set off by bike. Morale was high and we passed without mishap through Wantage, over the dreaded Chain Hill and into Newbury where we stopped for a rest and a bite to eat. For me Newbury to Basingstoke was the worst stage, the roads are small yet packed with speeding lorries and cars. We had no trouble getting a train and arrived in plenty of time to get to the terminal, have a meal and join the queue with other bikers to get aboard. We put down the arms of the seats in the salon and tried to sleep but the salon was quite cold and apparently the cabins are too hot! 12.7.23 The caf in the terminal had not yet opened so we set off by bike to Benouville or 'Pegasus Bridge' as it is known to tourists. The first part of France to be liberated on D-Day. There are two famous caf s on the same side of the canal but different sides of the road. Les trois planeurs (the three gliders) behind which the three gliders landed on marshy land in silence in the early hours of 6th June 1944. The other caf , called Pegasus Bridge Caf , sells war souvenirs and basically makes the most of the fact that it was the first part of France to be liberated. I believe for many years any British customers received VIP treatment. We went there for a much-needed breakfast and as we were about to leave, I noticed my water bottle was nearly empty so I went back in and asked for some tap water. The cold 'NON' I received in reply shocked me and made me see the 'we will never forget' posters dotted around in a different light. We continued on our journey through Caen but we could not agree on a route out of Caen and I now believe my map reading skills leave a lot to be desired, but eventually we got to Falaise where William the Conqueror was born and had a coffee with Kat, a twinning friend who is coming canoe camping with us later in July. We were running a bit late so we decided to take the more direct D Road rather than the more scenic roundabout route to Argentan. It was not very pleasant but we got to Bernard Plessis's house by 6.00 pm, where we met up with Guy Frenehard and Marie-Lise Marie, the other hosts. We freshened up and met up again later at Marie-Lise`s house where we had a sumptuous meal (as is always the case) and played table tennis and table football before getting a good night s sleep.
13.7.23 Argentan council have two minibuses which local associations can use for very little so we went with many Argentan twinners in a minibus and a classic Renault 4 to Arromanches, where there is a new D-Day Museum and you can see the remains of the Mulberry harbour. I think we in UK tend to forget about WW2 but in Normandy there are constant reminders of it and the museum at Arromanches is a very moving reminder of the horrors of war. After a very pleasant picnic we went to Colville by Omaha beach where there is an American museum and cemetery. Again, a very moving reminder of the horrors of war. In the evening we had another sumptuous meal including my favourite merguez sausages at the Frenehards house where we sang some drinking songs before staggering off to bed. 14.7.23 The Bastille Day celebrations take place in les Patures, an area of reclaimed marshland round the river Orne. I popped in to see Pascal Laroch, an old friend whose love of cycling has been severely curtailed by heart problems. We then went to the war memorial for speeches and a parade down to the Patures for the 'aperitif citoyen' where the council provides drinks and nibbles for anyone who turns up. We then had a bring/share picnic followed by free time to chat and wander about. In the evening we had another sumptuous meal chez les Chuquet followed by the famous Bastille Day firework display, which some of saw from the garden of Alain Hubert, the musician offering us a barn dance in November. 15.7.23 After a free morning we went by minibus and 2CV to Crevecoeur, a sort of manor house, museum, village, chateau showing how people used to live and how language and customs evolved. Very interesting. In the evening we met up in a restaurant where we met up with James Wigmore of Abingdon Liveable Streets who had arrived that morning and was due to go home on the night ferry the next day. It was a shame he did not have time to get to know people better. Our hosts would not let us pay the bill so eventually we compromised and paid 2/3rds.
16.7.23 Anne-Marie had arranged for Alain Hubert to take her by car to Caen where she would meet me and John at 6.00 ready to cycle the rest of the way to Ouistreham. John and I set off just after 9.00 and with me keeping my mouth shut and not interfering in John s navigation, we were in Caen by 1.00. We had some lunch then John read his book and I walked to the Abbaye aux Hommes to look at William the Conqueror`s tomb. Apparently when he died his body was in the church but nobody wanted to bury him so he swelled up and eventually burst like a balloon with such a loud bang they thought they were under attack. At 6.00 Alain turned up with Anne-Marie and we cycled to Ouistreham where we had a meal before boarding, searching in vain for James and trying to sleep on reclining seats. 17.7.23 After a pleasant breakfast at Greggs we got on a train to Oxford but it was so crowded with people and bikes that eventually John and I were asked to get off at Reading where we immediately found a train with lots of room and had a nice comfortable ride to Didcot from where we cycled home. OBSERVATIONS Again, overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality of our French friends, I hope we can make them feel as welcome when they come to us on 24th July. Also, the idea of the council lending minibuses to local associations and providing drinks/nibbles on the national holiday is an idea well worth imitating. Richard Smart Evening Garden PartyFriday 23 June 2023 - at Longside, Tatham Road, Abingdon OX14 1QD
Again this year, it was a warm, sunny evening for the annual Midsummer Garden Party in Michael Matthews lovely garden. Thirty-five members and friends enjoyed a convivial gathering. The fruit mocktails and the prosecco flowed freely. Meanwhile, thanks to the skills of Nikki, Rosemary, Stella and Susan, innovative and tasty canap s circulated amongst us. This was the last monthly evening event for the Society until we resume in September with the AGM. Huge thanks once again to Michael for hosting our twinning society at this annual event! Evening Meeting - Andrew Bax: "Drayton in the Past"Thursday 18 May 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre
Thirty or so members of ADTTS, then had a fascinating insight into the history of Drayton, which was in Berkshire but since 1974 has been in Oxfordshire. Drayton, the name possibly means a farm near a place where timber was dragged up a river, has a long history, from Neolithic and Roman times, a mention in the Doomsday Book, for the last 700 years part of the land holdings of New College, Oxford and now the host of a lot of new houses. Prior to the second world war the population was ~700, now it is ~3000. Andrew started researching the local history intensively during the Covid lockdown. He began by trying to find other Draytons, named by someone from the village who had moved elsewhere. These included one tenant of Drayton Mill who emigrated to Michigan in 1835 and founded Drayton in the USA, now Drayton Mills, another who went to Australia, and several in the UK. How did Drayton care for its poor? The poor and destitute had in the past been helped by monks but after Henry VIII s depredations the responsibility passed to local communities, until the system was overwhelmed by the industrial revolution and soldiers returning from the Napoleonic wars. In the 18th century a new vicar of Drayton was appalled to find that 70% of his flock were born out of wedlock. In attempting to save their souls he neglected his temporal duties and was soon on his way. In 1780 there was a disastrous fire which resulted in much of the High Street being destroyed. Amazingly a national appeal brought in ~ 3000 (or over half a million pounds today). Part of this money was used to build dwellings on the site of the present alms houses. These were improved in the 1930s and then subsequently until they were demolished in the 1970s. New bungalow type alms houses were built in their stead. Andrew contrasted the attitudes of the earlier inhabitants, who were happy with what they had, to today when it is difficult to find people who want to live in this sort of accommodation! Although farming was a mainstay of the community and local employment, in the early 19th century a brickworks was opened. Output was used locally and exported via the nearby Wilts and Berks canal. In 1920 a worker earned 12/- to 1 per week. The works closed towards the end of the 1970s/80 and new houses were quickly built on the site. There was much more in Andrew s talk his exploits in getting to read the appropriate documents in the New College archives for instance and even a photograph of a brick tombstone. A most interesting and informative presentation. Thank you, Andrew. And, as always, our thanks to Howard for running the bar and Nicky and helpers for providing some delicious baguette and p t , and other nibbles. Note: more details of Mrs Icolyn Smith are available in Andrew Bax s book From Coolshade to Cowley Road , and further information about Drayton and its history in articles, many by Andrew, in the magazine, The Drayton Chronicle. Neil Hancox, 19 May 2023 Europe Day DinnerTuesday 9 May 2023 - at The Cosener's House, 15 - 16 Abbey Close, Abingdon OX14 3JD
Each year, we look forward, in common with our friends in the twin towns, to our annual celebration of Europe Day by enjoying a meal together. After a successful post-Covid gathering last year, we returned to The Cosener s House in Abbey Close, which provides an excellent venue. After a welcome with a fruit cocktail, forty-three of us sat down to enjoy a good meal in the company of other members. We arranged a special menu designed to reflect our links with the four countries of our Twin Towns. We thank Gloria for making all the arrangements. Schongau Twinning Invitation for May DaySaturday 29 April to Wednesday 4 May 2023
On the arrival day, a Saturday, the host families entertained their guests. On Sunday morning there was a visit to church for those who wished and, in the afternoon, Herman Cole gave a brilliant talk, while his wife Mia exhibited some of her lovely art work. After the talk in early evening, the hosts and friends provided a wonderful buffet. On May Day, the erection of the Maypole (Maibaum) took place just outside the city walls. A fabulous feat of engineering saw the 34-metre-high pole raised up. The group went afterwards to a reception at the museum featuring cake and wine. Many of the guests and local population wore traditional costume. The next day saw a guided tour of the town and church, followed by a lovely concert featuring singing and a trumpet. The farewell evening event was a meal at a local restaurant serving traditional dishes. A wonderful time was had by all and we hope for more contact very soon. Norma Queralt
Brian Read
Group photograph at the reception in the Town Hall. (Photo: G Kelz/Schongau newspaper) Evening Meeting - Crime FightingThursday 20 April 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre
We were pleased to welcome Matthew Barber along to our meeting to tell us how and why his plans for Crime Fighting are working so well for us all! He began his talk by discussing the Role of a Police and Crime Commissioner: The post involves responsibility for:
Since 1829, when Peel introduced The Metropolitan Police Act, the Role has always been held by civilians in comparison to France and Germany which involves the military. The European countries who have their police unarmed include most of Great Britain, Iceland, Ireland, Norway. There are 5,000 officers in the Thames Valley Police operating in a Policing by consent framework and a need for a journey to evaluate what policing does, and reflect on changing attitudes and the need to respond better to domestic abuse which at the moment is 15-20% of their work.
The world of social care involved in a police investigation concerning an individual as well as missing persons - these areas need more resourcing. 101 has a million callers a year and unfortunately a bad reputation at the moment. With the introduction of new technology, victims are treated better with live reporting - WhatsApp and messaging services can capture reporting by people who witness unusual behaviour/situations. By doubling the numbers of officers, 101 training can be covered by other officers while classroom work is being covered by officers during their training. Offences such as jamming signals/ cloning keys- there is more intelligence regarding vehicle offences being gathered by police- foot patrols help. It is now easier to map areas of violence and involve visible policing more to reduce antisocial behaviour. The aim is to restore confidence by having police cars on the street. With Brexit arriving, the communication between countries (Interpol) has been slightly more difficult and time consuming- there is now an NC Bureau in London to aid their work, acting as a clearing house to help people share information involving cross-border issues and organised crime. Each county is now entitled to ONE mental health Triage car, so they will be advertising more mental health jobs in the future. The large number of questions raised at the end was a testament to how absorbing and wide ranging the talk had been! We were grateful to Howard and Nikki for providing excellent wine and cheese refreshments to sustain us so we could continue to socially debate issues raised during the evening. Gloria Tolputt Live Relay of Puccini's Opera TurandotWednesday 22 March 2023 - 7.15 pm at Amey Theatre, Abingdon School, Park Road, OX14 1DE
On Wednesday 22nd March at the Abingdon School Amey Theatre there was a live relay from Covent Garden of Puccini's last opera Turandot. Phil Addison organised a group of members to see the performance, together with a meal together at Bella Napoli beforehand. The opera Turandot was composed by Puccini in 1920-1923, the last three years of his life, and around twenty years after Boh me and Butterfly. Puccini lived to write the music for up until midway through the third (final) Act. The final Act was completed by Alfano (a controversial choice) in 1926, supposedly following sketches left by Puccini of what he had planned. This was, as you might expect from Puccini s vision and the resources of the Royal Opera House, a really lavish production. Within walking distance for many of us, we were able to enjoy an excellent evening s entertainment that was both convenient and inexpensive. Evening Meeting - Helicopters on MarsThursday 16 March 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre We often don t realise that some of our members have interesting passions. That was the case this month when our speaker inspired two reports!
To establish his credentials, Bob showed us a video of a fixed wing helicopter he had designed (which he preferred to call a rotorcraft) being put through its paces on the Marlborough downs. The rotorcraft in question was 10 kg in weight and piloted remotely by an expert drone pilot. This video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/AyeKmZRGkiQ. What was the connection with Mars? Bob explained that in the NASA probe to Mars, which landed in February, 2021, a helicopter called Ingenuity was attached to the Perseverance rover, the purpose being to test the viability of powered helicopter flight on Mars. The tests were successful and Ingenuity completed some short tests, taking off, climbing, hovering in the air, turning and then returning to the surface. Bob explained that the space entrepreneur, Elon Musk, is motivated to establish a city on Mars. However, in order to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars, you would need to shift about a million tons of materials in order to be able to create the water, electricity and fuel systems necessary for self-sufficiency. The key to this is field geology for locating the necessary minerals. Drone surveys would be needed for this, as well as for establishing the best locations for habitation, laboratories and the plant needed for water, solar energy and fuel. This is where helicopters come into their own, and this is where the design and testing fun begins. A Mars rotorcraft would need to be able to lift 2 tonnes in very thin air and have a range of 550 km. Bob then gave us a detailed rundown of the difficulties involved Mars is cold and the atmosphere is very thin (1% of that on Earth), the Earth s gravity is 2.6 times that of Mars, presenting enormous challenges for testing on earth. Tests would need to be done at 110,000 ft to replicate the air density on Mars, and the weight of the test vehicle would somehow need to be lowered to compensate for the gravity difference. Such a helicopter would probably need 4 huge turbofans and have a footprint of about 10 metres! This was an extremely interesting talk and Bob explained it so well that even the non-engineers amongst us came away with a huge amount of information. There was very lively audience participation, evidenced by the great number of questions asked during the talk. Discussions among the audience on this fascinating topic continued after Bob s talk, and this was accompanied by some excellent food (baked potatoes with lamb s liver and bacon rolls) provided by Susan. Nick Marsh Helicopters on Mars a talk by Bob Burrage to ADTTS on 16th March 2023
Should any of you, or more likely your children or grandchildren, be hopping from one side of a volcanic crater to the other on Mars a few decades hence, then you could well have Bob Burrage to thank. Bob, a local aeronautical engineer and helicopter designer, gave a fascinating talk on helicopters on Mars, to an audience of Abingdon twin towners and friends on Thursday 16th March. He started off by describing a model tailless twin rotor helicopter with wings, which he had designed and built. This had a rotor blade diameter of ~3m and a mass of ~10kg. We were shown a video of this on a radio-controlled test flight and Bob explained that it should really be called a rotor copter, as it has twin, oppositely rotating, rotors. A scaled-up version could be used to give protection to conventional helicopters, such as the USMC Osprey, or for ferrying goods and people around in a natural emergency situation. Elon Musk, for example, has plans for a one million person "city" on Mars. Among the problems, apart from simply getting there (a trip of several months, launch only feasible once every 26 months because of the relative position of earth and Mars), are intense cold, an atmosphere of 99% carbon dioxide, with a density of one hundredth of the earth s atmosphere and an acceleration due to gravity of less than half the terrestrial value. Additionally, the atmospheric pressure varies throughout the year partly due to the carbon dioxide freezing at certain times of year. It is suggested that fuel, liquid oxygen and liquid methane, for internal journeys and the return trip to mother earth, would be manufactured in situ as would building and structural materials. Two sorts of geologist study Mars, those who use remote imaging to produce maps of the surface and field geologists who investigate the actual rocks (or rather rock samples at present). To help the latter move around over a very uneven terrain and at a reasonable speed, helicopters would be needed, and this is where Bob comes to the rescue. He has designed a conceptual craft, the MR8000, with 30m diameter rotors, two sets rotating oppositely to each other, with a potential payload of 18,000kg. Because of the very low atmospheric density the rotor blades are more like a series of scoops, and would have to be made of the lightest possible material. Testing this type of design on earth represents many problems and would have to be carried out at 100,000 -150,000 feet (sorry, I think in feet here, not metres!). Bob s talk was well illustrated and he accepted questions, of which there were quite a few, throughout the presentation. My thanks, and indeed those of all present, to Bob, for a really interesting talk taking us into a new dimension, though I might leave it to some of my successors before I leave Abingdon for the new city of, probably, Elonia. Neil Hancox, 17th March 2023 Evening Meeting: Experiences of Relief FosteringThursday 16 February 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre
Whilst Richard, as expected, provided an amusing refrain of anecdotes to accompany Anne's talk, not least of which were the Richard look-alike face mask and the mental image of Richard riding a six-year-old's mini-bike in the park to try to encourage the pair to start learning to ride a bike. There was a moving serious side to the relating of many of these experiences as we the audience came to realise the nature of the psychological condition of some such children, for example their unwillingness to try anything unfamiliar, or their wariness in forming relationships with others, be it adults or children. Just as interesting were Anne's revelations of all the steps of the long process she and Richard had to pass through before being accepted as personal carers, it s clearly a demanding process. It was however easy and revealing for us as an audience to link all the many kinds of questions and procedures Anne and Richard had to face with the over-riding necessity of the protection of children who were going to be fostered, especially when Anne explained the necessity for fosterers to replicate as far as possible the social, ethnic, and sometimes religious environment of the children's home life with their parents to whom it is hoped they might eventually return. Those of us who know and love Richard as we all do were surely the most amused by Richard's telling of the main question in the online questionnaire about himself to which he was told he gave the most WRONG answer: When playing games with children, what is your attitude to letting them win? A short discussion followed. I say no more. It was a measure of Anne and Richard's warm personality and our members' involvement with the narrative that questions and responses from the audience relating to their own comparative experiences of fostering and bringing up children came naturally throughout the talk rather than at the end, which gave the evening a very natural and easy flow. Leaflets on fostering in Oxfordshire were available for anyone wanting to follow up. Informal discussions continued over refreshments prepared by Nikki.
Link to Fostering with Oxfordshire County Council: Quiz EveningThursday 19 January 2023 - at Preston Road Community Centre We started the programme for the New Year with the popular ADTTS Quiz night. For the last two years, the competition had been played out online via Zoom. Now we were able to meet together again in person! Loosely based on the typical pub quiz, ours is a little idiosyncratic with mental and physical challenges. Members were to expect questions on Abingdon and some with a twinning or European theme.
It was time to reboot the brain and rejuvenate the memory for the ADTTS quiz in real life this time, face to face sharing, microbes as well as answers. Our genial quiz inquisitors were, as usual, Brian Read and Peter Dodd. About 30 members and friends of the Twin Towns society met on a chilly January evening in the Preston Road Community Centre (which was pleasantly warm). We split into six groups and each team was allocated or chose the name of a vegetable. Our team, Anne Marie, Pat, Margaret, Anne and yours truly as secretary (i.e., I wrote down the answers supplied by the rest of the team) were the Artichokes, though whether globe or Jerusalem is open to debate. To get the neurons firing we started with a sheet of Dingbats you either get them or you don t. Fortunately, the ladies of our team did. Round one, proper, concerned events that happened in 2022 how quickly one forgets. Then appropriately it was on to Europe where we were given a choice of four answers for each question ensuring that on the basis of probability theory you should get 25% of the answers right. Remember though that probability is a slippery customer so you could score zero. Of course, we came in well above average. In case we were getting too cocky the next round involved lateral thinking or going outside the box. For instance dividing 30, or any other number by , is not the same as dividing said number by 2. Recall all that time you spent at school doing fractions! Round four was something new, testing skills of observation, recall and recording simultaneously. Twenty UK landmarks were flashed on the screen, three seconds apart and had to be identified and recorded. For this you need two observers and two recorders. We survived, missing out on only two shots, both from Brighton. Equal pegging with the Turnips now, 70 odd points apiece. By way of light/artistic relief each team was supplied with a colourful kiddies pack of Plasticine and asked to model some feature of a twin town. Lucca was represented with a couple of towers, while Margaret, Anne Marie and Pat set to work on an imaginative diorama of Abingdon, complete with swans. This was judged as different and so worthy of a packet of chocolate mini eggs, which we eagerly consumed. But who would carry off the victor s crown? To decide this a tray of refreshments appeared, four p t s and some camembert accompanied by a selection of cheese biscuits and celery (remember your five a day). The mushroom one was the tastiest and easily identified and pork liver, or Brussels' p t , is hard to miss but the other two... We ranged from sardine, through mackerel to crab and then decided on tuna and crab. It turned out that we scored three out of four, with the crab being salmon. (I m still not convinced!) That was it, the Artichokes could wear the laurel wreath, actually a box of delicious Belgian chocolates.
Once again, our thanks to Brian and Peter for preparing an excellent and entertaining quiz and to other ADDTS members (Susan, Nikki, Rosemary and Nick) for providing different p t s, and to you all for taking part. Were I the manager of the Artichokes I would say all credit to the girls, they done good. Neil Hancox, 20 January 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Go to 2022 Events. |
In
recent years, it has been our practice to invite, from each of our twin towns in turn, a representative to come for the Remembrance weekend
and to lay a wreath alongside one from ADTTS at the war memorial in Abingdon.
This year we were delighted to welcome Doris Küter from Schongau.
As the recently appointed new leader of the Freundeskreis Twinning Group, she was delighted to have the opportunity to visit Abingdon and to
strengthen links between the two towns.
