OUR 25th ANNIVERSARY YEAR

October 2007

Nine visitors from Mitry-Mory, led by Mayor Mme Corinne Dupont, came over for 26-29 October to celebrate the 25th anniversary of out Twinning Charter.  The group included three Deputy Mayors, Mme Marie-Aline Muller, Deputy President of Mitry-Mory Twinning Committee, and other twinning representatives.

Our French visitors, at Prudhoe Castle;  centre front: Mme Corinne Dupont, Mayor of Mitry-Mory & Coun. Mrs Eileen Burt, Mayor of Prudhoe.

The weekend included the traditional dinner at Franco's restaurant; a reception hosted by Prudhoe Town Council at the castle, with a guided tour by David Walker of the Friends of Prudhoe Castle; a Ceilidh at St Matthew's Hall; and a meeting and buffet lunch at Prudhoe Golf Club.

Plans for next year include exchanges involving gymnasts, our Community Bands, swimmers, youth services, plus possibly football and urban arts projects.

Below you will see some reminders of a very happy weekend.

 As part of the celebrations, members of Prudhoe East Centre decorated the Waterworld bus shelter with the crests of the two towns.

 English & French visitors at Cherryburn, birthplace of Thomas Bewick.

 

Gérard  & Sabine at Dunstanburgh Castle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Close encounters of a woolly kind.  Sabine meets a Northumbrian sheep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Saturday evening saw the traditional dinner at Franco's Restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above - Jessica Elliott & Gayle Crowell of Prudhoe Gymnastics Club;  below, Marie Hingant of Mitry-Mory Gymnasts, with Caroline Elliott.  Plans are well in hand for a visit by prudhoe Gymnasts to Mitry-Mory in January 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above - Bernard France & Brian Lawson;

Right - Gilbert Trouillet samples Franco's finest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill piping in guests for the Town Council's reception at Prudhoe Castle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Coun. Tony Reid, Coun. Gilbert Trouillet & Mme Corinne Dupont, Mayor of Mitry-Mory, at Prudhoe Castle.

 

Moira Wooldridge, Chair of Prudhoe Town Twinning Association, speaking at the Castle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our thanks to everyone who helped, chauffeured, accommodated and supported our activites. 

June 2007

Over the weekend 23/24 June, representatives from Prudhoe Town Twinning Association attended  a celebration of the anniversary in Mitry-Mory.  The town also celebrated the 25th anniversary of its twinning with Schmelz in Germany, and representatives from their 3rd twin town, Loumbila in Burkina Faso attended the festivities too.  It was a wonderful weekend of international friendship and celebration.

For details of the proposed celebrations in Prudhoe at the end of October, see the foot of this page. 

 

 

During the weekend's celebrations we exchanged a Friendship Protocol with Mitry-Mory, to mark 25 years of union.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a lot going on - we attended the foundation stone ceremony for a new infants' school building, a school fête, open day at the fire station, and national Children's Day activities.

So here are a few more photos of the visit.

 

Saturday 23 June - laying the foundation stone for a new extension at the Ecole Maternelle Jean de la Fontaine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 As part of the ceremony, the school's children lined up to make plaster casts of their hands, to decorate the new building.  Here the Mayor, Mme Corinne Dupont is helping them.  They took their responsibilities very seriously!

In the afternoon, the Ecole Primaire Guy Moquet held its kermesse (fête).  Here the Loumbilan group are inspecting a stall. 

  

 

Saturday evening - all the groups from the different towns met up for a big restaurant meal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday in the park - the official 25th anniversary celebrations, plus Children's Day.  Mayor Mme Corinne Dupont welcomed us all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christa Rohnert, Chair of Schmelz Town Twinning Association, translating for the Deputy Mayor of Schmelz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christa making her town's official presentation to Mme Irène Vasseur, President of Mitry-Mory Twinning Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We presented Mme Dupont with a framed photograph of one of Prudhoe's new gateway signs.  These bear the Mitry-Mory coat of arms, and the French flag. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also presented a book on British National Parks to Mitry-Mory Twinning Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

L'Harmonie Municipale de Mitry-Mory, playing in the park for Children's Day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the children of Mitry-Mory, who sang for us that afternoon.

Our thanks to everyone who made the weekend such an enjoyable success. 

 

PRUDHOE DOLPHINS

Visit to Mitry-Mory March 2007

A group of 13 young swimmers and 7 adults, led by Derek Gillespie, visited Mitry-Mory for 4 days as guests of their swimming club.  Everyone stayed with families in the town, and lived life à la française.  They received a very warm and generous welcome, and many new friendships were made.  The French swimmers have been invited to make a return visit to Prudhoe in 2008.

Said Derek afterwards: 'There was tremendous community spirit between the two groups.  Yes, we have a common link which is wimming, but we use this to promote friendship.'

Here are a few reminders of a wonderful visit.

(NB Further details for 2007 appear below the photos.)

  

Day 1: Disneyland! 

Above: Derek Gillespie, Steven Bell & Jimmy Kemp trying to read the map.  It's a big place...

 

And this is the magic kingdom...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where did you get that hat...?(1) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where did you get that hat...?(2) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Kemp, just after discovering that the Space Mountain ride isn't quite as tame as he thought... 

 

The monument to Jules Verne, creator of Science Fiction.

'Everything that is within the realm of possibility must and will be achieved.' 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a long hard day enjoying yourself, it's very difficult to resist the lure of a friendly pushchair.

 

 Clare & Charlotte, very tired.

Day 2: Paris!

Climbing the steps to Montmartre 

 

Group photo opportunity: English & French together on the steps of the Sacré Coeur. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Official presentation time:  Derek Gillespie presenting a memento of our visit to Michel Lemistre, Mitry-Mory's head coach. 

 

Saturday evening - we were entertained by Gabriel, a wonderful story-teller from Mitry-Mory's African twin town, Loumbila in Burkina Faso.  He combined narrative, music, mime and visual humour to tell traditional tales from his community.  Even when unable to understand a lot of the narrative, the children were spell-bound. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday morning means the market.  The lads were at the pancake stall bright and early for second breakfast... 

Sunday afternoon: time to say goodbye.  Guy Briggs with his French fan club. 

And finally, we're on our way back home...