From 3-6 August 2018 a small delegation of 3 people accompanied the mayor to Annecy, when Annecy invited representatives from all of their twin towns for their annual Fete du Lac spectacle. Interesting talks, networking and forging new links were all hot on the agenda as the future of Europe and the importance of maintaining and further developing links with our European friends were all passionately discussed between Annecy, Bayreuth Germany, Vicenza Italy and Cheltenham.
Two students from Annecy have been experiencing English working life and culture, whilst improving their language skills and being immersed in family life. For four weeks, Alexandra Carrez helped out in the Gardens Gallery in Montpellier Gardens, carried out a survey for the gallery and visited other galleries in and around Cheltenham; Lea Grondin was with the Community Investment team of Cheltenham Borough Homes and assisted with many community events and activities for local families. The girls also visited the Mayor’s Parlour for tea with the Mayor.
Every summer Cheltenham sees an influx of students from its twin towns. In July this year the Mayor welcomed 48 students from Annecy
and 20 from Weihai.
The students were all attending the international summer school run by Gloucestershire College, where they take part in language lessons, sporting and sightseeing activities and all stay with local host families.
A group of 10 young people from Gottingen were also in Cheltenham from 26 July to 6 August on a sport and language visit. These visits give the young people a brilliant opportunity to experience family life with a British family and to gain confidence in speaking English.
26 under-graduate students from the University of Gloucestershire’s animated film degree course visited Annecy from 11-15 June to coincide with the International Animated Film Festival held in Annecy every year. This is an invaluable learning opportunity for the students and 3 of the students were judges for a special prize awarded by the town of Annecy to young film directors from emerging countries. Very proud of our local young people being involved in this internationally acclaimed film festival.
A small delegation of three people including the Mayor of Cheltenham were invited to Gottingen over the weekend of 1-4 June 2018 to take part in 3 events, namely marking the 40th anniversary of Gottingen’s twinning link with its Polish twin town of Torun, the presentation of the Samuel-Bogumil-Linde prize for literature and the evening of culture.
Read the Vice Chair of the Twinning Association’s report.
A group of 26 farmers and their partners from the Gloucestershire Farmers Diners association visited Annecy from 12-17 May. This community group were assisted in their organisation by the Twinning
Officers of both Cheltenham and Annecy and enjoyed a reception, boat tour on the lake and a tour of the town, courtesy of Annecy. They also visited Mont Blanc, Aix-les-Bains and the pretty little town of Chanaz, as well as seeing the resistance museum. The group were thoroughly impressed with Annecy and the welcome received and had a fab trip.
For the third time running, we were delighted to be able to take a group of 20 pupils from Pate’s Grammar School in Cheltenham to exchange with a school in the heart of our twin town Annecy – this time the Collège Raoul Blanchard. The lucky young people were in Annecy from 21-27 May and were treated to a jam-packed programme of excursions to complement time spent in some lessons and settled with their kind and generous hosting families. Pupils undoubtedly benefited not only culturally but also linguistically from the exchange, with many feeling more confident when speaking French and having gained much appreciation of Savoyard culture, especially with the alpine cheese tasting! For one of our pupils it was in fact a very memorable first time ever away from home in a foreign country, and a life-changing experience! 
Many thanks to the Twinning Association for kindly offering a guided tour of Cheltenham when we hosted French pupils in March. We look forward to a continued fruitful partnership with Annecy and are already looking forward to organising next year’s exchange programme.
Mr S Guichonnet – French Teacher Pate’s School
Read about the visit by 4 pupils from Pates.
Pictures of beautiful Annecy
A busy year of twinning activities is scheduled between Cheltenham and it’s twin towns. Do have a look here.
One of the first twinning events for 2018 took place during the third week of January with a Mayor’s Reception in the Council Chamber for further education students from Japan, and from Cheltenham’s twin towns of Annecy in France and Göttingen in Germany.
The ten students from Annecy were on the return leg on an exchange visit between the CFA (Centre de Formation des Apprentis) based at Groisy near Annecy and the hospitality department of Gloucestershire College, who visited Annecy in the autumn. We are delighted this link has been established.
The Japanese group were from Carriere College in Kyoto, Japan, in Cheltenham from 14 January until 10 March before heading onto Bournmouth. They are all studying hospitality in Japan and are at Gloucestershire College improving their English, learning about the UK hospitality industry and studying with GlosCol’s hospitality department.
Two students from Göttingen are currently enjoying 2-month work experience placements at a primary school in Cheltenham assisting teachers with young pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Cheltenham Twinning Association is proud to promote and foster friendship and understanding between the people of Cheltenham, its twin and friendship towns and overseas visitors. Cheltenham’s Mayor, Cllr Klara Sudbury, highlighted the importance of welcoming visitors from around the world to the beautiful Spa town of Cheltenham as part of her mayoral role.
To celebrate over 30 years of friendship with our Chinese twin town of Weihai and 20 years since the two towns were officially ‘twinned’, a trip to Weihai is being organised in the autumn of this year.
The visit will be led by the Mayor of Cheltenham and is open to anyone to participate in – local residents, educational and business reps.
Information:
Anyone wishing to extend their trip and visit other places in China, would be put in touch with the travel agent to make their own onward arrangements from Beijing.
Cost : Approx £1,700 per person based on a twin share (approx. £230 single supplement)
Price includes:
Excludes: Other meals; Insurance; Tips; Personal spending and tours in Beijing. There may also be some additional costs towards transport and the programme in Weihai.
If you would like to receive further details, please email the Twinning Officer .
Cheltenham International Partnerships