Two girls from Gloucestershire participated in the Rencontres Europennees – a get together with language learning and sport and creative skills for youngsters aged 14-17 from all ofAnnecy’s twin towns. It took place in Annecy from 1-16 August.
Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra in Annecy
The Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra performed 3 concerts in the Annecy region during the week 31 July to 6 August. The Mayor of Cheltenham and 3 other members of the Cheltenham delegation visiting Annecy for the Fete du Lac were privileged to be present at their third concert in Annecy at the Notre Dame Church. The concert was superb – the church was packed and the orchestra made the four of us from Cheltenham very proud to be from Gloucestershire.
Delegations from Annecy’s other twin towns were also present at the concert and so impressed were the delegation from Bayreuth, Germany (home of Wagner) that they would like to invite the GYO to take part in a young musicians festival there next year.
The 45 members of GYO finished their memorable week by seeing the fantastic firework display atAnnecy’s fete du lac.
60th Anniversary visit to Göttingen
The 60th anniversary visit to Göttingen from 29 July to 5 August was a great success and enjoyed by over 110 people. The programme, organisation and hospitality received in Göttingen was all of its usual high standard, host families were very generous and welcoming and many new friends were made.
Officers of the council worked alongside their colleagues for a couple of days gaining an insight into Göttingen’s parking, transport and urban development programmes as well as visiting their biogas plant and discussing waste management. The exchange of young apprentices between the two towns based on funding from an EU programme was also discussed and positively agreed upon, as well as discussions on forthcoming twinning events for 2012, including Göttingen’s participation in the Olympic Torch relay stopover inCheltenham.
The Cheltenham art club took over some 30 paintings and had a successful exhibition with the Göttingen Art club, which was opened by the mayors of the towns and Councillor Garth Barnes was honoured with the Göttingen Medal of Honour for his services to the partnership for over 35 years and was awarded his medal during welcome reception.
Some comments have been posted on the German Club website – see link below – and more pictures and comments will be published very shortly on the soon to be launched new twinning association website.
http://www.freewebs.com/cheltenhamgermanclub/partnerstadt.htm
Weihai students
On 17 July 38 students and 2 leaders from Weihai arrived in Cheltenham for 2 weeks, to attend Gloucestershire college’s international summer school. They took part in English lessons, sporting and sightseeing activities and stayed with local families. A Mayor’s reception was held for them on Wednesday 20 July at 3.30 pm in the Council Chamber.
International Youth for Peace Camp
On Saturday 9 July 4 young people and their leader set off for Torun in Poland, which is one of Göttingen’s twin towns, to participate in the annual international youth for peace camp. They will be there for a week and will participate in a programme entitled ‘Future of Volunteering – Think Globally, Act Locally’, along with young people from Göttingen’s other twin towns.
Göttingen Sport / Language Visit
14 youngsters and 2 leaders arrived in Cheltenham on Saturday 9 July on the sport and language visit. The group are here for 11 days until Wednesday 20 July and do language learning and sporting activities using the facilities at leisure@ as well as visits to South Cerney Water sports centre, Berkeley castle, London and Stratford. They all stay with local families.
Handel Festival in Göttingen
The Chief Executive and his wife have just returned from a private visit to Göttingen, where they attended the final concert of this year’s Handel Festival. It was particularly special this year as it was the last year that Prof Nicholas McGegan, conductor of the Göttingen Festival Orchestra, would be taking part after 20 years. He was awarded the Göttingen Medal of Honour at a reception after the concert.
Visit to Annecy Film Festival and Working Meeting
The Chairman and Twinning Officer have just returned from a brief 2 day visit to Annecy where current and future twinning activities were discussed and planned. There is a busy flow of exchanges this summer between the 2 towns, with many Annecy students coming to Cheltenham and 2 groups of young musicians going to Annecy, amongst others. Further details will be conveyed as each exchange happens.
Whilst in Annecyt he international animated film festival was taking place and we were invited to the closing awards ceremony of the festival. Not quite Cannes (yet) – but nevertheless Annecy’s equivalent and it might well be of that status in years to come, as this film festival is rapidly growing in international recognition with films from Russia, USA, Japan, UK and Europe being shown and amongst the prize winners. We were amazed at the scale of this event – for a week films are shown at a range of venues in Annecy, but the most impressive are the open air films shown daily on an enormous screen on the Paquier – a large grassed area by the side of the lake – watched by hundreds of people sitting on the grass with their picnics! The awards ceremony was followed by a reception, with free food and drink, for some 1200 people in marques in the grounds of the Imperial Hotel. Annecy certainly know how to do things in style!
There is also a great buzz of anticipation amongst the residents and officials of Annecy council, as they up their profile in the final few weeks in their bid to become the host city for the 2018 winter Oympics. The result will be announced on 6 July 2011 and Annecy is a contender along with Munich and a city in South Korea. We wish Annecy the best of luck!!
Subsequent to this visit, Annecy failed in their Olympic bid.
Cheltenham College Junior Choir Visit to Annecy
The picture below shows the 28 children from the Cheltenham College Junior chapel choir, together with parents and leaders, under the direction of the Head of Music at the College, Peter Mills, at their reception at the Hotel de Ville on Tuesday 5 July. They were in Annecy from 4-8 July and performed a concert at the St Maurice church on Thursday 7 July.
Visit to Stampersgat
A group of 32 people including 4 of Cheltenham’s Aldermen, visited our Dutch friendship link town of Stampersgat from 2-5 June to mark the 40th anniversary of the first visit of a group of Stampersgat residents to Cheltenham in 1971.
The link was established by the Gloucestershire Regiment who liberated this small town and where Corporal Dennis Lee is buried in the church there. Now organised by the Stampersgat / Cheltenham Friendship link committee, a programme of events was planned for the group, who all stayed with families.
Cheltenham International Partnerships 