It’s worth taking a deep breath in Göttingen.
According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), Göttingen has the cleanest air quality of any large city in Germany, and is ranked 29 out of 323 European towns based on recent research into air particulates in European urban areas. Göttingen’s Mayor, Rolf Georg Koehler (SPD) stated: ‘Göttingen is on the right path’ and attributes the ranking to climate control measures, the city’s location with parks and forests, as well as the city wall.
To celebrate 70 years of twinning with Göttingen a get together will take place in Montpellier Gardens on Monday 2 August from 5-7pm to mark the occasion here in Cheltenham, as we are unable to meet face to face with our Göttingen friends. Videos and photos will be taken and exchanged with Göttingen.
Please bring along a rug, a chair, something German and your own refreshments. The wet weather alternative date will be Tuesday 3 August same time, same place.
As restrictions will be lifted by then, I hope many will join us. For further information email the Twinning Officer.
Cheltenham Twinning Association is raising much needed funds for a groundwater well at a school in our friendship town Kisumu, Kenya provided by the WellBoring charity (https://www.wellboring.org/). Each well costs £5,000 (or £4,000 plus gift aid), and provides safe water to pupils, teachers, and the wider community for many years.
Cheltenham has benefitted from access to water with its origins as a spa town, but many children and their families in rural Kisumu still do not have safe clean water. With your help, we can change this and empower lives.
Cheltenham Rotary Club has already pledged to support our appeal in their centenary year. If you too would like to be involved, donations can be made to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cheltenham-twinning-association
Ways of getting involved:
Do you have contact at schools, businesses or organisations?
If any schools have an interest in linking up with a school in Kisumu, we’d be happy to try and establish a link.
We see this as a long-term project and our level of involvement depends on the level of support we receive. This could lead to many more opportunities with the city of Kisumu (the largest in city in West Kenya) going forward.
Or consider donating as an individual.
Cheltenham Twinning Association promotes friendships and understanding between the people of Cheltenham and the people of its twin and friendship towns. Kisumu, which is located on the northern shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, has been a friendship town of Cheltenham since 1985.
WellBoring is an established charity based in Chippenham, which drills and installs groundwater wells to provide safe water mainly in rural primary schools and their communities in East Africa. Access to safe water reduces mortality and sickness, improves school attendance, and empowers whole communities. In the past ten years, the charity has completed more than 100 wells providing sustainable and cost-effective solutions to the problem of lack of access to safe water.
For further details, please contact the Twinning and Events Officer Annette.Wight@cheltenham.gov.uk
With 2021 marking 70 years of twinning between Cheltenham and its German twin town Göttingen and due to reciprocal visits and face-to-face events scheduled for this anniversary year being cancelled, some virtual events are happening to honour and celebrate this long standing friendship between the two towns.
One such event was an online bridge tournament between Cheltenham Bridge Club and the two combined bridge clubs in Göttingen Germany, who have enjoyed a special relationship for over 10 years. A virtual bridge competition took place over the weekend 26 and 27 June with a pairs’ game on the Saturday and a teams’ game on the Sunday. This was enabled, without charge, via the platform created by “RealBridge”. Following the tournament on the Saturday evening, a zoom meeting was held so friends and family who were not involved in the bridge could say hello.
Results
Cheltenham beat Göttingen in the Pairs on Saturday by such a narrow margin that it was declared a draw. In the Teams on Sunday, Cheltenham took an early lead and finished victorious. Given the close result in the Pairs, it was befitting that the top scoring team was from Göttingen. All in all a close run event which was very much enjoyed by all. The full results can be seen on Cheltenham Bridge Club’s website.
The first meeting between the two clubs took place in 2010 and tournaments have taken place alternately every two years until 2016, with this special anniversary year being the ideal time for the clubs to revive their link. On two occasions, Göttingen bridge players and their families welcomed Cheltenham bridge players into their homes and treated them to wonderful days out in and around the beautiful university town of Göttingen, as well as enjoying bridge competitions played in the spirit of friendship. Members of Cheltenham Bridge Club similarly offered reciprocal hospitality to their German friends on two other occasions; staying in their homes and showing them the many delights of Cheltenham and the Cotswolds.
This relationship has been very important to Cheltenham Bridge Club and the links and friendships have lasted many years. The clubs are delighted to be part of the 70th anniversary celebrations.
The first virtual meeting between pupils from the Biology Centre in Sochi and the Eco Club at Balcarras School took place recently. This eco exchange initiative was started by Charlton Kings Futures, who want the young people of Cheltenham to discuss their thoughts on the climate emergency and what is being or can be done in Cheltenham and its twin towns towards a carbon zero environment.
The first ice-breaker session saw pupils from Sochi and Cheltenham, together with Youth Ambassadors from Vision 21, getting to know each other with questions about favourite music, dances, hobbies, social media platforms, favourite foods and what they do as part of their eco clubs.
The young people were very enthusiastic with their ideas and comments and both sides have agreed to plant a tree as a symbol of working together.
The next online session will be a brain storming of ideas on how to start to tackle the climate emergency and ways the youngsters can work together to implement small changes in each of their communities.
See the article on Balcarras School’s website.
Having twice been postponed, talks have restarted on the hosting of the Sochi International Film Festival and Awards UK to be held here in Cheltenham in February 2022. With the delightful Chapel Arts Centre being proposed as a venue for film screenings, concerts and an exhibition of Russian art, a meeting was recently held there with members of Cheltenham Twinning Association, the founder of the UK Sochi Film Awards and the Press and Cultural Secretary from the Russian Embassy. It is hoped to have a 4 week programme of Russian themed events leading up to the Gala Awards evening on 12 February 2022.
In November 2020 Sochi City Council organised a twin cities online chess tournament. Cheltenham had 5 participants who all did really well finishing in the top half of the competition. Congratulations to those who took part.
Sochi Football Club has sent a message of congratulations to Cheltenham Town Football Club on being champions of League Two and on their promotion to League One. Sochi has also had a succesful season, finishing 5th in the Russian Premier League and qualifying for Europe.
Angie Boyes, Carol Stephens and Annette Wight of the Cheltenham Twinning Association were delighted to participate in an online Twinning Conference on 25 February 2021 led by Ann Kennard, Chair of the Bristol Hannover Council.
This successful online conference was attended by over 40 representatives of UK twinning associations, and focused on sharing best practices to keep twinning active and forging new ways of working. Discussions on active twinning, engaging young people and use of social media platforms highlighted how twinning associations have become increasingly pro-active in engaging with online technologies to enhance twinning relationships, e.g., running quizzes, offering language lessons, sharing travel stories, etc. In addition, twinning associations have been strengthened by sharing ideas not only with neighbouring twinning groups, but others further afield.
Bristol Hannover Council has one of the oldest twinnings between Britain and Germany through a link established with Hannover in 1947. Whilst they celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2017, Cheltenham Twinning Association is looking forward to celebrating its 70th anniversary with Göttingen, Germany in summer 2021. Discussions are already taking place with our counterparts in Göttingen. If you would like to contribute any ideas for virtual events, it would be great to hear from you. Please contact Annette.wight@cheltenham.gov.uk
Philip Gordon “Jasper” Cook
19 July 1934 – 29 April 2020
Jasper Cook, 85, passed away 0n 29 April 2020 in Gloucester Royal Infirmary. He had recently had a stroke but sadly became another victim of the coronavirus.
Jasper, as he was affectionately known, started the Cheltenham – Göttingen Youth Sports exchange along with Peter Morgenstern from Göttingen with the first exchange taking place in 1967. He took generations of youngsters to Cheltenham’s twin town to participate in sporting activities. Jasper’s passion was football and he also arranged pre-season training visits to Göttingen for Cheltenham Town Football club.
Jasper called Göttingen his second home and will be fondly remembered by many people in both towns.
RIP Jasper.
Picture courtesy of RDavis shows Jasper Cook (middle) with Karin Ropeter Twinning Officer from Göttingen and Garth Barnes then chairman of the Twinning Association at a reception for Göttingen visitors in 2013.
Cheltenham International Partnerships