Active Twinning – Keeps Going

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

    Founder of Göttingen Youth Sports Exchange passes away

    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.

    Weihai donate face masks

    Cheltenham has received a kind and generous donation of 10,000 disposable face masks from its Chinese twin town of Weihai.  These will be distributed to frontline staff and key workers within Cheltenham with a large number going to local care homes.  The Council is very grateful to Weihai.  The Mayor of Cheltenham received a letter of support and solidarity from the Mayor of Weihai wishing all the people of Cheltenham a safe recovery and healthy future.

    Russian Film – One War

    THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS

    Cheltenham Twinning Association is delighted to present the screening of the Russian film ‘One War’ which is being shown on Tuesday 24 March, 7pm at Chapel Arts to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII and which is part of the Sochi International Film Festival UK awards programme.

     The evening is open to all and tickets are available directly from Chapel Arts.  Further information is here and we do hope that this screening will receive good support.  The film does have English sub-titles.

    Visit to Annecy

    This visit has now been postponed to October 2022 – details will be published later in 2021.

    Cheltenham Twinning Association is organising a visit to its French twin town of Annecy, for local residents and people interested in twinning.  The trip will take place from 7-14 October 2020 to coincide with the ‘Retour des Alpages’ – a traditional event in Annecy when the animals return to the lower pastures and parade through the old town.  In Annecy accommodation has been booked at a central hotel to take advantage of the pedestrianised old town with its many restaurants and the nearby lake.   It is also hoped to be able to arrange some homestays with local people for those who would prefer this option.   The package includes an overnight stay in the historical town of Ypres on the way out and in the beautiful town of Bruges on the way back.

    More information about this exciting visit can be seen here.  Please register your interest as soon as possible to the Twinning Officer and complete and return the  booking form with the deposit by the end of March.

    Summer Work Placements in Annecy

    THE DEADLINE HAS NOW PAST – PLEASE TRY US AGAIN IN 2021

    Our French twin town of Annecy has a number of interesting work placement opportunities available this summer for young people aged 18-30 from Cheltenham and local area.  A summary of the positions available can be seen here.  Most are for a 4 week duration.   The posts are fairly varied so  interested applicants are asked to look at the minimum age required, the fluency of French requested and also the number of hours expected to work, as some are not for very long, which could be great, but conversely that could mean a lot of time on your own.

    Applicants must be 18+ at the time of the placement to be considered and have a good standard of French.  This is  a wonderful opportunity for students studying French at university or about to go to university.  These opportunities have been sent to all of Annecy’s twin towns, so early application is advisable.

    To Apply:

    • Interested applicants need to send a CV and letter of motivation in French, along with an English translation, to the Twinning Officer by Wednesday 5 February, 2020.
    • Candidates can apply for more than one position, indicating their preference.
    • Candidates may be invited for a short interview.
    • The applications of those pre-selected will be sent to Annecy by 26 February for final selection along with those from their other twin towns.  A telephone or skype interview with Annecy will take place.

    The successful applicants will receive:
    – accommodation of a single room with ensuite shower room and shared kitchen, paid for by the town of Annecy
    – 70 euros per week to buy food.
    – use of a bicycle for the duration of the stay. 

    We look forward to hearing from you.