The alarms were set before 3-30 am on Good Friday in order for members of Shipston on Stour’s Twinning Association to leave for France by 4-15 am. After a pleasant drive to Portsmouth during which some of the group managed to catch up with some sleep, the coach arrived in time for the thirty-five members to board the ferry for Ouistréham. Sunshine and heavy showers greeted the 
group as they arrived on the other side of the Channel but the welcome at the château in Torigni was as warm as ever. Exchanges between Shipston and Torigni have been taking place since 1984 and the two communities have been twinned officially for thirty-three years. This year’s trip involved two new partnerships and so the “new“ families were introduced to each other whilst the “vieux habitués” caught up with the latest news from their friends. The rest of Friday evening was spent with host families but after a long day travelling a good night’s sleep was very welcome.After a leisurely breakfast of croissants, pains au chocolat, bread and jam and coffee taken “at home” on a beautiful frosty but sunny morning, the English group set off on Saturday for an excursion along the west coast of the Cotentin peninsula. One of the towns passed through was Périers which represented a strategic crossroads during the battle of Normandy. A week after D-day much of the town was destroyed by heavy American bombing in an attempt to prevent German reinforcements reaching the coast. The town was eventually liberated six weeks later.
A stop was made in the seaside town of Carteret from where there were good views across the sea to Jersey. The coach then continued to Cherbourg and after a couple of hours dodging the showers the group returned to Torigni to meet up again with their hosts. Everybody gathered at the château in the evening for a four course meal with kir, wine and musical accompaniment. In a fantastic atmosphere everyone had a great time. Nicole Mauduit, president of the Torigni twinning association welcomed her guests, especially the new families, and in reply Keith McCarthy thanked the committee and all the host families for their customary warm welcome. Anne-Marie Cousin the delegated mayor of Torigni, who is also mayor of the recently formed larger administrative area of Torigny les Villes, joined in with the celebrations. After midnight, it being April 1st. people had to be wary of others trying to stick paper fishes on their backs, as is the custom in France as an April fool. The menus for the meal were written on wooden fish shapes for the English to keep as souvenirs.
Sunday was spent “en famille”. Some people visited an automated farm where they saw cows being milked by robots. All the milk is sold to the large dairy produce company, Elle et Vire, which is situated just four kilometres away. The methane produced by the cows is used to make electricity. Others went to the coast to see the D-Day landing beaches. Some went to Le Mont St. Michel where they witnessed one of the highest tides of the year and saw the “mont” surrounded by the sea. Another family was taken to an exhibition by an artist whose works are always in the style of famous artists but which also contain a quirky version of Le Mont St. Michel. Whilst the children tried to find the “Mont” in the paintings (à la where’s Wally) the adults attempted to recognise the famous artists. Many others joined in with special lunches, meeting the extended family.
On Monday the French and English were taken in the French coach to the southern part of Normandy known as the “Suisse Normande”. This is a beautiful area of high hills, forests and meandering rivers. They had a conducted tour of a large model railway which had 270 locomotives, mountains, tunnels, a port, an airstrip, a church wedding, a funfair and even firemen putting out a house on fire among other attractions, all of which were illuminated to create a night time scene. After lunch the trip continued to several viewpoints, giving everyone a chance to stretch their legs.
The Shipstonians left for home on Tuesday morning with a stop in the supermarket for essential shopping and a lunch in La Taverne restaurant in Lion sur Mer en route for Ouistréham.
Planning for the visit of the Torignais next year is already underway. The members of the Shipston Twinning Association would like to thank Keith McCarthy for organising the visit and Richard and Derek Webb for their superb driving.