The initial idea of finding a twin town for Shipston came from Keith McCarthy in 1982. He gathered together a steering committee of like-minded people who were keen to find a town in France. The aim was to promote links with a community through cultural, sporting and general exchanges.
We approached the Joint Twinning Committee whose function was to put communities seeking to twin in touch with each other. The members of the steering committee also contacted friends or colleagues in France in an attempt to find a suitable twin town.
Eventually contact was made with Torigni sur Vire and a delegation from that town visited Shipston in June 1983. They were very impressed with what they saw and gave a very favourable report to their town council. A delegation from Shipston, consisting of Jackie Little, Josie Farman, Keith McCarthy and Peter Goodfellow, made a return visit in September 1983. The similarities between the two communities were obvious – towns of the same size set in the middle of an agricultural area with light industries, having both primary and secondary schools, a home for the elderly, a library, a fire station and sports and leisure facilities.
Back in Shipston, a public meeting was held to recommend that the town be twinned with Torigni. The first exchange saw a group of fifty Torignais come to Shipston in July 1984 during the Shipston Festival and the return visit was in October of the same year.
signing the charterThe signing of the Twinning Charter took place during a dinner held at the High School on April12th 1985. Those who signed were Christine Hédouin, president of the Torigni Twinning Committee, her counterpart, Keith McCarthy and the mayors of the two communities, Brenda Broughton and Pierre Dupont. The signing of the charter in France took place in the sports hall in Torigni in 1986.
Over the years various groups have visited Torigni, including the Hgh School football team, the Junior Town Band, and groups of children from the High School and especially the Junior School (in collaboration with Newbold and Tredington). Three year 10 students managed to arrange their work experience placements in Torigni. But it is the annual family exchange, one year in France the next in England, which has thrived.