REPORT IN LA GAZETTE MARANDAISE
THE TWINNING COMMITTEE
A REVIEW OF THE YEAR
The Lotto on the 12th April: this was a great success not only because of the number of players but also because of the involvement of the members of the twinning association  in its organisation. The lottos are an important source of income for the association.
The showing of the film Africatour on the 29th April: there were about 200 people in the hall to see a journey in pictures with Bernard and Annick Bouchereau; to learn about the customs, scenery and their contact with people in seven countries of West Africa. DVD’s were available , free of charge, for  the audience who could ,if they wished, make a donation to the association. We would like to thank the spectators for their interest in this evening and also for their generosity . Their donations will help us to increase our aid to  Boffa. Another film will be shown in the autumn about life in Guinea and the involvement of the twinning association.           
The visit of our English friends: In 1996 a twinning charter was signed between Marans and Barrow upon Soar in England; taking on the responsibility  the Twinning Committee has endeavoured to organise, cultural, sporting and tourist exchanges. It is as a result of  the contacts that have been established  that  the Eveil has been to Barrow. During all this time friendly links have been established  resulting in annual exchanges, one year in Barrow , the next in Marans.
From 28th May to 1st June our English friends were offered hospitality by the members of the Twinning association. The committee  had put together a  splendid programme  of visits.  

The visit started with a working meeting , chaired by Valerie Bah, between the two committees. The objective was to find new avenues for exchanges. Many options were discussed , one of which was to enable families from Marans and from Barrow to stay in England or France  and to be hosted by families     ( separately from group visits).    
Saturday was spent visiting  our ‘marais’ and its activities. After a short reception at the Town Hall, where two deputy mayors representing M Bernard Ferrier welcomed our guests, we went deep into the Labbe marais ,  which was looking at its best  for the spring, for a picnic which had been organised at the Ouvrard farm. We had an interesting visit to the farm and saw the cheese making which was explained by Philippe Ouvrard. At the Rochers de Cybele, at Charron, M Giraudet a bee keeper explained  the needs of his protégées with the enthusiasm which typifies him . His daughter, who has worked in England and who knows Barrow. provided the translation into English. The day came to an end with a visit chez Laurette at Marsilly , where under the drizzle (from the other side of the Channel) the ostriches looked us up and down from the top of their long necks. If the weather was dull the sun was in every heart and the dinner was very convivial. 
During these visits our English friends  had the pleasure of meeting people from Marans and round about who said: ‘I know Barrow, I went with the school.’ It is true that the twinning has been in existence since 1996 but the links are much older. In fact hundreds of pupils from several generations, initially from the secondary modern school and later from the college, have crossed the   Channel to sit on the school benches of Humphrey Perkins School at Barrow. These exchanges continued for more than forty years.   
The Sunday visits were very much enjoyed by the English visitors and the French hosts  who went by bus to Panloy Chateau in Saintonge where the Marquis of Grailly introduced us to  his house  by telling some lively tales. Then it was time for an exploration of the Crazannes quarries.
On Monday there was an unusual visit to bridge to the Ile de Re: an hour and a half of explanations on the workings of the bridge. In the evening with their  host families and many members of the association our English friends were invited to the house of one of our members to close this visit with  joy and good humour. In turn, in English and French, there was a singing competition of the songs of our two countries, to end singing in harmony accompanied by the accordion.
All good things must come to an end, we left each other on Tuesday June 1st promising to meet again next year in Barrow.