March Twinning Association

FOLLOWING their recent committee meeting, members and guests of the March Twinning Association were treated to a slide show presentation by participants in a summer exchange.

In August this year a group of six pupils from the Neale-Wade School travelled to March’s twin town, St Jean de Braye in France, to join up with teenagers from other countries in order to take part in ‘Jeunesse en Action’ – an initiative designed to bring young people from different countries together to take part in various activities.

The exchange was organised by the committee in St Jean de Braye with funding from Europe. Under the guidance of teachers Siobhan and Emma, the group travelled by Eurostar to Paris from where they were transported by minibus to a gite in the Loire Valley near St Jean de Braye. There they met up with the participants from two of St Jean de Braye’s other twin towns - Pfullendorf in Germany and Tuchow in Poland and a group from St Jean de Braye itself.

The whole group enjoyed an action packed week which included shooting, swimming, canoeing and cycling together with climbing and rope swings at a ‘Go Ape’ centre. There was also time to visit a chateau and to go sightseeing and shopping in neighbouring Orleans.

A full day was spent in Paris where the group climbed the Eiffel Tower, visited the Stade de France and took a trip on a bateau mouche.

In the evenings the four groups took turns at cooking – trying to give each other a taste of their home country.

The last night consisted of a barbeque and a party.

All agreed that the week had been a fantastic experience and they hoped that it could be extended to a trip to one of the other participating countries in the future.

March Twinning Association continue to forge links with St Jean de Braye and are planning their next trip to France in May next year. If you wish to find out more about the Association and its activities, contact 01354 650549.