Verwood
and Three Legged Cross Twinning Association - UK
Please select the Verwood and Heathland Heritage Centre web sites or links below.
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Please select the Verwood and Heathland Heritage Centre web sites or links below.
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In
this issue:
ËËË
he
very warmest of seasonal greetings to you all. The
last couple of months have seen a very successful long weekend visit to Lille
and Ypres, our Annual General Meeting, our first two members’ meetings of the
season in our new “home” in the Methodist Church Hall and continuing work
planning for our big anniversary year next year. Before
we all start indulging in the excesses of the Festive Season we have our own
Christmas celebration to look forward to. This is at a different venue to that
advised on your membership card - we have moved to the Memorial Hall. The date
(9th December) and time (7.30pm) remain unchanged. We have a full
evening of entertainment lined up for you, including the return of our friends
from Jubilate who sing traditional carols a
capella so brilliantly. CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Change of Venue Please
note that this year’s Christmas celebration will be held in the Memorial
Hall from 7.30pm on Weds 9th December. We
will be providing the usual festive refreshments, including soft drinks and
mulled wine, but if you would like beer or wine please bring your own bottles.
That will keep us from falling foul of the new licensing laws
ace night update. Due to the difficulties in finding sufficient sponsors in these straitened times, we have had to cancel our race night planned for 5th December. We will try again for this highly entertaining event next year.
oules.
The final league table
saw us finishing 6th in the Dorset Twinning league - our best result
for a few years now. In September’s cup tournament played at Manston, Barbara
and Brian Bowey finished as losing semi-finalists in the cup competition and
Ieuan and Janice Davies were runners-up in the Plate contest. Well done to both
couples for a very creditable performance.
his
year’s AGM was
very well attended, despite a last-minute change of venue due to double-booking
of the Methodist Hall. We were moved into the Council Chamber at the Council
Offices next door to the Methodist Church, which gave us the opportunity to see
some Twinning memorabilia not normally available to us. The formal business of
the evening provided some lively discussion on some of the proposed changes to
the constitution and afterwards we played Quizgo - a variation on a quiz which
means the quickest thinkers aren’t always the ones to win! This proved so
popular we will probably have a game or two at the Christmas party. ËËË
his
year’s season of Members’ Meetings is now well under way. The
October meeting saw us settling into our new home and hearing Kate Greenaway
tell us about her many (too many for me to count!) occupations. In November,
John Smith gave a fascinating talk about the work of the Special Operations
Executive. After
the Christmas Party we return to the Methodist Hall on the second Wednesday of
each month. January’s speaker is the ever popular (and amusing) Stuart
Timbrell who will be continuing his series of “Discovering Dorset”
presentations. Why not make a note of 13th January in your brand new
diary and join us for coffee and biscuits, meet friends old and new and hear an
interesting speaker. ËËË
celebrations with Champtoceaux. A reminder that the dates for the celebration visit from our friends in Champtoceaux are Thursday 13th May to Sunday 16th. Plans for the programme of events are progressing well so watch this space for full information as things firm up. In
the meantime,
don’t risk missing out on the opportunity to join in the fun. All the events
will be free of charge to hosting members so, if you are willing and able to host some guests
please talk to Joyce on 824469 NOW - it is first come first served so ring today.
ur
weekend in Lille and Ypres was a great success.
43 people took advantage of the opportunity to visit this fine city in northern
France, birthplace of Charles De Gaulle; and an evening excursion over the
border into Belgium to Ypres for dinner and the Last Post ceremony at the Menin
Gate. The evening we visited saw a large contingent of UK visitors, with 2 pipe
bands in addition to the local Fire Brigade, who sound the Last Post there every
night. So we returned home on Sunday evening after a memorable weekend. ËËË
subscriptions
are now due. Rates have been held
at £5 per household for the 4th year running. Many of you have
already paid at the Rustic Fayre, at the AGM or to your newsletter distributor,
but if you haven’t please get in touch with your distributor or Sandra Groves
and let them have your subs. In exchange you will get a pretty pink membership
and “fixture” card for the year. ËËË
our
Officers are:
In
this issue:
ËËË
elcome
to the October newsletter. It
has been a busy time recently (so what’s new?), with the Summer Outing and
Cafe Rene at the Rustic Fayre both being enormous successes again. We have also
been preparing for the two big events coming up in October - the AGM and the
restart of our winter season Members’ meetings - both in our new venue of the
Methodist Church Hall. A formal notice about the AGM, together with some
proposals we are making for changing our constitution are included in this
newsletter. Our Members’ meetings have also moved to the Methodist Church Hall
as we have rather outgrown our original venue at the Band Hall. Also coming up
in October is the long weekend break to Lille and Ypres which promises to be a
weekend to remember for all those booked. I
hope to see you all at one of these fine events - remember it’s YOUR twinning
so come along, experience what we do and we’re open to any suggestions for new
or improved things we can do. ËËË
t
the time of writing we
are still awaiting news of our final position in the Boules league. In fact some
teams have not yet completed their fixtures. So it looks as if we will have to
wait a little longer to see how we got on, but it does look like our efforts
this year should earn us a finish in mid-table respectability.
his
year’s Summer Outing was
another great success. 67 of us boarded the coaches at Morrison’s Car Park for
the short drive to Poole Quay, where our boat was waiting for us. An interesting
cruise around (and very close to) Old Harry Rocks, with fish and chips laid on
for us, found us in Swanage Bay in time to watch the splendid firework display
from a different angle. After the display, with the night air chilling down
noticeably, it was full speed ahead back to Poole, entertained by a 50s and 60s
disco in the boat’s saloon. ËËË
his
year’s season of Members’ Meetings starts this month, again in our new venue
of the Methodist Church Hall. The October
meeting will be on the 14th, starting at 7.30pm. Join us for coffee
and biscuits, meet friends old and new, and hear our guest speaker Kate
Greenaway talk on “My Many Occupations”. For the November meeting, on the 11th,
we will have a new speaker, Mr John Smith, telling us about the Special
Operations Executive. The
December meeting on the 9th will of course be our pre-Christmas
celebration and will be at St Michaels Parish Room as in previous years. ËËË
celebrations
with Champtoceaux. The
dates for our 25th anniversary celebration visit from our friends in
Champtoceaux have now been finalised. They will be arriving on Thursday 13th
May and leaving on Sunday 16th. We have a full programme of
celebrations being planned, including a big day out on the Friday for guests and
hosts together, and a rather special “soirée” on the Saturday afternoon and
evening - so make a note for your 2010 diary now! ËËË A
reminder that Catharina needs your old Birthday Cards to make new ones from. She
sells these cards in support of the Twinning so if you have any to offer, please
let her have them or call her on 813564. ËËË
our
Officers are:
In
this issue:
elcome
to the August newsletter. I
have been thinking about how to get the best out of the four-times per year
newsletters and I have decided that issues in March, June, October and December
would be the best timed to give you all news of forthcoming attractions and
reports of our activities. So this August edition is a bit of a one-off. It is
also being written a bit in advance as I shall be off on holiday shortly and
need to get it to the printers’ before I go. The
BIG event has, of course, been our visit to Liederbach and
a full report follows. There is also a progress report on plans for this
year’s Summer Outing and a report on our performance in the boules league. The
other event of note is that Bill Eggleston, our Membership Secretary, moved out
of Verwood in June and surrendered his duties. I would like to record our
sincere thanks to him for all his work in the past. For the future, Sandra will
be combining Membership records with her Treasurer’s post, which will make it
much simpler to reconcile accounts at renewal time. On
a personal note, I would like to thank everyone for their good wishes during my
recent illness - it was a great comfort to Anjie and myself to know we have such
good friends in the Twinning. ËËË
ur
Boules results this season have been a bit varied.
At
the half-way stage of the season we have won 2 games, drawn 2 and lost 3. We do
not yet have an official league table but I reckon that should put us about
half-way. Don’t forget that everyone is welcome to come along to the boules
pitch on the Memorial Recreation Ground any dry Thursday evening from about 6pm
for a friendly practice or instruction for newcomers. If you show any sort of
promise you could well be in the team for the following Saturday! ËËË
t
the time of writing we are just back from our visit to Liederbach. Our
German friends pulled out all the stops as usual and laid on an interesting and
exhausting programme for us. We arrived at the Liederbachhalle at 7.30pm on
Thursday evening to be greeted with goody bags and a glass of cold beer. United
or re-united with our hosts everyone then adjourned to renew old friendships or
to forge new ones. On Friday morning a coach had been arranged to take us for a
day in the ancient University city of Heidelberg. A morning walking tour was
followed by lunch arranged for us in a local brewhouse. The afternoon was at
leisure and opinion was split as to what to do. Some decided to climb (by
funicular in most cases) to the castle overlooking the town, others opted for a
boat trip along the River Neckar, with the chance of coffee and cake being a
major attraction. Saturday
was the International Street Festival in Liederbach and we took the opportunity
to have a stall in the market offering such English delights as Marmite and
Daddies Sauce. This proved to be very popular and by 6pm we were virtually sold
out, so we shut up shop and spent the rest of the evening enjoying the
entertainment and refreshments that were on offer. On Sunday we were treated to lunch at the official reception, where I was honoured to present the new Bürgermeisterin with three beautiful framed limited-edition watercolours of houses featuring in Thomas Hardy’s novels. On Monday we had more free time with our hosts before leaving for the flight home.
ËËË
his
year’s Summer Outing will
be another attempt to see the Swanage fireworks - let’s hope August this year
brings us better weather than last year. The date is 15th
August with our coach leaving Morrison’s car
park at 6.45pm. We drive to
Poole where our boat, complete with fish and chip supper, will take us to
Swanage for the fireworks which we will watch from the boat, then returning to
Poole and back in Verwood at approx 11.45pm. The
cost will be £21 per head including the fish and
chip supper. Bookings and full details are
available from Brian on 822299.
here
is now a face-lifted version of our “introduction to twinning” leaflet.
They
are available from the Heritage Centre and at the Council Offices but if anyone
would like a copy to entice a friend or neighbour to join us, you could also
please give me a call. ËËË
few
places are left on the autumn weekend break. This
is staying in Lille with a Saturday evening trip to the Last Post ceremony at
the Menin Gate in Ypres. When?
9th
- 11th October 2009 How much?
Just £140
per person. Supplements apply for single
room occupancy and insurance. How do I book or find out more? Email
or speak to Terry - details below. Or download a booking form from our website.
(For a booking form select Lille
booking form .doc) ËËË Catharina
needs your old Birthday Cards to make new ones from. She sells these cards in
support of the Twinning so if you have any to offer, please let her have them or
call her on 813564. ËËË
hat’s
it for this issue. The next newsletter will be the October edition with news of
the AGM and our new season of monthly meetings.
ËËË
our
Officers are:
In
this issue: Chairman’s
musings
elcome
to the May newsletter. This
is the first of the now quarterly newsletters. In the current financial
climate, our friends at Xadon Ltd, who have been doing such a wonderful job
producing the glossy colour newsletter have found it necessary to charge us
cost price to continue. As it is unlikely we would find anyone else who would
do such a professional job for us, your committee has decided to continue with
Xadon on a cost price basis but to make the Newsletters quarterly rather than
2-monthly. Our thanks go to Xadon for their help. Since
the last newsletter, we
have had our last 2 members’ meetings of the winter season, with a very
entertaining talk by Kate Greenaway about her time as a traffic warden in
Bournemouth and in March Stewart Timbrell continued his hilarious voyage of
discovery around Dorset. Plans for the next season, starting on 14th
October, are already in hand; including a change of venue to the Methodist
Church Hall in Vicarage Road. As
a result of the change to quarterly newsletters,
the Companion Dog Show on 2nd May and our
contribution to the Memorial Hall Golden Anniversary celebrations may have
gone unnoted. Thanks are due to Audrey, David and all the helpers who make the
dog show such a success. For the Memorial Hall celebrations, we facilitated a
boules taster session for visitors which was very well received.
he
boules season is upon us again. All
members are welcome to come along to the boules pitch on the Memorial
Recreation Ground any dry Thursday evening from about 6pm for a friendly
practice or instruction for newcomers. After the practice it is not unknown
for us to re-hydrate in the Legion.
y
the time you read this,
plans for our visit to Liederbach will have been
finalised. In order to minimise costs, we have offered the trip to members of
other local Twinning Associations and prospective members.
utumn
weekend break. We
have been able to secure a very reasonably-priced long weekend break to Lille
in October. Our coach from Verwood will take us to Dover for the ferry to
Calais, then onward to Lille, about an hour’s drive. We will be staying in a
two star hotel, similar to the Ibis chain, for two nights bed and buffet
breakfast. If you are not too exhausted from exploring Lille, with its
Grand’ Place, Citadelle, Old Bourse etc, on the Saturday afternoon/evening
the coach will take us to Ypres, just across the border in Belgium, where
there are numerous good restaurants. At eight o’clock every evening, the
local fire brigade play “Last Post” at the Menin Gate in honour of those
who died in the area during the world wars. They have done this every evening
since 11 November 1929, except during the Nazi occupation of the town from 20
May 1940 to 6 September 1944. During the occupation the bugles were buried to
hide them from the occupying forces. On the day the town was liberated, the
bugles were dug up and the tradition resumed. This is a very poignant ceremony
and should not be missed.
Views
of Lille:
ËËË
ext
year will see a celebration for 25 years of twinning with Champtoceaux.
We
are already looking at different ways we can push the boat out when our
friends come over to visit us. Precise dates have not yet been finalised but
your input counts - if you have any ideas how we can make next year’s visit
extra special please let me - or any other committee member - know. ËËË
our
Officers are:
In
this issue: Chairman’s
musings Members’
meetings Visit
to Liederbach Reminders
Christmas
Party photos ËËË
ËËË
orthcoming
Members’ Meetings.
The February meeting (11th) promises to be
especially entertaining with a talk on “The Human Side of Being a Traffic
Warden”. Do join us at these meetings - they are becoming more and more
popular and they’re a great way to keep in touch with your Twinning friends. ËËË
eter
will probably have been in touch with you all
by now with details of the arrangements that are in place for June’s visit to
Liederbach. A coach will be leaving Verwood on the 18th in tim ËËË
EMINDERS: Firstly, there may be some misprints on your membership card. The
date of the October 2009 Members’ meeting should be 14th, not the 7th
as shown. You
may also wish to note on the front cover that our new vice-Chairman is John
Blackwell, tel 868763. Also,
Peter Aisthorpe-Buckley’s telephone number is 824313, not as printed. You will
need to have this correct in order to book in for June’s trip to Liederbach. Secondly,
if you would like to join
Ferndown Twinning Association on
their visit to Segré in July would you please let their chairman, Douglas Lock,
know as soon as possible. His number is 896984. Segré is only 40 miles from
Champtoceaux, so if your friends there are willing to collect you, this is an
ideal opportunity to visit them at a reasonable cost. Finally,
there are two opportunities for you to brush up your French and/or German.
I have had some positive response to the offer from one of
our friends from Champtoceaux to come to Verwood to run courses, either during
daytimes or evenings, to teach beginners or improvers sufficient to “get by”
for tourism, leisure and daily life in France. But to make this viable we need
more. Most likely dates would be in the autumn. Please let me know as soon as
possible if you would be interested in joining in. Catharina
Green is also still offering the opportunity for French or German conversation
sessions. Call her on 813564 for details. ËËË
Pictures
from the Christmas Party
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