Arrived safely in Solihull

Juliet

Our friends have arrived safely in Solihull and asked me to tell you that everything is fine. The weather is lovely, they are enjoying themselves and are all practising their English!

Today they are going to Worcester and will visit the cathedral.

Dave

Visit to Solihull

The guests of the Solihull Twinning Association arrive in Solihull on Saturday and I am looking forward to meeting them. Obviously they have ordered some good weather in advance since the forecast is for sunny weather until at least Tuesday.

There is a reception to welcome them at the home of our Chairlady Val on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday there is a visit to Worcester Cathedral and there is a tour of the cathedral in the afternoon.

Monday is to be a day spent mostly with hosts although there is a social event with some games in the evening.

On Tuesday there is a daytrip to Ironbridge (birthplace of British Industry) to visit the museums and see the bridge.

Finally we are seeing the mayor of Solihull on Wednesday morning and visiting Baddesley Clinton in the afternoon.

It will be good to meet those friends that I met when I was in Cholet last year.

Dave

Nouvelles de France

Enfin un message en français !! Pardonnez le silence des "french penfriends" . Ils sont tous débordés par leurs nombreuses activités !! Au moins en ce qui concerne les élèves de Juliet !!
Comme j'en fais partie , je serai brève .

Pour répondre à Dave , les journalistes du monde entier ont fait savoir la très bonne participation des Français au scrutin .Pour une fois "cocorico !!"
Espérons que le prochain tour des élections (le long WE du 8 mai), ils seront aussi motivés pour choisir leur futur président(e) !! Car , eux aussi , se plaignent toujours et sont d'éternels mécontents !! Quelqu'un me disait récemment : "on est ingouvernables"

Pour changer de sujet , je vous soumets ici un site pour découvrir comment les Choletais savent faire la fête à l'occasion de leur carnaval . Il y a quelques années , un groupe de Solihull était présent au moment du carnaval . Si vous voulez un aperçu du dernier : défilé de jour le 15 avril , défilé de nuit le 21 avril , allez sur le lien suivant : www.cholet.maville.com .

Maryvonne

Schools in Solihull

I've heard about a school exchange that has been done between the sixth form college and a high school in Cholet...so there are things going on. That's positive isn't it.

Lindsey has also been in touch with someone from Alderbrook who might like to do penfriends and maybe more, so who knows.

I still think a youth club might like a trip to France. So Dave if you know of any nice youth clubs maybe you could see if they might like come on a trip and do water sports or photography for example.

Good luck

Juliet

Ready to vote?

So the French Presidential election is this weekend is it?

Will you all vote? Obviously voting intention or even intention to vote is a very personal thing. However, what interests me in whether or not the French take any interest in their referendums.

In England, people have become more and more apathetic towards elections and politics in general. The only time that people really engage in it is to complain about the government.

The turnout for the UK general election is generally quite low and was below 60 % in 2005. The local government elections fare even worse with about only 30% of people voting.

But what about France?

Juliet, of course as an english representative, you are of course entitled to ask the question ‘Is anything happening this weekend?’

Dave

The Grand National and the Turf Accountants

This weekend sees the staging of the Grand National – A horse race over fences. Horse racing has been popular in England for many years. Is this true of France?

There are certain areas of UK where it is more popular than others. For example, some of the more rural areas in which race horses are bred. Of course this includes the regions which have the big race courses located in them. In fact our Royal Family are famous for their interest in the sport.

However there a few races that always attract huge media attention and one of them is the Grand National. For one day only, fifty percent of the English take an avid interest in the sport and head off to the turf accountants – this is a rather strange English phrase for someone with whom you can place a bet on the outcome of a race.

Whether it’s the length and duration of the race or the sheer size of the fences it seems to hold the attention of the English.

A nation of gamblers, well perhaps not but it is a little bit of fun once a year.

Dave

Young people

I know that lots of young French people would like to get involved in twinning with the UK as it's a good way of being able to have a "cheap" language exchange. The French need to improve their English and I know that the English don't need to learn French....

I can understand as Dave has said in the past that spending a long weekend with a group of retired people visiting tourist attractions might not seem too exciting for youngsters an 30 somethings. So the only way round that is to adapt.

The director of the language school where I work in France has had an idea about linking families up and then you go and stay with them for a weekend and vice versa; you don't have to go on an organized trip.

I think that young people are interested in finding out what real life is like in different countries and many take a year out to travel. Voluntary work is also interesting. I know that in a town in the vendée there is a sort of agreement to find young British girls to work in primary schools for a year. Many things are possible but they need to be organized.

I know that Cholet has a link with an African village. It would be great if French and British students could go there together....why not!

I've been told that there has been a high school exchange this year....so that's a good start

We can also link up interest groups; football and youth groups.

I've been in contact with a youth group but never got a reply....if they'd like to come and do an activity week in France with watersport it's possible in Cholet. Could you pass on the message for me?

I think younger families like camping why not have a twinning camping holiday weekend/week.
Lots of beer and BBQ fun. We can recommend sites in/near Cholet and near the coast too. It could always be the start to a camping holiday and cheap French lessons could be included too.

As far as I'm concerned the sky is the limit......however I know that we must be realistic....

I'm a dreamer!!

Let's see if there are any other dreamers out there.

Juliet

Young People in Twinning

Hi everyone

Stimulated by Dave and juliet's messages of February 19, 'Lots of Trips' in which they discussed this subject, I went with a friend to a meeting in Bromsgrove of the Worcestershire Twinning Association last week where it was on the Agenda together with the subject of "Re-inventing Twinning for the Modern Age."

These two subjects appear totally different, but they are in fact linked in my opinion.

Young People

It was said that older people in British Twinning Associations want to enjoy meeting old friends abroad in a 'safe' and comfortable environment, to make visits to interesting places and to have fun. They do not want to travel to new, far off countries sometimes riding in the back of a lorry for example to very basic accomodation with perhaps some health hazards.

Young British people on the other hand it was felt, often regard a trip across the Channel for the weekend to be boring. They are looking for adventure, new experiences and excitement - such as can be found in a country never before visited and possibly not as affluent as our own.

Perhaps that is why we have so much trouble attracting them?

It was also said at the meeting that French people might have better connections and relationships with their young people across the age differences than we do in Britain. There was no-one there from France, so there was no answer. Is this true?

'Back to the Drawing Board?'

Someone at the meeting surprised me. He said "when I think back fifty years, it is clear to me that the purpose of Twinning was to make friends from enemies and that is why we twinned with towns in Germany. Who are the enemies today with whom we wish to make friends?"

Clearly, France is not one of "the enemies" of Britain and has not been for a hundred years or so, indeed there is an 'entente cordiale', and I personally have always been greeted with wonderful hospitality and kindness even from strangers there outside of Twinning. Sometimes however people in Britain feel that politically, France "does not keep to the rules!" (maybe French people think similar things about Britain!) and that French workers and particularly farmers take a more aggressive position when things happen that they do not like - they have blocked French ports in the past for instance - and therefore change things to the disadvantage of Britain.

It seems to me that is why the friendships developed through our twinning with Cholet for example are so important.

But should we be looking to young people to develop twinning with the countries of Asia, the Middle East and Africa for example - and should we be helping them to do this through our Twinning expertise?

Richard