The weekend of 28th & 29th April 2018 saw the first visit to Foxton for Montigny families following the hugely successful inaugural visit to France in September last year.
On behalf of the families hosted in Foxton and the twinning committee, I thank you for this superb weekend spent with you. Thank you for your warm (in spite of the weather!) and generous welcome and all the things you had organised for us: the visit, the party and the country-dancing. We wish also to thank the families who hosted the French and did their utmost to entertain them.
The village played host to 44 visitors from our twin across the Channel – almost double the number who had travelled to France last year and a testament to the appetite which exists for the entente cordialebetween the two communities.
Several families with young children were involved in the visit and the fantastic increase in numbers visiting meant that many new hosts in Foxton also stepped-up.
We would like to say a big thank you to the committee for all their hard work in coordinating a very successful weekend. We were very reluctant to take part due to our dreadful French and our busy schedule, but we are very glad we did. Sonia and her daughter Romane who stayed with us were delightful. We are very much looking forward to a return visit.
Children, particularly, went from strangers to best friends in less than 24 hours: our jumelage clearly has a very healthy future.
Visitors were treated to a Friday-night welcome apéro before dining with their hosts. On Saturday, tours of Cambridge and punting had been arranged and, despite the cold and damp weather, the activities were enjoyed by all. The afternoon offered a trip to Wimpole Hall with the choice of a hall or farm visit depending on family interest.
We had a lovely time at Wimpole and this was a great place to visit especially as it is lambing time and adults and children enjoyed the farm. Fish and chips and ceilidh were a great idea and great fun.
A Saturday evening soirée introduced our French visitors to Fish and Chips and traditional country dancing – both providing a huge talking point!
As with our visit to France, the Sunday was given over to hosts so that they could share their own favourite locations. After all, the twinning is as much about the personal touch as it is about the inter-village link.
We took our guests to Wells in Norfolk on the Sunday as they love the countryside and sea – they had taken us to Honfleur. On the way we showed them the horses and studs in Newmarket, Nelson’s birthplace (Burnham Thorpe), Holkham Hall and the wonderful beach and beach huts at Wells.
A final social on the Sunday night, and it was time to say our goodbyes. A few families were able to visit Foxton School on Monday morning before the journey home.
The Montigny Committee is already in discussions about the return visit in 2019 with proposed visit dates in May. If you would like to know more about the Twinning Association, take part in future events or visits, or simply come to some of our events, please contact us using the contact form on the website.
Foxton Twinning Association 