Yearbook 2016/17 http://llandrindodtwinning.wordpress.com/
Llandrindod Wells & Area Twinning Association
Llandrindod Wells & Area Twinning Association A Message from our Chairman Welcome to our 2016/17 Yearbook featuring reports on the activities and visits organised by Llandrindod Twinning during an eventful year. Despite the referendum decision to sever Britain’s European links as a member of the EU the Twinning Association has continued to develop and grow our links with friends in Bad Rappenau and Contrexéville. We started the year enjoying our annual dinner at Fabian's Kitchen where we had a lovely meal and an enjoyable social evening on a mild January evening. The Committee worked hard to organise fund raising events and activities starting with a near sell-out concert at Holy Trinity Church. In May and November we held two very successful sales at the Community Charity Shop and we are particularly grateful to everyone who generously donated goods. A group of thirty-five visitors from Bad Rappenau spent a long weekend in May as our guests sharing local trips with host families and discovering Mid Wales for the first time. In August a small group of golfers visited Llandrindod and enjoyed a challenging few days golf with local players and a youth group from Bad Rappenau experienced a weeks holiday together staying at the Elan Valley Lodge. In September a delegation of nineteen supporters from Llandrindod Wells, led by the mayor Jon Williams accompanied by his family, thoroughly enjoyed a visit to Bad Rappenau to celebrate 15 years of twinning between the two towns. Two weeks later the Mayor of Bad Rappenau, Heribert Blättgen, came to Llandrindod Wells with a small delegation from the Town Hall and Twinning Association to consolidate the links between the towns. Looking forward to 2017 we have a number of projects planned. In May we will be hosting a group from Contrexéville and in October we have been invited to the Oktoberfest celebrations in Bad Rappenau. We are indebted to Llandrindod Town Council for supporting the activities of the Twinning Association and everyone who has hosted guests from our twin towns during the year.
With Best wishes for 2017
Rob Shelton
Jan Feb Mar Annual Dinner On Saturday 23 January over thirty members of the Twinning Association gathered at Fabian's Kitchen in Temple Street for a delicious dinner and social evening. The event also marked the launch of the 2015 Yearbook that was distributed to all those present. In appreciation of his efforts in compiling and publishing the Yearbook for seven consecutive years the editor, Peter Davies, was presented with a bottle of whisky by the chairman who, as well as looking back on the achievements of the past twelve months, looked forward to another full and productive year in 2016.
The Twinning Association is grateful to all the local businesses who have placed adverts in the 2016 Yearbook. Without their generous support this publication would not be possible
Organiser of the
Saturday 27 May 2017
Apr May Jun Choir Concert The Twinning Association held a very successful fundraising Spring Concert at Holy Trinity Church, Llandrindod Wells, on Saturday 2 April. The Concert featured Builth Male Voice Choir supported by Mid Powys Youth Choir and young local soprano Holly Richards. The choir sang a varied programme including traditional Welsh favourites, folk songs and popular music which was very much appreciated by a large audience. The young singers from the Mid Powys Youth Choir, under the baton of Musical Director Eleanor Madoc-Davies, enchanted the audience with the high quality of their harmonies.
Mid Powys Youth Choir Choi
Holly Richards, a talented young soprano soloist from Llandegley who has built up a repertoire of popular songs for Music in Hospitals, received rapturous applause after her polished performance.
Holly Richards
The concert was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended and also enabled the Twinning Association to raise a considerable contribution to its Exchange Support Fund.
Builth Male Voice Choir Choi
Jan Feb Mar Sale of of Goods
During the second week of May the Twinning Association held its first sale of goods in 2016 in the Community Shop in Middleton Street. Selling a wide variety of items donated by twinning supporters and members of the Bad Rappenau Twinning Association, the fundraising exercise raised a substantial sum of money which will be used to help offset the expenses associated with hosting visits to Llandrindod by groups from our twin towns.
Bad Rappenau Twinners Visit Llandrindod Later in the month a group of thirty-five guests from Bad Rappenau, completed a three-day stay in Mid Wales. The party was welcomed by Llandrindod’s Mayor, Councillor Jon Williams, at a reception at the Hotel Commodore where a small number of the visitors stayed. The other guests were accommodated in the homes of supporters of Llandrindod Twinning. The guests spent the next day with their hosts participating in various activities including shopping in Cardiff and visiting local points of interest. That evening several guests and hosts were entertained by long-standing twinning supporter Sheila Bufton at her home in Crossgates. On their third day the visitors were taken on a day out in Tenby where they had an exhillerating boat trip to view seals and nesting seabirds around Caldey Island. On their return to Llandrindod the group stopped at the Plough, near Llandeilo, for an evening meal. For many of the guests it was their first visit to Wales and many commented on the beauty of the Welsh countryside and the welcome and hospitality that they had enjoyed. At the farewell Sibylle Hummel, Chairman of Bad Rappenau Twinning, thanked the host families for their generous hospitality during the visit which had been a great success.
All aboard the “Island Cruise” for a trip around Caldey Island
Jul Aug Sep German Golfers Visit
On the last Sunday of July Rob and Barbara Shelton and Ed Coady drove to Birmingham airport to pick up a group of four German golfers, Martin, Vera, Wolfgang and Margaret. After a meal stop on the way back the guests were dropped off at Portland House where they stayed for the duration of their visit. Monday morning arrived wet and windy and Jeff and Wendy Thomas joined Ed and Anna Coady to take on the might of Germany. Ed hit a fantastic drive off the first tee and was followed by Wolfgang who just managed to dribble his ball past the ladies' tee. A sign of things to come! The game progressed with the German opponents becoming more and more despondent. The golfers were met at the 10th tee by the resouceful Peter Davies who provided hot coffee and pastries. Suitably refreshed, but pretty wet and cold, the game continued with our German friends gallantly braving the ever worsening elements whilst their golf continued to deteriorate. At the end of 18 holes Ed tried to console the losing opponents declaring, whilst trying to keep a straight face, that it is the taking part that counts and not the winning! That afternoon everyone hurried over to Penybont to watch the trotting races. There they were met, once again, by Twinning Secretary, Peter Davies, with a packed picnic hamper and a smile. That evening the exhausted guests were taken back to their B and B to recover from their day's exertions The following day the guests all enjoyed a visit to Aberystwyth sharing a coach with a youth group from Bad Rappenau who were staying at the Elan Valley Lodge on a private visit.
Almost halfway round
Another game of golf was played on the Wednesday in similar weather conditions to Monday and with a simlar result. Wolfgang stated that he had lost more golf balls in the two rounds at Llandrindod than he had in the whole season at his home course in Bad Rappenau! That evening the weather improved enabling everyone to enjoy a barbecue at Ed and Anna Coady's. The final full day in Llandrindod was spent visiting the Elan Valley the guests being accompanied by Ed and Anna, Wendy Thomas, Rob Shelton and his wife, Barbara, who talked about the history of the reservoirs. In spite of the inclement weather the German golfers enjoyed their trip and talked about repeating the experience next year, hopefully in the sunshine.
Annual General Meeting The 2016 Annual General Meeting was held at the Hotel Commodore on Thursday 8th September. After those present agreed the minutes of the previous year's meeting the chairman, Rob Shelton, presented his annual report. In his report Rob outlined the events that had taken place in a very busy year and thanked all those members of the Association, the committee, helpers and hosts, who had contributed to the success. The treasurer elect, Edmund Coady, presented the yearly accounts. All those present were gratified to note the surplus in the accounts. The chairman thanked everyone for their fundraising efforts and the Town Council for their continued financial support. He looked forward to another successful year but noted that the vote to leave the European Union would result in the loss of funding opportunities and would present the Association with fresh challenges to maintain the success of the twinning relationships with ContrexĂŠville and Bad Rappenau. The following officers and committee members were elected at the meeting:
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7 Funding Secretary VACANT
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Officers: Chairman: Rob Shelton (1), Vice Chairman: Shanaz Dorkenoo (2),Treasurer: Edmund Coady (3), Secretary: Peter Davies (4), Hosting Secretaries: Martine Saunders (5),and Jackie Hankey (6) who will also act as French liaison. Publicity will be covered by the chair and vice-chair. Members: Elsbeth Vipond (German liaison) (7), Deryn Gambles (8), Jeff Thomas (9).Hilarie Priddy (10)The mayor Jonathon Williams (11) and Elaine Worgan (12) represent Llandrindod Town Council, with Cllr Tom Turner (13) representing Powys CC.. In the absence of a fundraising secretary it was agreed that committee members would cover this role on an event by event basis.
Town twinning is an agreement of goodwill made between two or more towns, of similar size and character, in different countries. They sign a charter to foster friendship and goodwill. Reciprocal visits foster personal friendships and mutual understanding. By visiting a twin town, staying with a family and discussing things of mutual interest, we discover what we have in common and learn to understand and enjoy our cultural differences.
About Twinning The aims of the Twinning Association The Association wants to make twinning accessible to all sectors of our community and would like to hear from any local group wishing to make an exchange visit. These are some of the areas in which we would like to see exchange visits being arranged : • education, training and work experience • culture, music and the arts • sport and recreation • business and tourism development • social visits We particularly wish to support exchanges involving young people.
How is the Association run?
How can I get involved? There are no limits to the extent to which the twinning programme can be developed for the benefit of our community. We look to local residents and groups to put forward ideas, so that the programme can reflect the needs and wishes of the community. If you can offer
The Twinning Association is an independent organisation and relies on the energy and enthusiasm of local residents to make the programme work. A small committee of volunteers runs the twinning programme and keeps in regular contact with our counterparts in Contrexéville and Bad Rappenau. The committee is supported by a number of working groups dealing with matters such as fundraising, publicity and hospitality.
How is twinning funded?
Our Twin Towns We signed a twinning charter with the small spa town of Contrexéville in 1992. It is located in a region of low mountains called the Vosges, a rural area sharing many features with Radnorshire. Contrexéville was itself twinned with the German spa town of Bad Rappenau situated near Heidelberg. In 2001 Llandrindod Wells and Bad Rappenau signed a formal twinning charter .
The Association’s activities are funded almost exclusively from local voluntary contributions. The Association also receives grant support from Llandrindod Wells Town Council and seeks grant aid from the European Commission for specific projects. However, we rely almost exclusively on the efforts of our fundraising working group in order to meet the cost of receiving visiting groups relying on local families to provide hospitality. Additional funds are needed for the receptions and social gatherings which we arrange whilst visitors are here. These events provide excellent opportunities for visitors and local people to meet.
Groups and people travelling abroad are responsible for your help on a regular or seasonal basis, funding their own transport costs. for example by helping with fundraising or The Association assists groups to find accommodation through our by putting up visitors in your home, this counterparts in Contrexéville and will help to enlarge and expand our twinning links. This provides opportunities Bad Rappenau. to get involved with your local community and with the French and German visitors. Opportunities will then arise for visiting Contrexéville and Bad Rappenau at the cost of a bus or air ticket and some presents for your host family.
If you are interested in getting involved in twinning then please contact the Twinning Association's Chairman Rob Shelton (tel +44 (0) 1597 851427) or any other committee member. Our email address is: llandodtwinning@yahoo.com
Jan Feb Mar 15th Anniversary Visit to Bad Rappenau During the third week in September Bad Rappenau Partnerschaft hosted guests from Llandrindod Wells to commemorate15 years of twining between the two towns. They were joined by a group from our joint twin town in France, Contrexéville. The twenty-two strong delegation from Llandrindod, whose ages ranged from eight to over eighty, had a chance to enjoy some new attractions around the area. The six-day trip included a visit to the amazing Auto-Technic Museum, Spa pool Rappsodie, a forest walk, the magnificent Ludwigsburg Palace and gardens, bowling, hosted dinners and two days of celebrations at Grombach with wonderful food and local music.
The group with hosts at Ludwigsburg Palace At the official evening celebration Jon Williams, Mayor of Llandrindod Wells, spoke eloquently about the years of friendship between all three communities likening the twinning relationship to his son’s birth stating that ‘just like a child growing up, we have experienced new things, learned from one another,“ In response Heribert Blättgen, Mayor of Bad Rappenau, spoke about some of the highlights in recent years including exchanges between Wilhelm Hauff The mayors with Mme Simonin
Entertainment at Grombach
Real School and Llandrindod High school, youth exchange visits supported by the European Union Erasmus plus scheme, youth choirs, youth football teams and scout group exchanges. He believed that the exchange of young people is most important for the future of twinning and wished for the same harmony in the years ahead. Speeches were also delivered by Sibylle Hummel, president of the Bad Rappenau committee, Babette Simonin chair of the ContrexĂŠville twinning, and Edmund Coady representing the Llandrindod committee in the absence of chairman Rob Shelton who was unable to attend due to a prior commitment. On the Sunday of the visit a special morning service was held in Grombach which was followed by lunch and musical entertainment after which the guests spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with their hosts. Mayor's Speech The Mayor's Speech
The Wasserschloss On the final day everyone, except Ed Coady who opted to play golf, travelled by train to Ludwigsburg for the pumkin festival returning for an evening meal in the picturesque Wasserschloss. During the visit members of the Llandrindod Twinning Committee had a frank and fruitful meeting with their German counterparts during which priorities and protocols for future events were established.
Hygeia Badges In Greek and Roman mythology Hygeia was the daughter of the god of medicine. She was the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation, and was associated with the prevention of sickness. Her image, used previously on Llandrindod Wells souvenir wares, has been adopted by the Association as our logo and features on 20mm x 15mm enamelled metal badges that we have for sale at only ÂŁ1.50 each.
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Oct Nov Dec Mayor Visits Llandrindod Wells At the beginning of October the mayor of Bad Rappenau, Herbert Blättgen, visited Llandrindod Wells with his wife and a small delegation of six people from Bad Rappenau Council and the town's Twinning Association. On their journey to Wales from Birmingham Airport the group stopped at Stratford-upon-Avon visiting Anne Hathaway's cottage and other attractions before meeting their hosts at the Harp in Old Radnor for an evening meal. Members of the party, who were hosted for the four-day visit in the homes of Twinning Association members, enjoyed a sight-seeing tour of the area which included visiting the indoor bowling centre and Holy Trinity Church where local young people were performing in the Llandrindod Eisteddfod. The experience of traditional Welsh culture and the involvement of young families together with the standards achieved impressed the German visitors. During their stay the group also visited Cardiff city centre and Cardiff Bay stopping at Castell Coch and St Fagan's folk museum en route. Presentation at Fabian's Fabien's Kitchen
Anne Hathaway's Cottage
Cardiff Bay
The short visit concluded with a meal at Fabian's Kitchen attended by the Mayor of Llandrindod Wells and members of Llandrindod Wells Town Council together with members of the Twinnng Association. In appreciation of the hospitality received Herr Blättgen presented the Mayor, Jon Williams, and Twinning Association Chairman, Rob Shelton, with products from the Bad Rappenau Spa.
Remembrance Service On 13th November chairman, Rob Shelton, and treasurer, Edmund Coady, represented the Twinning Association at the Rembrance Day Service in Llandrindod Wells takng part in the procession from the Royal British Legion Club to the war memorial in Town Hall Gardens where they placed a wreath commemorating the fallen in the two world wars and subseqent conflicts. The Twinning Association Wreath
Jackie Hankey. Ed Coady & Elsbeth Vipond take a break outside the shop
Autumn Shop Sale From 19th to 26th November the Twinning Association rented the community charity shop in Middleton Street for the second time in the year. The opening day corresponded with the switching on of the town's Christmas lights and after setting up the shop in the early afternoon and dressing the windows a brisk trade was done selling a varied range of donated items together with Christmas decorations and cards. Over ÂŁ1,500 was raised during the week of the sale which will help fund the forthcoming visit in May 2017 to Llandrindod by residents of ContrexĂŠville to celebrate 25 years of twinning between the two towns. The Association is grateful to everyone who gave items to sell, to Barbara Shelton for making Christmas wreaths and knitted robins, to Joyce Hope and Barbara for their tasteful and eye-catching festive window display, and to all those members of the committee who manned the shop during the week. As the shop sale is a major source of income, it is hoped that the Association will be able to hold further sales in 2017. Details will be announced on the website nearer the time.
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Highland Moors Guest House & Conference Centre
Highland Moors Guest House
Oct Nov Dec FABIAN'S KITCHEN Restaurant in Llandrindod Wells
Tel: 01597 824642 www.fabianskitchen.co.uk bookings@fabianskitchen.co.uk
Forthcoming Events in 2017 Amongst the activities being planned by the Twinning Association for 2017 are: Jan: Annual Dinner Feb: Skittles Evening Apr: Spring Quiz May: AGM on 17th 25th Anniversary Visit to Llandrindod Jul: 25th Aniversary celebrations in France Aug: German scouts visit Llandrindod Sep: Charity shop sale Oct: Visit to Bad Rappenau Other events & fundraising activities will be advertised on the Twinning website
HOTEL C OMMODORE SPA ROAD, LLANDRINDOD WELLS, LD1 5ER
www.hotelcommodore.co.uk info@hotelcommodore.co.uk 44(0)1597 822 288
Llandrindod Wells
Golf Club
SUNDAY LUNCH The Great British Tradition
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Tables available from 12-3pm