Llandrindod Wells & Area Twinning Association
HYGIEA
Report on the Twinning Forum held on 4 July 2009 An event sponsored by the Education, Audiovisual Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission
Introduction On Saturday 4 July an open forum, organised by Llandrindod Wells and Area Twinning Association, was held at Powys County Hall. The meeting was organised to develop existing links and open up opportunities for groups wishing to benefit from exchange visits. sixty-five delegates attended. In addition to local groups, interested parties, and officers of Powys County Council, there were delegations from each of the two towns, Bad Rappenau in Germany and Contrexeville in France, that are twinned with Llandrindod Wells. The agenda for the forum and list of delegates is included in Appendix 1. Presentations Following an introduction and welcome by Jeff Thomas, the chairman of Llandrindod Wells and Area Twinning Association, the forum was addressed by Kirsty Williams AM on the importance of twinning in Wales. She emphasised that cultural and social exchanges especially involving young people can only improve international relations and bring benefits to the communities involved. She stated that Wales was a small country in Europe and although Radnorshire was sparsely populated its people were enthusiastic to bring forward new ideas. She hoped that the forum would be a catalyst to develop those ideas to enable the three towns involved in twinning to learn from each other and prosper through the further development of twinning. The Challenges and Joys of Twinning in Wales in the 21st century was the subject of a powerpoint presentation by Roger Malvern, a member of the Twinning Association who has been involved in twinning for over thirty years. The main challenge facing the association is that of raising finance. Although a grant is received from the town council, for which the association is grateful, it is not part of the local government structure and is therefore self-financing. Income is generated from events such as sales of goods, country and western evenings, quizzes, raffles and skittles competitions. In addition sponsorship is obtained whenever possible from companies and organisations such as Three Wells Water and the Victorian Festival committee. Roger pointed out that part of the travel costs of the German and French delegations were being met from a grant obtained from European Commission. The involvement of younger families and people is a challenge for an organisation whose members were, mostly, born before the formation of the EU. The participants of cultural and sporting exchanges are often new to twinning and this can sometimes lead to new members becoming actively involved. However, the stringent CRB checks that have to be undertaken when young people are involved in visits are a significant challenge, and the fact that the local high school does not teach German is a limiting factor. Nevertheless the involvement of young people through such initiatives as sporting and cultural exchanges, school exchanges, and joint e-mail projects is a challenge that is currently being addressed. Differences in culture can sometimes lead to difficulties but these can usually be overcome as long as all involved recognise that there are no right and wrong but only different ways of doing things. Matching visitors with hosts is a challenge that can be met more easily if as much information as possible can be obtained before a visit, e.g. special dietary requirements,
and if visits are organised outside the main tourist season when there is less pressure on accommodation. If large groups are involved then finding communal accommodation at an affordable price can be difficult, as can the hire of suitable venues for concerts and performances. Roger outlined the joys of twinning recollecting past visits and performances of choirs and bands from the twinned towns and visits to local attractions and festivals. He concluded that the formation of life-long friendships and links across three countries was the main benefit of twinning and that the breakout sessions following his presentation should examine ways of strengthening those links addressing the challenges posed. The slides from Roger's presentation are included in Appendix 2. Breakout Groups Following a break for coffee and informal discussion the forum reconvened in three groups. As all the three twinned towns have developed over the last 150 years around the healthgiving benefits of their water, the development of spa activities was the subject of the first discussion group. The second discussion group covered cultural and musical exchanges, building upon the visits already made by French and German bands to Llandrindod Wells, and by choirs from Wales to France and Germany. The third group covered youth and sporting activity. Each discussion group was led by a well-experienced local facilitator. The first group discussed the differences in the waters of the three towns and how they were used. Contrexeville waters are used to treat liver and kidney complaints. The underground saline waters of Bad Rappenau are used therapeutically for bathing, to alleviate asthma and rheumatism and in post cancer therapy. It is no longer permitted to drink the waters found in Llandrindod but therapists work in the Rock Park Centre. It was noted that Contrexeville therapists also specialised in slimming and massage and that Coleg Powys student therapists offer beauty therapy to cancer patients at the Bracken Trust in Llandrindod. It was thought that there was potential for therapists to exchange expertise especially as Contrexeville had no post cancer therapy or specialist college, although there is one nearby. The emphasis in Bad Rappenau clinics is for rehabilitation following hospital treatment. The opportunity for student exchanges and work experience exists and could be further investigated with wellness themes being developed. The culture group concluded that the focus should be on participation not just performance or spectating and that activities should be planned to appeal to all age groups. It is not always necessary for people to exchange as art, photographic and sculpture exhibitions can be exhibited in the three towns. Also video conference facilities could be used not just email. Potential exists to promote drama and community films. The group questioned whether we know what young people think when we talk about culture. There is a need to engage with them and ascertain their interests before visits are planned. It was noted that
school holidays do not coincide and that the best time to organise visits for young people is in the autumn. The idea of each twinning partner hosting an eisteddfod was floated, as was the possibility of renewing a catering competition possibly with the theme of tasty slimming. The youth and sports group concluded that the key to successful and long lasting links is to involve youth. When adult sports groups exchange then consideration should be given to providing “taster� sessions in their sport to young people. Representatives of Llandrindod archery club and the tennis club are keen to form links with clubs in the twin towns as is Llandrindod junior soccer club whose representative stated that all children would be accompanied by one parent. He confirmed that all adults involved in the club had been CRB checked. The problems associated with exchange visits involving young people were discussed and it was determined that Powys County Council's guidance on CRB (criminal record) checks would be posted on the twinning website so that partners in Germany and France can fully appreciate the procedures that have to be followed in Britain. Representatives from Bad Rappenau wish to develop links with Welsh fishing clubs. It was agreed that the twinning committee would provide contacts for local clubs. The representative for Powys Youth Service stated that he, and his sports counterpart, would be willing to coordinate any future visits and investigate whether any funding was available to help facilitate exchanges and competitions. It was noted that a youth group from Bad Rappenau was due to stay at the Elan Valley Lodge next July for which a programme of activities suitable for 11 to 15 year olds needs to be organised. The involvement of Young Farmers Clubs in future youth exchanges is also to be investigated. Mayors' Addresses Following a brief feedback and summing up session the mayor of Llandrindod Wells and deputy mayors of Contrexeville and Bad Rappenau addressed the forum. Transcripts of their addresses are included in Appendix 3. The forum concluded at 12.30 with the chairman's closing remarks and thanks.
PHD/twinning/forum report