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Hampshire TWINNING |
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Oise JUMELAGE |
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CROOKHAM VILLAGE TWINNING WITH LÉVIGNEN Who are
we? When did we begin? The association between our two villages commenced in 1982. What do we do? Until the Arrival of Covid19 in 2020, every May or June, in odd numbered years, we have enjoyed a weekend visit of people from Lévignen to Crookham Village , and, in the even numbered years, a similar visit from Crookham Village (and the surrounding communities) to Lévignen. Participants in these visits stay with families in the country of visit. The committees in each village work together to match hosts and guests as much as possible, i.e. families with young children with similar families and those with grown up children with other couples with grown up families. Single people also participate in the visits, sometimes joining with other visitors where this can be arranged. Over the years, with some variations, the visits have followed a now familiar pattern, usually with dinner with the host family on Friday evening, a day sight-seeing or similar on the Saturday, a collective (catered) meal with music and dancing on the Saturday evening and, on Sunday afternoon, a picnic (provided by the hosts), followed by Inter-Village Games - which are always rigged to ensure that the visitors win! The visits have continued through the years to provide opportunities to experience French family life, learn some words of French, enjoy the French sense of fun, and also to get to know people from Crookham Village and places nearby, whom many have not met before. How are we funded? As with all similar organisations, fund-raising social events are organised during each year, to help cover the costs of entertaining our visitors in the years when we are the hosts. The French similarly organise fund-raising on their side to entertain us when we visit. How have we celebrated the twinning? Daniel Leger, a leading figure from the village presented us, in 1983, with a painting he had created of the Lévignen village church. At that time in great need of restoration – a feat which was completed in 2018.
Later we planted a tree in the grounds of the Community Centre in Lévignen as a permanent reminder and a plaque was placed in the grounds of the Centre.
In response, in 2017 we were presented at a twinning exchange weekend with a milestone which was placed in the centre of the village, in the small garden plot outside the former Crookham Village Stores, which many of you will have seen as you drove drove or walked through the village.
In addition, over the years, streets in Zebon Copse, which is Part of Crookham Village, have been named after French people and places involved in the twinning, e.g. Some places we have visited during our twinning weekends in France
Fun at Hartley Wintney Fair
Performances by the Hook Morris Men with "audience participation" at the Sunday Picnic.
Recent Events in 2022 A get together to
exchange news and to enjoy good food
A skittles evening in
October 2002 - a social event but also to increase the funds
What’s next? March 2023 April 2023 - Déjeuner and Briefing session for the Twinning Visit 2023 An informal get together at the end of March to enjoy chat, food and perhaps a quiz as well as briefing on avents and activities during the twining visit in May for those involved in hosting or otherwise in that weekend. May 2023 Twinning visit from friends in Lévignen (we hope!) Later in the Year there will be other fund rasiing events to raise funds for the next UK Twinning weekend in 2025. (We expect to visit Lévignen for a twinning weekend in May 2024.) Interested? If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us: by email to : Crookhamvillagetwinning@gmail.com or by telephone to: Rick Spink (Chairman) 01252 816348 For more pictures AND information about Lévignen, why not visit their website? The website for LÉVIGNEN is weblevignen.free.fr
(Last updated Feb 2023)
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