Town Twinning
A guide to the twinning links within Bath & North East
Somerset
Introduction
Within the Bath & North East Somerset District, there
are nine formal twinning links as follows:
| Bath |
Aix-en-Provence |
France |
| Bath |
Alkmaar |
Holland |
| Bath |
Braunschweig |
Germany |
| Bath |
Kaposvar |
Hungary |
| Batheaston |
Oudon |
France |
| Bathford |
Artannes-sur-Indre |
France |
| Keynsham |
Libourne |
France |
| Norton-Radstock |
Ambares-et-Lagrave |
France |
| Swainswick |
Cressy-sur-Somme |
France |
The links are administered by nine voluntary Twinning
Associations working, where possible, in conjunction with their
local Town or Parish Council. Contact details for the Associations
are set out below.
Bath’s Twin Cities
The Charter Trustees of the City of Bath have responsibility for
Bath’s links but the necessary fund-raising and administration is
undertaken by four, voluntary Twinning Associations. For further
information contact:-
Ann Tipper
Clerk to the Charter Trustees
The Guildhall
BATH
BA1 5AN
Tel: 01225 477411
Fax: 01225 477408
E-mail: Mayor's_Parlour@bathnes.gov.uk
Website: http://www.thecityofbath.co.uk
Alkmaar, Holland
Alkmaar is situated in north-west Holland, approximately 30
miles from Amsterdam. The city has a population of around 96,000
and is best known for its cheese market which operates every Friday
morning from the end of April until the middle of September. Bath's
links with Alkmaar began during the Second World War when fund
raising events were held in the City to help the citizens of
Alkmaar impoverished by war conditions. The first official visit to
Bath by dignitaries from Alkmaar took place in 1946 but it was not
until May 1990 that the twinning document was officially
signed.
The website for Alkmaar’s Twinning Committee is http://www.alkmaarsezustersteden.nl
Aix-en-Provence, France
Situated in the South of France and less than 20 miles from
Marseille, Aix-en-Provence is regarded as the cultural and artistic
capital of the Provençal region. Many festivals of music and art
are held there each year and the city plays host to more than
700,000 visitors annually. Of the 155,000 inhabitants, 32,000 are
students - the city's University was founded in the 15th Century
and is considered to be one of the most important in France. Aix,
meaning watering place, is a spa town and famous for its many
fountains. Its similarities to Bath resulted in an official
twinning document being signed by the two cities in September
1977.
The official website for Aix-en-Provence is http://www.mairie-aixenprovence.fr
Braunschweig, Germany
Braunschweig is situated in Lower Saxony, approximately 50 miles
from Bristol's twin town of Hannover. The present population is
around 250,000 and the main industries include the manufacture of
optical instruments, cameras, vehicles and engines. The city is
regarded as an important historic and cultural centre in its
region, boasting many fine theatres and playing host to a variety
of annual festivals. The Bath/Braunschweig link was established
shortly after the Second World War as part of a Foreign Office
initiative to bring together young people from cities in England
and Germany. The first visit to Braunschweig by a Civic delegation
from Bath took place in 1957 and the official twinning document was
signed in April 1971.
The official website for Braunschweig is http://www.braunschweig.de
Kaposvár, Hungary
Kaposvár is the county town of the Somogy region of Hungary and
is situated some 100 miles south-west of Budapest. Its present
population is around 75,000. Kaposvár is very proud of its cultural
and artistic heritage - its theatre has acquired international fame
and important festivals are held in the city throughout the year.
In 1967, thermal waters were discovered and Kaposvár hopes to be
able to use this resource to develop its tourism industry. Other
industries include the production of food, textiles and electrical
goods. Bath and Kaposvár were officially twinned in April 1989.
The official website for Kaposvár is http://www.kaposvar.hu
Bath also has an historic link with Manly in
Australia and an Economic Accord Agreement with
Beppu in Japan. For further information, contact
the Charter Trustees at the address above, or visit their
web-sites:-
http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au
http://www.city.beppu.oita.jp/51englishpage/
Rural Links
Batheaston – Oudon
In 2005, Batheaston twinned with the village of Oudon, close to
Nantes in France.
For further information contact:-
Don Blanking
Tel: (01225) 858728
Bathford and Kingsdown - Artannes-sur-Indre
After four years of developing friendship and understanding,
Bathford and Kingsdown entered into a formal twinning
relationship with the village of Artannes in the Loire Valley in
October 2005.
For further information information contact:
Maureen Breeze
Chair - Bathford Twinning Association (with Kingsdown)
E-mail: M@ureenbreeze.co.uk
Website: http://www.bathfordtwinning.org.uk
Keynsham – Libourne
Libourne is located in the Northern Gironde region of France
approximately 15 miles from Bristol's twin city, Bordeaux. It is an
attractive town, with fine architecture and a population of around
20,000. It is situated in one of France's premier wine producing
areas, and is a regional centre for the wine trade, as well as
being famous for its gastronomic specialities. The town also plays
host to a number of annual festivals including one dedicated to
wine and literature. The link was formally established by the
District Council in October 1977 and is administered by the
Keynsham & North East Somerset Twinning Association. For
further information contact:-
Councillor Julie Stiddard
Chair
87 Queens Road
Keynsham
BRISTOL
BS31 2NU
Tel: 0117 986 1534
The tourism web-site for Libourne is http://www.libourne-tourisme.com
Norton-Radstock - Ambares-et-Lagrave
Ambares is situated in the Northern Gironde region of France,
not far from Bristol’s twin city of Bordeaux. It is a small, wine
producing community with a population of 10,000. Other industry in
the region includes a large pharmaceutical company which provides
much of the employment in the area. The link between
Norton-Radstock and Ambares was formally established in September
1982 For further information, contact the Norton Radstock Twinning
Association.
Jeni Randles
President
206 Charlton Park
Midsomer Norton
BA3 4BR
Telephone: (01761) 412130
Swainswick - Cressy-sur-Somme
The village of Swainswick has been twinned with Cressy-sur-Somme
in the Saone-et-Loire region of France since 1985. The link is
currently focussed on Swainswick Primary School contacts with a
similar school in Cressy-sur-Somme and pieces of school work have
been exchanged. For further information contact:
Mike Stanton
Wayfield North
Solsbury Lane
Batheaston
Bath
Telephone: (01225) 858165
Chew Valley Twinning Association
A recent link is that between the Chew Valley and
Vern-sur-Seiche in Brittany, which is being carefully fostered with
a view to a formal twinning within the next two years.
Vern-sur-Seiche is a large village just south of Rennes (famous,
amongst other things, for the largest street market in
France). The villagers are involved in local agriculture,
modern hi-tech or light industrial enterprises, or commute to
Rennes for work. Vern is famous for its cider and varied
agricultural products.
For further information contact:
Steve Ward
Chairman
Chew Valley Twinning Association
6 Yew Tree Close
Bishop Sutton
Bristol
BS39 5UG
Telephone: (01275) 333708
E-mail: Tammuth1@btinternet.com
The official website for Vern is www.ville-vern-sur-seiche.fr/index.php
Education and Youth Projects
Local Education Authority (LEA) Schools seeking advice on
educational links with the district's twinning partners can contact
Louise Counsell at B&NES Education Service on (01225)
396443 or e-mail Louise_Counsell@bathnes.gov.uk
For information on international youth projects and external
funding for these, contact the Council's Youth & Community
Service on 01225 396980 or by email youth_community@bathnes.gov.uk
