A couple of years ago we were contacted to see if we’d be interested in taking part in the twinning association and hosting a French family during their visit to East Hoathly. We attended some fundraising events and met a number of people involved in the twinning but, sadly, for a variety of reasons, we were unable to participate in the 2015 festivities.

In 2016 the dates didn’t work for us to go to France however, earlier this year, everything seemed to fall into place. A family was found and the ball started rolling for their visit. We exchanged emails to learn a little more about each other and began planning what we might do once our guests were with us. Everything was set and it was with a certain amount of trepidation and nerves that we arrived en famille at the village hall on Saturday 29th April, ready to meet our famille française.

A cheer went up as the coach pulled in and our visitors disembarked. We were introduced to Magali, Bertrand, Quentin, Evann and Jade and were then invited into the hall for canapés and champagne. We spoke in a mixture of English, French, gestures and hand signals whilst enjoying the hospitality laid on by the twinning association. Almost immediately the children began to play together and managed extremely well, despite each not speaking much of the others language.

After a short speech to welcome the French families to the village and introductions around, we took our family home to get them settled before returning to East Hoathly for the traditional Juziers v East Hoathly & Halland tennis match. Stuart and I are not tennis players but Magali and Bertrand were playing in the match and Evann and Emilia joined in with the children’s tennis games run by Greg, the EH tennis coach.

Whilst the matches continued, Jessica and Jade played at the park expertly supervised and entertained by a number of the Juziers teenagers. Stuart and I got to know some of the other twinners and watched some exciting tennis which was eventually won by the team from Juziers. The evening was ours to do with as we wished and we could have entertained our guests at home but, not having done this before, we weren’t quite sure what to cook so, instead, took the easy option of dinner at the Kings Head.

Most of our party enjoyed a delicious fish and chip supper whilst the two non-fish eaters ordered a burger (fantastic by all accounts) and steak and kidney pie (also gaining rave reviews!)  Due to our new friends early start and long coach journey, we did not stay too late at the pub and retired home for everyone to get some well earned rest.

After a very relaxed Sunday morning, of course including a traditional full English breakfast and a lot of friendly conversation, and having found out that our visitors liked history and monuments, we headed off to Battle Abbey. Once again the children got on famously, climbing the towers, racing around the battle field and finding the arrows in the trees with great glee. The adults took a more sedate route, chatting amiably (and gesturing!) all the while. After a few hours of exploring, we rewarded ourselves with afternoon tea in the café and then returned home for a rest before the gala dinner which was to take place in the village hall.

And what an evening it was! Seated with our family, exchanging stories (as always in English, French and gestures!) we enjoyed a lovely buffet meal with wine and beer and then were entertained, first by a variety of songs and dances from Juziers, then with a wonderful arrangement of James Bond tunes  by Michelle Titherley, followed by singing and a sketch from the EH&H twinners. At the end of the evening, the Juziers teenagers led everyone in a dance as the start of the disco.

Monday came around all too soon and we knew that the fun was about to have to come to an end. As the grown ups packed and prepared picnics for the journey back to Juziers, the children zoomed around the house (it rained!) on a broomstick playing Harry Potter games. Screams of laughter I am sure could be heard all the way to East Hoathly!

As we waved goodbye outside the Pavilion and the rain continued to fall, the girls shed tears and tried to stow away on the coach to avoid having to say goodbye. They have already started to make plans for our return trip next year…Emilia is determined to improve her French so she can understand more when we are in France and Jessica has found some bilingual  French/English books in the library that she is trying to read.

Before the weekend began, we really did not know what to expect but we can honestly say that it was a fantastic and fun experience and goes to prove that language need not be a barrier to friendship. We are really looking forward to going to Juziers next year and would highly recommend getting involved in the twinning to anyone who might be considering it. 

Katharine & Stuart Ruff – Halland – May 2017

It was like a scene from Night of the Living Dead. At an unearthly hour, people lurched, zombie-like, in the darkness towards the coach parked outside the King’s Head, dark rings circling their unseeing eyes, bared teeth set in ghastly grimaces. Citizens of East Hoathly and Halland were departing on their biennial visit to our twinning friends in Juziers.

Several zzzzs later, and feeling more human, we arrived at Cheriton for the subterranean crossing of La Manche, only to find an earlier train was stuck in the Chunnel and we would be delayed for two hours. Time to switch to la mode française and breakfast on coffee and croissants. And, before we knew it, we were on our way again.

We arrived in front of Juziers’ Hotel de Ville about 3pm and immediately went in to the welcoming reception hosted by Juziers’ mayor, Philippe Ferrand. 2016 is a special year. It is the 20th anniversary of the first twinning visit between Juziers and East Hoathly and Halland. Following Philippe’s welcome speech and John Graham’s response, Linda Allen, who was on the very first visit to Juziers in 1996, made a short speech thanking the people of Juziers for their welcome and hospitality over the years.

Then came an exchange of gifts to mark the occasion. East Hoathly artist, Keith Pettit, presented a wooden sculpture, a series of overlapping circles which mesh together to form a stronger whole, representing the links between the two communities; Philippe presented a decoratively painted milk churn to John Graham and Pat Duke.

Afterwards, we were whisked off by our host families to settle in, before some of us wandered down to the tennis courts for what has become an annual tournament. Each community put up its star players, from which our own Pat Duke emerged as supreme champion. Hip hip hooray!

The evening was spent with host families, some of which linked up for dinner parties. Gill and I were taken by our host Annelise Martin to dinner with a group of her doctor colleagues, two of whom later performed piano and guitar recitals. We eventually reached our beds at 2am, 21 hours after answering the call of our alarm clock in East Hoathly.

Our Sunday was a time for relaxation before lunch en plein air, when Annelise’s friend, Sylvie, and her East Hoathly guests, Liz and Jonathan Ritchie, joined us in the sunshine for what must have been the warmest day of the year, certainly for us vitamin D-deprived Brits. Several courses and glasses of wine later, we were ready for our tour.

This year, our Sunday tour was a choice of Giverny, some 25km down the Seine, or Chantilly, north of Paris. Annelise and Sylvie had decided on Giverny, and the home of Impressionist artist, Claude Monet. The house is especially known for its gardens which in the warm sunshine were magnificent, with ranks of colourful tulips. Those who went to the beautiful chateau of Chantilly were also treated to a superb demonstration of horse riding skills at the chateau’s renowned stables.

Back in Juziers, we gathered at the Salle de Fêtes beside the Église Saint-Michel for an informal supper with a Caribbean flavour, prepared by Gaeton Binet. We started with a planter, a rum-based aperitif, followed by Assiete Créole (Chiquetaille de morue), Colombo de poulet and Flan coco antilllais. All the men were also presented with the ingredients to make a Créole taster, while all the women received a rose and lily-of-the-valley spray.

Entertainment followed, with older members of our hosts singing songs while younger members did a Créole themed dance routine. It transpired that the two lead dancers were chaps in frocks and sparkly wigs! The East Hoathly and Halland Choir did a rendition of Chanson d’Amour (the Manhattan Transfer version, not the more difficult one by Edith Piaf), which was sung with such gusto that we were required to do an encore. By the end we were so exhausted we headed for our beds.

Monday morning we assembled on the steps of the Hotel de Ville for the group photos and after exchanging farewells boarded the coach for the return to the Channel Tunnel, breaking off en route for a couple of hours to explore Rouen and its ancient sights. These include the magnificent Gros Horloge clocktower, the Place du Vieux Marché, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431, and the cathedral, which Monet painted 30 times from exactly the same viewpoint at different times of the day and year to show the effect changing light has. Or maybe he just couldn’t get it right the first 29 times…

The Channel crossing was hitchless for our return and we arrived outside the King’s Head exactly on time after un Weekend Magnifique.

With thanks to our hosts in Juziers, headed by Philippe Ferrand, and to the organisers at our end, lead by Pat Duke and John Graham.

John Lloyd