The Twinning Association

June 1980 report in Hallmark from the Twinning Steering Committee.

We can't begin to express the frustration after two years of effort. Its unbelievable that no village in Europe is interested in twinning with us. Finding the right partner of course is important. The latest investigation is taking place with Hambe a small agricultural town of 1,318 inhabitants, 317 kms from Paris.

June 1981. Charter of Twinning Lacey Green – Hambye

In the town hall of Hambye in the department of La Manche, France, on Sunday the twenty-sixth day of July, one thousand nine hundred a and eighty-one:

We,

Mr. Capelle, Mayor of Hambye

Mr. Janes, Chairman of the Parish Council of Lacey Green in the County of Buckingham, Great Britain.

Duly elected by the people of our respective town and parish in order to further the cultural, touristic and social exchanges between our peoples.

Do hereby reaffirm this compact of twinning, happy in the friendships already established between our people, and confidence in the growth of mutual understanding and amity between them.

In token whereof we have hereunto appended our signature.

-

2002 Report in Hallmark

In 1981 two very similar villages – Lacey Green in England and Hambe in Normandy, France, arranged a cooperative venture known as Twinning.

1981   LACEY GREEN PARISH TWINNING ASSOCIATION.   By Ted Janes

WE’RE TWINNED

News of the marvellous reception our 15 strong party received in Hambe, both for the twinning ceremony and the celebrations of the weekend of July 25/26^th,will have reached you, by the sheer enthusiasm and elation of our party.   Now is the time for the preparation of the return twinning ceremony, and to offer hospitality and friendship as did the hundreds of people in Hambe to us.

Comment by Joan West

Whilst touring in France with the children, we noticed a signpost to 'Hambe', the village with which Lacey Green was to be twinned , so we thought we would have a look at it.   We drove into the square only to see Ted on the balcony of the Mayor`s parlour expressing greetings from the people of Lacey Green to the people of Hambe.   He looked resplendent, wearing his parish chairman`s chain of office.

Hallmark September 1981. The Norman Invasion - 1981 by Mary Highton.

There could not have been anyone in the whole of Lacey Green, Loosley Row or Speen who was unaware that the last weekend in September was going to be something of an historic occasion. Preparations had been going on for weeks and willing helpers had volunteered from every corner of our extended parish. We were are least going to be able to reciprocate to our friends from Hambye the incredibly warm welcome and the good time that we had been given in France.

The weather could have been kinder; as Saturday 26th September dawned, the skies wer laden and the trees were being lashed by gale force winds and rain. However, undaunted by the elements, a reception committee of 4 (Peter Trotter, Gordon Lennard Mandy Stein and Nicola Bolton) left Lacey Green at 5 o'clock in the morning and drove down to Southampton in a limousine to meet the 34 strong French contingent and escort them back to Lacey Green Village School in their 50 seater coach. Having visited Runnymede, Windsor Castle and Eton School enroute, they all arrived at the school hall on time, looking happy, if somewhat weary! The elderly people among them had travelled in the comfort of the limousine, forming an advance party, and had arrived ten minutes earlier.

It was delightful for those of us who went to Hambye to see our friends again, and a great deal of kissing and hugging went on. We seem to have adapted to the customary French greeting very easily - it's so much warmer and more friendly than a British handshake! The weather was also becoming more friendly and the rain had stopped, not that it would have mattered anymore, because by this time old friends were recounting stories and new friends were making contact over cups. of coffee and biscuits. The photographs taken in the school hall will bear witness to the. joy on this occasion.

Princes Risborough suffered a second Norman invasion as many of our visitors had a look at the shops before lunch with their hosts, though some used the time to become better acquainted, or to take some rest. Many hosts had combined with neighbours to give a luncheon party for two groups of French people, thus sharing the work. Our party consisted of 11 people, 5 French and 6 English, and was an enormous amount of fun. The language used at the table was a mixture of English and French, perhaps ‘Franglais' would be the best name for it. It was difficult to drag people away, as we were all having such a good time, but we had to take advantage of the fine spells of weather between the ‘showers and visit local places of. interest, i.e. the Windmill, the Forge and the Horses Home at Speen. These visits culminated in a delicious cream tea at the Barn – and what a delightful place it is! I, for one, had never been there before, and was totally captivated by it. The atmosphere was welcoming and intimate, and full of 'magic' for me. I am sure many of our French friends felt the same.

Speen Village Hall was the venue for the evenings event ~- a buffet supper, (superbly organised) and entertainment by local people — Will McBurnie and his friend Allan Singing folk songs accompanied by guitar and piano, and Dorthy Willett, with her incredible voice and talent, who won the hearts of all the Frenchmen, both young and old I'm sure, by her fabulous, professional. performance of Marie Lloyd songs. There will be a few interesting photographs to be seen in Hambye within the next few weeks, I'll be bound! The lads managed to infect us all with their high spirits, and we were all singing before long. A fantastic evening was enjoyed by all – it was an outstanding and undisputed success.

Next day, St. John's Church, Lacey Green, was looking it's most beautiful in the morning sun as we entered to attend the Harvest Festival Service. The sunshine was streaming through the stained glass windows on to the altar decorated with flowers, and fruit and vegetables round about, providing a perfect background to the service, parts of which were translated into French for the benefit of our friends from Hamby

Taking advantage of the warm autumn sunshine, many of us walked back from the church to the final gathering of the parishioners of the twinned villages, which was of course, the most important, and was attended by more people than anything else over the weekend.

In Hallmark December 1982. Report by Chairman Peter Trotter

"When one stops to think of the progress the Twinning Association has made it is unbelievable that it was only December two years ago that Francis, Phillipe and Joel travelled from Hambe to 'vet' us as a suitable twin partner, and only 20 months since my wife and I first travelled to Hambe for the same purpose. Since then several large official groups and many more small private parties have crossed the channel in both directions - getting to understand one another, making lasting friendships , simple acts by ordinary people, that seem to defy the politicians.

On behalf of myself and a hard working committee, I wish you all a Happy Christmas, and my sincere thanks to members and non-members who have helped to make twinning such a rapid success."

Ray Hewinson was Chairman of The Twinning Association. He and Sylvia accompanied children to Hambe for school exchange visits

2002. Twinning Report in Hallmark.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED Call for volunteers for twinning committee.   2003.  No volunteers so Twinning “put on ice”.

Since then, although several approaches have been made to Hambe, there appears to be very little enthusiasm from their side and no volunteers from our side.   Now that travel has become commonplace between the UK and France the need for twinning has become less imperative.

Twinning Association, in common with many others, is not the only one which has had, sadly, to close down for lack of support.

Hallmark May 2010. Lacey Green Parish Twinning Association signed by Liz Southon, Tony Molesworth, Mel Webster.

At the Annual General Meeting in 2002 the then Chairman of the Twinning Association, Mrs Pat Williams, indicated that unless there were volunteers to take over from the long-serving Committee, the Association would have to be discontinued. At the AGM in 2003, there being no volunteers, the Association was ‘put on ice’.

Since then, although several approaches have been made to Hambye, there appears to be very little enthusiasm to resurrect the Association from their side and there have been no volunteers to resuscitate Twinning from our side. Now that travel has become commonplace between the UK and France the need for Twinning has become less imperative. Consequently, Lacey Green Parish Twinning Association, in common with many others, has had, sadly, to close down for lack of support.

Under Item 14 of the Lacey Green Parish Twinning Association Constitution any surplus funds that are still held must be transferred equally to the village hall funds of Speen and Lacey Green for specified use. The remaining members of the old Committee will undertake to wind up the Lacey Green Parish Twinning Association in accordance with the Constitution.