Thame has been twinned with Montesson on the outskirts of Paris since 2001. We have a very strong link with our friends in France and during the past year of lockdowns and restrictions, we’ve been strengthening our friendship even more with regular Zoom events attended by many on both sides of the Channel.
As lockdown continued, it became clear that we would have to cancel the annual May visit to Thame for a second year, but spurred on by the successes of our previous joint Zoom meetings we decided to experiment with a weekend of virtual events.
The weekend got off to an excellent start with Aperitif on Friday evening when we unveiled our brand new gazebo at a socially distanced event outside the Town Hall, attended by the Deputy Mayor, Paul Cowell and some members of the committee. The gazebo was bought with a very generous donation by one of our members, Dudley Wilson, who sadly passed away earlier this year, before he could see it in use. However, we were thrilled that his son, Grant, agreed to come along to cut the ribbon and officially “open” the gazebo. The ceremony was filmed and Zoomed live to twinning friends in France and Thame and even watched by Dudley’s daughter in California. We also used the opportunity to announce the winners of our recent photo competition. We had 59 entries from both Thame and Montesson with the competition being judged by Michel Cojean, a founding member of the association in Montesson and a very keen photographer. We were particularly pleased to receive some entries from students at Lord Williams’s School and were delighted that Barney Green, winner of the 11 and under category was able to come along and receive his first prize from the Deputy Mayor.
The sun shone and everyone, be they at the Town Hall or watching on Zoom, appreciated the poignancy of the occasion which hopefully marks the start of things opening up again but which was above all, a fitting tribute to honour our dear friend, Dudley.
In normal times on the Saturday, we take our guests on a day trip to visit a local place of interest, followed by a communal meal and party in the evening. This year we enjoyed a virtual visit of Cambridge brought to life by our very own Cambridge student, Anna Harper, who was able to provide some real insight into student life there. Thirty-one households took part – an incredible number and testament to the strength of our association and friendship. We paused for dinner and a chat half way through and are looking forward to a big party at Towersey Manor barn next year. The tour was clearly a big hit as we’ve already had requests to go to Cambridge for real next year!
Our weekend ended on Sunday afternoon with afternoon tea and some very relaxing virtual visits to several beautiful gardens, including some in Long Crendon, all available online thanks to the National Garden Scheme and filmed this time last year. Thame members had a locally supplied Afternoon Tea delivered to their door, whereas those in Montesson sampled scones and cakes following the recipes we’d sent them in advance. They looked to have done an excellent job and were very keen to show off their successful attempts.
Many members in both towns attended all three events and we are very proud that we managed to put together such a great virtual weekend of joint events. Ideally, we’re hoping to be able to do our return visit “properly” later this year, but if not, we’ve proved that a virtual weekend is not only possible, but hugely enjoyable and accessible to everyone.
If you’re interested in finding out more, take a look at our website: thametwinning.co.uk or email: [email protected]
