Author Archive: DDTA

Perfect for ‘afishionados’?

Our annual Fish and Seafood Supper was held on Saturday October 28th at the Day Centre.  It was greatly enjoyed by members and friends alike, with sixty five in attendance.

The evening was efficiently organised by several members (all beautifully attired in French-style matelot outfits) under the leadership of our President, Gaenor Jones.  This enabled committee members to relax!

A superb array of fresh poached salmon (beautifully cooked by Mike & Judy Barnard), smoked mackerel, prawns, crayfish tails, cockles and mussels (very recently ‘alive alive oh’) with quiche and paté options, plus green salad and potato salad, was followed by a variety of delicious desserts, home-made by members and greatly appreciated by all.

During the evening our favourite pianist Michael Hynds “tinkled the ivories” with many popular tunes adding to the lively atmosphere.

The first prize in the raffle of a £50 Square One restaurant voucher was won by Sue Gilbert.  A bottle of gin and a bottle of red wine – kindly donated by the Co-op – were won by Mike Longman and Sandy Myles respectively.

During the evening everyone participated in a quiz with all questions sea or fish related (bar one ‘red herring’).  Those on the winning table each received a tin of sardines!

Our next Twinning event is the AGM (with refreshments) on 24th November at 7.45pm in the Day Centre.  The formal business won’t take too long.  Do bring any friends who you feel might like to join Twinning.

Our Don’s coach left promptly at 8am, and we settled down for a smooth ride to Dover thanks to our driver David. The sea was choppy and visibility poor, but the crossing was nevertheless on schedule.

We met our French friends from Dourdan at the top of the 100 metre white cliffs of Le Tréport, on the Normandy coast, in a stiff breeze and light rain which got heavier. After descending via the funiculaire (free) we explored the old town – interesting houses in the Cordiers (line fishermen) district, many of these homes with Christian names or names of birds or plants, an impressive church, a busy fish market and a complex harbour with different locks allowing large vessels to berth separately from lifeboats, fishing boats and yachts. (The less hardy amongst us found refuge in one of the many seafront restaurants and cafes, for tea or something stronger, until the rain abated.)

En route to our hotels the coach detoured to the far side of the harbour, showing us prestigious homes (again with interesting names) built in the nearby seaside village of Mers-les-Bains towards the end of the 19th century when the Paris railway arrived. Le Tréport was the location of a major military hospital during WWI, and we passed two Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries, the second established when the first became full.

On arrival at our nearby hotels in Criel-sur-Mer we were able to relax before an excellent dinner. A Normandy (cider-based) cocktail was followed by an impressive seafood platter (good practice for our forthcoming Fish and Seafood Supper) and a main course featuring 3 types of fish. Tasty cheeses preceded a white chocolate dessert. Our hosts generously provided the wine.

After an excellent buffet breakfast (large selection – hot and cold) we boarded the coach to visit Eu – not the multi-country organisation we are soon leaving but a delightful town with an impressive riverside chateau dating from the 16th century. This became the summer residence of Louis-Philippe, King of the French. The monarchy had been resurrected after Emperor Napoleon 1st, and Louis-Philippe became king in 1830 but was eventually driven out in 1848, settling in Surrey for his final years.

Queen Victoria visited him twice at Eu, in 1843 and 1845, and her apartments are kept as then. There are many interesting exhibits in the furnished chateau including numerous paintings, unusual stained glass and beautiful locally-made parquet floors, plus an extraordinary hand-powered lift dating from circa 1900.

It was back to the hotel for an excellent lunch of skate paté followed by guinea-fowl. Then it was time for the usual extended farewells and exchange of presents, both reflecting the close bonds between Dunmow and Dourdan. Then onto the coach and back to the Channel – this time the crossing was mill-pond calm, with a beautiful, fiery sunset. We reached Dunmow at 9.30pm, tired but happy, after a very enjoyable weekend. Our thanks to the organizers, both French and English.

Our next event is the Fish and Seafood Supper on Saturday 28th October. Contact Marian Steven for tickets.

Dunmow Twinners gathered for a barbecue lunch in the (as always) immaculate gardens of Crouches Farmhouse, to be welcomed with a glass of Pimms. The weather was reasonable, though showers were forecast – gazebos were spread throughout the garden (and anchored) ‘just in case’.

In addition to the ‘usual suspects’ we were delighted to welcome some new members. Free drinks (wine, beer, juice and soft drinks) were included in the modest ticket price, so everyone was soon relaxed. Conversation flowed, not least regarding the impressive vegetable garden and also our forthcoming October trip to Le Tréport in France.

Our host David Beedle set to work on the magnificent (borrowed) barbecue: burgers and bangers were soon available, accompanied by a variety of sauces and plentiful salad, thanks to the hard work of host Patsy and a team of committee members led by our secretary Marian Steven. A dessert of strawberries and cream, with delicious home-made meringues, rounded off an excellent meal.

After a mainly sunny afternoon the promised shower finally arrived, so the gazebos (in particular the large drinks tent) came into their own. Members finally departed around 4pm, after another very enjoyable event. Our generous hosts David & Patsy had again performed brilliantly, and the committee all worked hard to make the day a success.

(Apologies for late posting due to major technical problems.)

On Thursday 28^th May we welcomed 38 Dourdan visitors for their biennial 4 day visit.  They were met at Dunmow Day Centre and received a warm welcome from their host families who would be looking after them for the weekend.

Early Friday morning 73 visitors and hosts boarded a Don’s coach and the French coach to set off for a visit to St Albans.  On arrival we were formed into 4 groups, 2 French speaking and 2 English, for a guided tour of the Cathedral and Abbey Church to learn the history of St. Alban, the first Christian martyr, and of the development from a monastery (founded 793 AD) through to the present day.

Lunch at a Loch Fyne Restaurant was followed by a choice of walking to Verulamium Museum to see its Roman mosaics or a stroll around the town and shops.  Then it was back to Dunmow for more English host hospitality.

Saturday events were organised by the host families, and included trips to London, Cambridge (with punting), local churches, gardens, a flower show, museums or galleries.

Then it was time to dress up for a celebration 4 course dinner, provided by Walkers Caterers at Foakes Hall.  The room was beautifully decorated in joint national colours of red, white and blue, and the meal with wine, accompanied by Michael Hynds at the piano, went down very well.

Chairman Wendy Barron of Dunmow officially welcomed the French Twinners and Gerard Paturaud, President of Dourdan Twinning, responded.  Both spoke of the special relationship which has existed for many years between our two towns and were confident that despite changes taking place in both our countries Twinning would continue.  Dourdan guests were presented with gifts of trinket dishes and glass pigs relating to Dunmow being a Flitch Town.

On Sunday a Civic Reception at Foakes Hall was hosted by Dunmow Town Council.  The Mayors of Dunmow and Dourdan both made speeches, and exchanged gifts, echoing the friendship between our two towns.

The French coach arrived at midday at Dunmow Day Centre.  We were sad, but also thankful for another shared weekend of friendship and laughter, with promises to meet again in October at Le Tréport in France.

Local residents joined members of the Association at our coffee morning on Saturday 29 April at the Dunmow Library.  Our allotted space was decorated with banners and the superb aerial photograph of Dourdan that takes pride of place on this website.

An excellent turnout of some twenty members attended what was a relaxing and enjoyable social occasion.  New members were signed up, whilst others expressed interest – we hope to see them again!

Various brochures, kindly donated by Dourdan’s Tourist Office or created by Dunmow’s committee, were displayed and made available to those considering enrolment as Twinners.  Members present happily passed on their experiences of enjoyable trips to France and of building close friendships with their French counterparts, as well as relating memories of the various social events organised by the Association in Dunmow.

Coffee, tea and biscuits were kindly donated by the Co-op.  We are most grateful for their generosity and for the kindness of the Library team in allowing us to use their space and facilities.  Wendy Baron, our Chairman, expressed her thanks for the continued support of both organizations for the Association and its members.

Howdy !!

Some 50 Twinners and friends enjoyed a lively Country and Western dance on Saturday 25 March, at the Day Centre, Dunmow.

The evening commenced with everyone enjoying a complimentary glass of bubbly on arrival.  Supper was American style – bangers, beans and cornbread followed by apple pie and ice-cream – prepared by the Day Centre chef, Mel Inward.

Once revellers had digested their supper, the locally based MCM Country Music Band struck up with some very lively and well known numbers.  Before long, encouraged by some experienced Dunmow line dancer guests, many had taken to the dance floor displaying extremely fancy foot-work!

During the evening a raffle was held for a superb selection of prizes kindly donated by local traders – Saracen’s Head, Square One, Co-op, Morgan’s Dry Cleaners, Scarlett & Stone and Tesco – to whom the Association is extremely grateful.

The evening was extra special for our base guitarist and official photographer Mike Barnard and his wife Judy who were about to celebrate 50 years of marriage, as well as for Frank and Jenny Poulton who were celebrating their 56th anniversary that very night (Jenny having once again arranged a great raffle for us).

Twinners’ Chairman, Wendy Barron said, “All present enjoyed a delightful evening and I would like to thank everyone on the committee who, as usual, worked hard to make it a success.”

Nearly 40 Twinners gathered in the Dunmow Day Centre for the Annual General Meeting on Friday 25th November, to be welcomed by Chairman Wendy Barron.

In recalling the year’s events, the Chairman paid tribute to Treasurer Willie Fraser who has run our most successful fundraiser, the Caledonian Evening, for 6 years assisted by family and friends. Sadly Willie has decided that 2016 was his last. Instead we are planning a Country and Western evening, probably in March.

As previously reported, the visit to Dourdan in May was highly successful, with a trip to the chateau of Amboise followed by wine tasting in a local cellar. The visit dinner, held this year on the Friday, was excellent. As always our French hosts looked after us extremely well throughout the visit, right up to the prolonged farewells on Sunday morning.

David and Patsy Beedle had again generously hosted the traditional barbecue ‘thank you’ to members.

We met our Dourdan friends again in October at Arundel, where we visited the Castle and lunched in the Norfolk Arms before fond farewells. The Chairman thanked her Vice Chairman (and family) for looking after everything because of her antipodean absence.

The Fish Supper was the final event prior to the AGM, another chance for members to get together over a mixed fish and seafood buffet.

The Chairman reminded everyone that our events in Dunmow, besides being for their enjoyment, also help to raise money for the visits of our Dourdan friends. Fortunately our funds are in a reasonable state for their May 2017 visit. The Treasurer reported that having made a surplus of £2976 this year, Twinning now has a balance of £6514, compared with £3538 a year ago.

Turning to the new Website the Chairman thanked David Aldridge for obtaining a grant of £800 from Stansted Airport Passenger Community Fund covering set-up costs. With the technical assistance of Keith Schorah (dunmoweb) David had designed the Website and taken on the task of posting articles. The Chairman thanked David and Keith for their work, and encouraged members to refer to it.

The Chairman thanked all the Committee for their hard work. She requested members to reply promptly to communications from the extremely hard-working events secretary, to assist her in arranging socials and trips.

Mike Barnard would be standing down from the Committee but would continue as official photographer. He was thanked for his many contributions.

Finally the Chairman announced that sadly our President, Pat Schorah, had decided to stand down. She has been involved with Twinning since its inception and has done an enormous amount for us.

Gaenor Jones, also a founder member, was elected as the new President. The Chairman, Treasurer and Secretaries were re-elected, as were other Committee members. June Milne was elected onto the Committee.

The formal business being concluded, members partook of a ploughman’s supper, accompanied by wine.

Where has the last year gone?

It is very nearly a year since I took on the post of Chairman of the Dunmow/Dourdan Twinning Association after the sad death of my late husband who had chaired the Association for many years.  I must admit it was very daunting when I agreed to take up the post but it has been a very interesting and rewarding year for me.

We have put on our usual events for the year, the Caledonian evening; a Coffee Morning in the Library; B.B.Q. in the summer and the Fish Supper –  all enjoyed by members and some friends.

The first event when we met up with our French Friends was a highly successful long weekend in France in May which included a visit to the Chateau at Amboise, a Wine Cellar and a most enjoyable evening Dinner ending with a joint “singsong”.  The second meeting was when the French came over to Arundel for one night in October – an occasion I missed being in Australia – but I understand was a great two days.

Next I come full circle to the AGM in November when I will have completed a full year and find out if the hard work that everyone has put in under my leadership leads to another year for me.  This is also a time for members  to realise that all the hard work of the committee is to help raise funds to entertain the French when we host them in May 2017.  I end by thanking all the Committee Members for their tremendous help and hope to see everyone at the AGM!

Wendy Barron – Chairman

More than 50 Twinners and their friends arrived at the Dunmow Day Centre on Saturday evening 29^th October to be welcomed with the traditional glass of ‘bubbles’.  Relaxed conversation (including experience of the recent trip to Arundel) blended with melodious background music provided by the talented Michael Hynds at the piano.  Our sincere thanks to maestro Michael.

The meal consisted of an array of very fresh seafood – crayfish tails, prawns, mussels, cockles, poached salmon, salmon mousse, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel, rollmops, mackerel pate and pilchard pate.  These were accompanied by salad and French bread, and followed by a delicious selection of desserts prepared by the committee.  Wine and other drinks were available at modest prices.

The raffle featured a dozen valuable prizes generously donated by local Dunmow retailers and restaurants, to whom we are most grateful.  They are, in alphabetical order:

Bakewell, Co-op, 2 Eddies Italian Restaurant, Luckin’s Wine Store, May & Brett, One Stop, Roper’s Chemist, Rose Garden Florists, The Star restaurant, Tesco, Willett’s Newsagents.

Concluding the evening Chairman Wendy Barron thanked everyone for the excellent turnout, and praised the committee for their hard work in preparing yet another successful evening.  She also thanked members and guests for their help in returning the Day Centre to its usual pristine state.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their evening, and departed looking forward to an extra hour in bed!

Our next event will be the AGM on Friday 25^th November.  Unlike most AGMs this is traditionally very well attended, not least because it combines limited ‘formal’ business with a social evening and ploughmans’ supper.

Over the weekend of 15^th/16^th October 2016, some 39 Dourdan Twinners and 34 counterparts from the Dunmow area got together for a splendid weekend in Arundel, West Sussex.

The French arrived by coach in good time on the Saturday and they were delighted to fit in an afternoon visit to Chichester, including a memorable visit to the Norman Cathedral. Particularly impressive was the stained glass by the 20^th century Russian-French artist, Marc Chagall. There was just enough time for a stroll around the shops, although heavy rain showers meant many took refuge for a while in the local pubs and cafés!

Our Dourdan friends arrived at the large and imposing Avisford Park Hotel (between Chichester and Arundel) just before 6pm, where they were welcomed by 14 Twinners from Dunmow. Drinks and a sumptuous selection of salads, main courses and desserts followed, allowing everyone to relax, chat and catch up on each other’s news.

Next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we all made our way to the delightful town of Arundel, dominated by its imposing castle and cathedral. Here, we were joined by 20 more Twinners from Dunmow who had travelled for the day. Whilst the French enjoyed a specially organised tour of the inside of the castle, many of us explored the grounds, including the new formal garden, a tribute to the 14th Earl of Arundel (the first great English art collector), and evocative of Jacobean garden design. There was also time to visit the Fitzalan Chapel and climb the 131 steps to the top of the Keep where we were rewarded with views of the River Arun, the town, the Sussex Downs and the sea!

At the end of the morning, we all came together to walk the short distance along the High Street to the Norfolk Arms, a charming former Georgian coaching inn. Here, some 70 Dourdan-Dunmow Twinners sat down to a delightful, traditional Sunday lunch: pumpkin soup, roast pork and vegetables and strawberry cheesecake. Time flew by as we enjoyed both the food and each other’s company and, before we knew it, it was time for our French friends to board their coach and for us to wish them “bonne route et au revoir!”

A wonderful weekend of good company and excellent food in the very attractive, historic town of Arundel.

Susan Williams