Wimborne-Valognes Twinning Association NEWSLETTER

Wimborne: www.wvta.org.uk Valognes: www.sites.google.com/site/cjvalogneswimborne/ JANUARY 2021

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FUTURE EVENTS

Dear Members The only ‘event’ still regarded as being fixed and ‘on’ albeit with much Happy New Year…..and welcome to Lockdown reservation, is the Biennial Visit where Three. we hope to have our French friends Thank you to all those who have renewed their here over the Folk Festival weekend membership so quickly; your continued support, 11th - 13th June. But, as is stated - with particularly during these crazy times is hugely much reservation. Will the FolkFest appreciated. still take place on those dates? Will Whilst life may appear to be constantly grim, I the French be able to come? What want to share a few recent experiences with you. about the availability of cross-channel During my dog-walks I have regularly met a ferries? doctor from Bournemouth hospital, a senior nurse from Dorchester Hospital, and recently a You could probably increase the paramedic at the vet whilst having my dog treated. questions into double figures without The Doctor had red eyes and looked tired. The shifting the only answer possible as nurse had just finished three weeks none stop, now. We can only Wait and See. and even on her day off was being bombarded with phone calls regarding beds and wards and An unknown factor right now centres how they should be rearranging things. The around the vaccines and assuming a paramedic was a little hung over as she celebrated successful ‘jabbing’ how this impacts Christmas two days early, her being due for a 12 on the speed of getting back to some hour shift on the 25th. form of normality. My personal What they all had in common was a sense of calm: instinct sees the French in Wimborne they were cheerful and positive and yet we can more likely in the early autumn but only imagine the immense pressure they have all we’re still at Wait and See. been under over the last year. I was really inspired by their attitude, and not one complained One thing is certain - the Annual at all. General Meeting scheduled for Friday It is people like these that help put our own lives 5th February at St. Catherine’s is into perspective. Yes life has been tough and CANCELLED. That hall is closed to all challenging for all of us in so many ways. So intents and purposes. And the however hard things may appear, try and look at regulations at other halls still only the positive sides…..this leads me nicely to my enabled a too-small gathering. favourite lines from Desiderata “Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and We were considering combining the remember what peace there maybe in AGM with something more substantial silence………………Strive to be happy”. than a short talk but were not successful. So,despite what our Stay safe…..the vaccines are on their way Constitution might say, the AGM must await a later date. Ed.

1 LA 1ère FOIS QUE JE SUIS ALLÉE EN ANGLETERRE - Vacances de Pâques en 1968 --- rapellé par Martine Lefilliâtre ---

J'avais 13 ans. Alors que nous étions élèves en classe de 4ème au lycée de Valognes (on l'appelait Lycée Nationalisé Mixte à l'époque), notre professeur d'anglais nous parla de la possibilté d'avoir un correspondant et peut-être d'aller le- la – voir ou de l'accueillir -il-elle -chez nous ; à condition pour les volontaires de lui écrire des lettres et de lui parler de notre vie en Normandie ! Je décidai d’en informer mes parents dès mon retour à la maison, espérant qu'ils seraient d'accord... Mes parents me donnèrent leur consentement de suite : ils savaient que j'aimais beaucoup les cours d’anglais de Madame BESSON, et que j'étais prête à écrire tout ce que le professeur me demanderait. Notre professeur eut besoin de renseignements sur notre famille, les professions de nos parents, nos centres d'intérêts et nos loisirs... et elle transmit une grosse enveloppe à un collègue ou à une organisation. Je ne sais pas vraiment ce qu'il se passa mais cela fonctionna. Je fus choisie comme quelques autres camarades. On me dit que ma correspondante s'appelait Anna-Maria DODSON et habitait à Southampton dans le Hampshire. Drôle ou bizarre ?? Son père était chauffeur de bus à deux étages (à impériale) et le mien chauffeur de poids-lourds. Nous avons échangé des lettres, des cartes et des photos pour faire connaissance. Et ses parents ont décidé que nous pourrions nous rencontrer, passer quelques jours en Angleterre et quelques jours en France... J'étais ravie mais impensable pour mes parents de me laisser partir seule ou d'être accompa- gnée par n'importe qui. La famille anglaise invita mes parents à venir avec moi : ma mère ne pouvait pas partir avec un petit garçon de 18 mois et une épicerie-café. Devinez qui vint ? Mon père et mon frère - âgé de 10 ans et demi- pour un merveilleux et long week-end pendant les vacances de Pâques ! Tant de choses à découvrir, les pubs pour les pères, les enfants dans le jardin à l'arrière au même moment ! Une boutique de « fish and chips » encore ouverte à 22 h ! Une bouteille de vin français offerte par mon père... à un prix anglais ! Bien sûr, des voitures roulant à gauche. Et ma famille anglaise vivait dans un appartement moderne dans un endroit paisible ! Nous avons bien aimé Southsea, l'hydroglisseur stoppant sur la plage, si inhabituel pour des gens de Normandie. Mon frère Michel ne cessait de regarder les dames âgées portant de grandes lunettes bizarres - comme des papillons – des gants et des chapeaux étincelants. Il était perplexe! Cette première fois fut incroyable et j'ai vraiment adoré. Je l'ai seulement trouvée trop courte ! Un an plus tard en juillet, j'étais de retour en Angleterre : tout d'abord pour un week-end à Wimborne Minster avec l'Harmonie Municipale de Valognes et le Groupe Folklorique Valognais, et quelques prestations. Nous avons donné un concert le samedi soir dans un grande salle et un autre dans l'église Catholique le dimanche matin. Tout le monde est reparti le lundi matin sauf moi, car j'allais séjourner un mois chez les Dodson et en même temps aller en classe pendant dix jours- toutes les filles portaient leurs uniformes stricts mais pas de jeans pour moi, seulement des robes et des jupes ! Nous nous déplacions en bus pour nos allers - retours. Anne (ses parents l'appelaient ainsi tous les jours) et moi avons passé deux mois ensemble, l'un dans le Hampshire et le second en Normandie. Elle m'a fait découvrir les hypermarchés que je n'avais jamais vus auparavant, des fruits et légumes dans des boîtes en carton, des magasins réservés aux vêtements scolaires, une ville immense ! J'ai regardé « le premier pas sur la lune » sur la B.B.C. le 20 juillet 1969 and l'amerrissage le 24 juillet ! Bien difficile pour moi de comprendre l'ensemble des explications données mais j'étais fière de raconter cet évènement à ma famille et à mes amis, une fois rentrée dans ma ville. Nous avons poursuivi notre correspondance un certain temps puis arrêté jusqu'à ce que Anne m'envoie des petits morceaux de son gâteau de mariage ! Cette période fut vraiment une très agréable expérience pour une adolescente, et j'étais certaine que je reviendrais plus tard en Grande-Bretagne En fait, j'ai maintenu ma promesse d'aller à l’Université et je suis devenue professeur d'anglais en 1976. 2 CHRIS WEBB remembers -

Albert Après avoir acheté notre maison de vacances près de Calais, nous en avons fait un très bon usage. Habitant à Surrey, nous avons pu voyager de porte à porte, en deux heures et demie, en utilisant le tunnel sous la Manche. Après le travail un vendredi, nous pourrions être dans notre salon français à 22h, heure française. Dimanche, nous prendrions alors le train à 20h, gagnerions une heure et serions chez nous à 22h, rafraîchi pour la semaine à venir. Nous irions en France pour un week-end, chaque quinzaine pendant la pèriode scolaire et en tant que professeur je pourrais y être plus longtemps pour les vacances scolaires. Nous avons apprécié nos visites aux marchés, les promenades le long des plages et les restaurants. Cependant, au cours de notre premier printemps et été, un problème majeur s'est produit. Le jardin était entouré de haies et avec des pelouses sur trois côtés de la maison, je devais passer trop de temps lors de chaque visite à couper l'herbe et à tailler les haies. J'ai contacté un voisin et je lui ai demandé s'il connaissait quelqu'un qui pourrait aider avec le jardin. La prochaine fois que nous y étions, il a dit qu'il avait demandé à d'autres personnes, avec succès. Il ne savait rien de l'homme, mais il m'a remis un morceau de papier avec le nom Albert Magness et un numéro de téléphone. Je ne suis pas à l'aise d'utiliser le téléphone en France, de peur de ne pas communiquer correctement. J'ai pratiqué ce que je voulais dire et j'ai deviné qu'Albert serait comme en anglais «Al bear» et Magness comme «Man yezz». J'ai composé le numéro et une voix m'a dit « bonjour » et j'ai commencé mon discours. « Bonne journée Monsieur. Je m'appelle Christophe Webb. J'ai une résiden- ce secondaire au bord du canal et j'aimerais de l'aide dans mon jardin. Êtes-vous Albert Magness?» Sa réponse a été brève. « I don’t do this French talk. I’m Albert from Liverpool. I’ll help with your garden.» Ainsi commença une relation très intéressante.

Lisa will welcome you at -

open: Monday - Saturday 7.30am to 4.30pm

10a, Mill Lane, Wimborne, BH21 1JQ phone: 0781 6462 184

all day breakfast, lunches, teas

61-63 Leigh Road, Wimborne 01202 882615 3 Members will remember that VANESSA COUCHMAN contributed to our July 2020 edition. This came about following my discovery of her blog Life on La Lune, always an enjoyable read with a good feel of life as lived in la France profonde. In earlier times she took a first degree in History at Oxford University and went on to work in publishing for 10 years. She then took an MBA at Warwick Business School, went into public sector research but ‘finally decided there was more to life than the four walls of an office’. So, In 1997 Vanessa and her husband moved into an 18th century farmhouse (pictured below) in south western France’s Tarn et Garonne department (Occitanie region) describing herself as being a refugee from corporate life. Amongst her earlier and quite extensive writing experience were contributions to magazines about French life but apart from the excellent Life on La Lune Vanessa now focuses on writing novels and short stories. She’s published two novels so far in her Tales of Corsica series: The House at Zaronza (early 20th- century Corsica and World War I) and The Corsican Widow (18th-century Corsica and Marseille). Vanessa is also working on a series set in France and covering the period 1898 to post-WWII. A prequel novella to the series, Augustine, and Book 1, Overture, are published so far. A collection of short stories entitled French Collection makes up the five books all available via https://vanessacouchmanwriter.com/books/

I asked Vanessa to reflect on why she is pleased by her move together with any regrets. She replied – The time has shot past! It was the right move for so many reasons. On the practical side, the health service where we live is excellent, and rural property prices are generally much cheaper than those in the UK. For me, the advantages are less tangible: the slower pace of rural life and the rich variety of French cultural heritage. Also, the opportunity to (re)learn French and immerse myself in a different way of life has been invaluable. Finally, if we hadn’t moved to France, I might never have resumed writing fiction. French history and literature provide enormous inspiration, and French people have a respect bordering on reverence for books and authors. Apart from friends and family, of course, I don’t miss much about the UK now. However, two things stand out. First, traditional country pubs, which don’t exist in France. Second, British humour, so often based on self-deprecation and bantering. French humour is different and one of the more elusive cultural aspects to grasp.

4 ÉTRETAT - A SEASIDE TOWN OF LEGENDS

This quiet Normandy seaside town is often overshadowed by flashier, bigger budget beach destinations such as Biarritz and Nice but it offers more than its share of hidden treasures – both metaphorically, and, according to folklore. Besides being the best seaside town you’re likely to encounter within a 2.5 hour drive of Paris, it is home to an intriguing story claiming that all the wealth of the French kings was said to be stashed in a secret location among the cliff-tops here, safely ensconced out of reach of many a quick-fingered thief. Yet according to a novel that brings the legend to life, there is one in particular that the royals were desperate to evade – Arsène Lupin. Lupin was created by the prolific (born in Rouen 1864 - died Perpignan 1941) and his 1909 detective thriller, The Hollow Needle, is set in Étretat and includes Lupin his larger-than-life ‘gentleman thief’. It was claimed that Lupin was a character created by the competitive Leblanc in a bid to overshadow the worldwide fame of . Inside the elusive ‘hollow needle’ lay “the most fabulous treasure ever imagined, a collection of queens’ dowries, pearls, rubies, sapphires and diamonds… the fortune of the kings of France” - or so that story went. Various tales prevailed over the centuries, eventually inspiring Leblanc’s novel. In it, an earnest young amateur detective named Isidore Beautrelet discovers that Lupin is stealing valuables, replacing each item with virtually undetectable low-value fakes. From paintings at the Louvre to sparkling gems from the royal jewellery collections, nothing is safe. Although this novel was a work of fiction, it was heavily inspired by a real-life legend. When Beautrelet arrives at Étretat and discovers a secret passageway within a rock formation built into the cliffs, a ‘needle’ shaped like an elephant’s trunk dipped into the sea. Here Beautrelet stumbled upon a veritable Aladdin’s Cave, with original paintings by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt lining the walls. “These are the original pictures, patiently collected in all the museums of Europe,” Lupin had gloated, “where I have replaced them, like an honest man, with first-rate copies!”. Yet his enemy from previous Leblanc novel, Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late, soon appears. Owing to the rage of the real Sherlock creator, Arthur Conan Doyle – who did not appreciate the unauthorised appearance of his character in a rival’s book – Leblanc was forced to disguise him under the thinly veiled pseudonym of ‘Holmlock Shears’. Today there is no hint of past dramas at this stunning spot of coastline – merely the peaceful sound of waves crashing against the cliff. However Étretat is home to Le Clos Arsène Lupin, a museum dedicated to the legendary thief and located in the author’s former home. Leblanc penned dozens of stories, The Hollow Needle among his most famous, and was even awarded the French Legion of Honour for literature. Also nearby is the quirky Detective Hotel, with its themed rooms dedicated to Lupin and Holmes, but also to Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Then there’s the ‘fake’ version, if you will – L’Aiguille Creuse, a hotel named after the ‘needle’ that didn’t actually contain treasure. A great place to stay – even with no rubies hiding under the pillow! (See pictures: page 6)

THE WHITE HOUSE IN THE DORDOGNE? (acknowledged source: saliannefrenchfocus)

Between Périgueux and Brive-la-Gaillarde in the Dordogne there’s a château which will give you a jolt if you stumble upon it by chance. You’ll have to pinch yourself, as the Château de Rastignac (pictured here) is a dead ringer for the United States presidential residence in Washington. It’s not a coincidence if the château, situated in the little ‘commune’ of La Bachellerie in the heart of the Périgord countryside, looks suspiciously like the White House. But the experts don’t agree as to which one is the original. Apparently, in 1789, Thomas Jefferson, at that time United States ambassador to France, visited the Bor- deaux school of architecture where he saw the plans for Rastignac and is said to have taken inspiration from them. But others stubbornly maintain that it’s the oppo- site and that the French copied the American building. With its six columns and its rotunda, all historians are in agreement: the two buildings are as alike as two peas in a pod and the resemblance is too strong to just be chance. Let’s hope Donald Trump doesn’t try to buy the French château when he moves out of the White House. 5 FRANCE TODAY’s MARION SAUVEBOIS followed in the footsteps of Les Misérables author Victor Hugo through MONTREUIL-sur-MER the picture-perfect town which inspired his famous work,

Buffeted by gales, hugging my flapping notebook for dear life, it doesn’t exactly take a leap of imagination to see how a wind‐lashed Victor Hugo could have dreamt up Les Misérables (a fairly accurate depiction of my current state as I trudged along Montreuil-sur-Mer’s ramparts). Peering down the vertiginous drop, I can picture Jean Valjean clinging on like a limpet to the jagged citadel wall, making yet another break for freedom. This right here, gust and all, is the drama-fuelled stuff of epic novels. As are the town’s meandering lanes, and tight rows of higgledy-piggledy maisonettes and discreetly charming hôtels particuliers. Fresh from his bracing recce round the citadel, the author moseyed on over to the ville haute for what would turn out to be quite the plot-rich stroll. Or so the story goes… It was during a spot of lunch at Le Relais du Roy that fateful September day in 1837 that Hugo reportedly crossed paths with a maid by the name of Cosette. Later that afternoon, slogging up the cobbled hill of the Cavée Saint‐Firmin, he witnessed the coaching accident that would become a pivotal scene in Les Mis – as a selfless Valjean (by then living under an alias as mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer) single- handedly rescues a man trapped beneath the wheels of his cart, thus reveal- ing his true identity as an escaped convict to his nemesis Javert. According to local lore, he then spotted a red-eyed demoiselle emerging from the gloom of Saint-Saulve church, and Fantine was born. His action-packed day trip may have inspired him to pen his magnus opus but not to linger on Pas-de-Calais’s bracing shores – or lack thereof. The vexing absence of any “mer” proved a sticking point. Like many visitors the wordsmith, voice of the oppressed and all-round dynamo, had expected, as advertised in the name, crystalline waters as far as the eye can see – his hike up the ramparts, it seems, was a last-ditch bid to spot the promised surf. Victor Hugo Sadly, he was three centuries too late. The town had once been a thriving port, hence its now-misleading name, but by the 1500s, the estuary had silted up, leaving Montreuil landlocked. In a letter to his wife (despite travelling in the company of one of his mistresses, he did spare a moment to keep his spouse abreast of his whereabouts), he moaned: “Montreuil-sur-Mer would be better named Mon- treuil-sur-Plaine”. Cosette, Fantine and co. taking root in his over- active mind, a miffed Hugo marched back to the Hôtel de France, cancelled his reservation for the night without explanation and hightailed it home. Not that the natives hold a grudge. These days, “birthplace of Les Misérables” is all too happy to overlook the slight. In fact, every summer, at the first embers of twilight, some 500 townsfolk dress up in period garb and make for the citadel that fired up his imagination to bring to life his tale of strife and drudgery – and all-too fleeting visit – in a spectacular light and sound show. A not-so veiled attempt to make him stay the night at long last?

ÉTRETAT - pictures: a famous coastal view and Le Clos Lupin (was home of Maurice Leblanc)

6 We should be grateful to our French friends for drawing attention to a schoolboy, fully supported by his mother, who is gaming full time and is understood to have earned £500,000 playing Fortnite - see the recent Echo du Jumelage. BENJY FISH, 16, sometimes trains for 12 hours a day at home in Sunbury, Surrey, has a private tutor to help him keep up with education and goes to the gym to keep fit. That half-million has amassed since just after his 15th birthday, according to his mother Anne, who said he won £75,000 when he qualified for the Fortnite World Cup. The mother-of-two has embraced the industry her- self, as an e-sports mentor to young gamers, and wants to get rid of the stigma that many parents have with video games. ‘We began home schooling so he could put the hours in to practice,’ mother Anne said (pictured here with Benji), ‘A lot of the tournaments are in the evenings or overnight’. ‘Tutors could come in and work around the tourna- ment schedules. I think we need to see gamers like aspiring actors, who are often home-schooled.. The kind-hearted son has said ‘I would like to buy a house for my family’, but they haven’t found the right one yet. He said:. He became a pro-gamer at the age of 15, when the age limit for professionals was lowered, and gaming organisations were quickly fighting to get Benjy’s signature for their side. Between 14 and 19 is the prime playing age due to the speed of teens’ reactions, so Benjy is dedicating himself to gaming and is no longer going to school. Anne said: ‘The whole stigma about children playing games is one of the main things I’m trying to address.’ ‘There are so many transferable skills children can learn. They understand leadership and team building.’

CHRIS WEBB’S memories of ALBERT (English translation)

After purchasing our holiday home near to Calais, we made very good use of it. Living in Surrey, we were able to travel from door to door, in two and a half hours, using the Channel Tunnel. After work on a Friday, we could be in our French lounge by 10pm. French time. On Sunday, we would then take the 8pm train, gain an hour and be home by 10pm, refreshed for the week ahead. We would go to France for a weekend, each fortnight during term time, and as a teacher I could be there longer for the school holidays. We enjoyed our visits to the markets, walks along the beaches and going to restaurants. However, during our first spring and summer a major problem occurred. The garden was surrounded by hedges and with lawns on three sides of the house, I had to spend too much time during each visit cutting the grass and trimming the hedges. I contacted a neighbour and asked him if he knew of anyone who would help with the garden. The next time we were there, he said he had asked other people, with a success. He knew nothing about the man, but he handed me a piece of paper with the name Albert Magness and a telephone number. I am not comfortable using the telephone in France, for fear of failing to communicate correctly. I practiced what I wanted to say and guessed that Albert would be like in English ‘Al bear’ and Magness as ‘Man yezz. I dialed the number and a voice said hello and I started my speech. “Good day sir. My name is Christophe Webb. I have a second home at the side of the canal and I would like some help in my garden. Are You Albert Magness?” His reply was brief. “I don’t do this French talk. I am Albert from Liverpool and I will help with your garden.” Thus began a very interesting relationship.

7 ENGLISH TRANSLATION

THE FIRST TIME I VISITED ENGLAND - Easter Holidays in 1968 --- by Martine Lefilliâtre ---

I remember I was 13; As we were pupils in “4ème” in Valognes Grammar school (we called it “Lycée Nationalisé Mixte” at the time), our English teacher told us about having a pen-friend and maybe going to her/his place or welcoming her/him at home; with one condition for the volunteers, write a few letters, and talk about our way of life in Normandy! I decided to tell my parents as soon as I was home, hoping they'd agree... My parents gave me their consent straight away: they knew I was very keen on the English lessons with Mrs BESSON, and ready to write whatever the teacher would ask me to do! Our teacher needed some information about our family, our parents' jobs, our interests and hobbies... and she transmitted a big envelop to her colleague or to an organisation. I don't really know what happened but it worked. I was chosen as well as a few other friends. I was told that my pen-friend was called Anna-Maria Dodson and lived in Southampton, in Hampshire. Funny or strange?? Her father was a double-decker driver and mine was a lorry-driver. We exchanged letters, postcards and photos to know each other. And her parents decided we could meet and spend a few days in England, and a few days in France... I was delighted but it was unbelievable for my parents to let me go on my own, or be accompanied by anybody. The English family invited my parents to come with me: my mother couldn't leave with a little boy aged 18 months and a grocery and coffee shop, and guess who came with me? My Dad and my brother -10 and a half - for a long marvellous weekend during the Easter holidays! So many things to discover, pubs for the fathers and the back garden for the children at the same time! A fish and chips shop we couldn’t imagine still open at 10 pm! A bottle of French red wine my father bought over there ignoring... the English price! Of course, cars driving on the left hand-side. And my English family was living in a very modern flat in a peaceful area! We enjoyed Southsea, the Hovercraft from the Isle of Wight coming to the beach, so unusual for people from Normandy. My brother Michel couldn't help looking at the old ladies wearing big funny glasses - looking like butterflies - flashy gloves and hats on Sundays. He was bewildered! That first time was fabulous and I really enjoyed it. I just found it too short! A year later in July, I was back to England; first of all, for a weekend in Wimborne Minster with the Valognes Music Band and the Norman Folk Group for a few performances. We played music on Sunday evening in a big hall and in the Catholic Church on Sunday morning. Everyone left England on Monday morning except myself, as I was going to stay at the Dodsons for a month and at the same time go to school ten days- all the girls were wearing their strict uniforms but no jeans for me, only dresses or skirts! We used to travel by bus to go and come back! Anne (her parents used that name every day) and I spent two months together, one in Hampshire and one in Normandy. She made me discover those big stores I had never seen before, fruit and vegetables in little boxes, special shops for school clothes, a huge town! I watched “the first step on the moon” on the B.B.C. on July the 20th! So difficult for me to understand all the explanations given but I was proud to mention this event to my relatives and friends when I came back to my town. We kept writing for a while and then it stopped until she sent me little pieces from her wedding-cake! That time was a very pleasant experimentation for a teenager indeed, and I was sure I would come back to Great Britain later on. Actually, I kept my promise to go to University and become an English teacher in 1976!

8 BRITTANY FERRIES - Concessions (NB: restricted service at present) Discounts are available for WVTA members. Please note however that these arrangements apply only to sailings on the Poole/Cherbourg, Portsmouth/Caen, Portsmouth/Le Havre and Portsmouth/Cherbourg crossings, not to services elsewhere.

Against standard terms, 50% discounts will be available for crossings with up to 72 hours ashore in France. For a longer time ashore in France a 10% discount will apply (but note - from Ist July to 31st August, 50% discount will not be available).

Payment by credit/debit card and discounts are not applicable to instances where the reservation already attracts other discounts. Nor do they apply to special offers, e.g. 24 hour terms or 2-for-the-price-of-1 promotions, nor on packages including accommodation and/or car hire, nor on crossings booked online or through travel agents. To book - at least 3 days ahead of travel - email Mrs Nikki Dilawershah at - [email protected] - confirming that you are a member of WVTA, the sailings requested, and a daytime phone/mobile number.

COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING in this newsletter- £15 or 25 euros a year ; Includes free entry on our web site www.wvta.org.uk WVTA members private adverts are FREE Contact Norman Payne, 61 Fontmell Rd, Broadstone, BH18 8NN, tel : +44 (0)1202 695179 Les publicités commerciales dans ce bulletin ainsi que sur notre site Internet ne coûtent que 25 euros par an. Les annonces à titre privé des membres des associations de jumelage sont gratuites. Local French language courses THE WVTA COMMITTEE WHI (all phone numbers bar one on area code 01202) Weekly U3A self-help group President: Secretary: contact Groups Secretary David Emes Norman Payne 695179 tel: 01258 840622 07885 791368 [email protected] or get a U3A leaflet from the library at [email protected] Colehill, Wimborne or Corfe Mullen, Others: or visit www.wimborneu3a.org.uk Treasurer: Maya Chatterjee Peter Brooks 619892 Bobbie Chinnick [email protected] Sue Hansen Derek Henderson Beginners, “refreshers”, Mike Shapcott improvers, GCSE Newsletter & Exchanges: Chris Webb Norman Payne 695179 Mike Wharfe one-to-one, or small groups [email protected] - contact Christina Phillippo Archivist : tel: 01202 699075 Malcolm Lowe 694037 (fully qualified French teacher) 20 Edwina Drive, Poole, BH17 7JG The Twinning Websites Town Council Representative: Louise Hinks

Wimborne - www.wvta.org.uk Membership Secretary: Velda Payne 695179 Valognes - [email protected] www.sites.google.com/site/cjvalogneswimborne/ Webmaster: Graham Richards 01258 857341 Dorset Twinning Association - www.twinning.org.uk [email protected]

The newsletter is edited and set by Norman Payne - tel: 01202 695179 e-mail:[email protected] or clear copy deadlines : 15 Dec, 15 9Mar, 15 June, 15 Sept