A HAMPSHIRE town's twinning group recently welcomed visitors from France after a break of five years.

The group from Paimpol came to Romsey on Thursday, May 30 on the Cherbourg-Poole ferry.

They assembled the next morning at Romsey Town Hall for a reception hosted by town mayor and twinning member Cllr John Parker.

The mayor was pleased to welcome his opposite number, Fanny Chappé, who was visiting Romsey for the first time. 

Ms Chappé had come with her family, and her two young daughters were impressed by the sight of the mayor in his robes of office. 

Tea and coffee were served, accompanied by lemon drizzle cake made by member Mavis Trantham, following which the mayor gave the guests a short tour of the town hall. After lunch, there was a walking tour of Romsey, led by Bob Heather, a member of RAODS and author of a number of their pantomimes. 

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Hampshire Chronicle: Fanny Chappé and Cllr John Parker

Saturday, June 1 saw a group excursion to the D-Day Story in Southsea. The trip was not without its challenges. Portsmouth was preparing for the national events to commemorate 80 years since D-Day so public transport and parking weren’t quite as had been expected. 

People went around the museum and the Overlord embroidery at their own pace, some taking advantage of the French audio guide. This visit continued the wartime remembrance theme established in Paimpol last year when the Romsey group had learned about the Shelburn Network, an underground movement for repatriating allied airmen shot down in occupied France. 

The group dinner was held on Saturday evening, rather than the traditional final evening, as the Mayor of Paimpol and her family needed to be back in France for the start of the working week. The dinner was held in Awbridge Village Hall and members of Romsey Twinning served a three-course dinner for some 50 people. 

The meal included local chalk stream trout with sourdough bread from 108 The Bakery. Entertainment was provided by the piano-playing skills of Brian Budden for a singalong of popular French and English numbers.

Sunday, June 2 was a free day spent with hosts who made the most of the fine weather and treated their guests to various local sights, including the New Forest, Beaulieu, Lymington, the Isle of Wight, and the always popular visit to a British pub. The Paimpol group returned home early on Monday morning.