History of Bransgore Twinning Association

In 1984 contact was made with a small village near Avranches (where a Bransgore resident had worked for a few years) with a view to twinning but the village involved failed to follow up the interest.

Unbeknown to us, Maurice Salliot, the mayor of St Georges Montcocq  (near St Lo ), had been trying for some time to find a suitable village  with which to form a twinning association.

In April 1985 a small group of St Georges residents, visiting Christchurch with St Lo Twinning Association, were directed towards Bransgore to investigate the possibility of setting up a twinning association because Bransgore was a similar sized village to their own.

After talking to the Chairman of the Bransgore Parish Council and the Secretary of the Bransgore Residents’ Association, and touring  Bransgore, it was felt that such an arrangement would be ideal for both villages.

In June 1986, by which time a few interested families in Bransgore had got together, a weekend visit by 12 persons was arranged to St Georges to attend their annual fete. A reciprocal visit was arranged to Bransgore in August 1986 at the time of our Fun Day.

Subsequently an official committee was formed in Bransgore to replace the ad hoc formation committee and a constitution was drawn up.

In June 1987, 30 residents travelled to St. Georges for their fete on which occasion we presented their Mayor with a sports shield. They had previously presented us with a copper pan and a brass milking churn. During our first visit we handed them a glass loving cup suitably inscribed.

Initially visits were arranged each way every year and official gifts were presented on each occasion but subsequently the visits were restricted to one each way on alternate years and official gifts were stopped - except on special occasions.

Fund raising functions were held from late 1986 as up to then expenses had been met by the committee on a shared basis. Later the Parish Council helped by meeting the cost of drawing up the Twinning Charter Agreement, the erection of the “twinned with” road signs and, in 2005, a grant towards the 20^th anniversary celebrations.

Both villages have named roads after their twin and visits have continued  to be made each way in alternate years.

After a successful initial period of 5 years it was decided to formalise the connection and the official Twinning Charter was signed in St Georges in 1990 on behalf of the two communities by their Mayor and  the Chairman of Bransgore Parish Council - and a similar ceremony was performed when the French visited Bransgore in the following year.

To commemorate the official Charter signing in Bransgore, the Mayor of St. Georges planted a tree outside the Village Hall and an appropriate inscription has been added.

As an adventure, and to try and encourage the youth of Bransgore to met and mix with the youth groups of St Georges, the Twinning Association helped and encouraged Bransgore Scout Group to visit St Georges.  The Association arranged for the Scouts to camp in the grounds of the community centre and use the facilities.

Over the years the Scouts made a number of expeditions to France and, with the help of the French Twinning Association, special outings were arranged to Mont St Michelle, a slate mine, the local market and various hikes organised including across the Mont St Michelle bay at low tide.

Unfortunately due to French regulations, it was not possible for young groups from St Georges to come back to Bransgore (other than as part of a regular family visit) but the seed has been sown for future development.

A scrapbook has been kept depicting our various activities of the Association and a cabinet was erected in the Village Hall to house the various gifts received by us.

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