Denton Town Twinning

Activities During 2008

Christmas Market Near Paris

Once again members of Denton Twinning Association will be taking part in the Christmas market (marché de Noël) in Montigny, Denton’s twin town near Paris. They will be selling a range of English Christmas foods such as mince pies and festive items like Christmas crackers that the people in our twin town look forward to purchasing.

This year the market is being held over the weekend of 6th and 7th December.

Would you like to visit this Market where one can taste seasonal foods and wines from all over France and many parts of Europe and take the opportunity of purchasing some uniquely manufactured goods from some of Europe’s finest craftsmen? If so call Brian Booth on 0161 370 4113 or Angela Taylor on 445 6367.

The people in Montigny generously offer accommodation to their friends from Denton.

Bonfire Night Visit

A party of 24 persons from Montigny-le-Bretonneux will be visiting Denton over the week ending  8-9th November. 

On Saturday, during the day, we have arranged to take them on a Blue Badge guided tour of Manchester.

On Saturday evening they will attend a firework display and social evening at St George’s Centre, Windmill Lane, Denton, commencing at 7.45 p.m. They will be met by the Deputy Mayor of Tameside, Councillor Brenda Warrington and Mr. Graham Warrington and by the President of Denton Twinning, Councillor Margaret Downs and members of the Association.

Our French friends have expressed a wish to learn a bit more about this traditional British celebration of Guy Fawkes Night and, in advance, we have sent them a translated account of this historical event.

On the following day, Sunday the 9th November, the party from France will join in the memorial service at the Cenotaph in Denton. 

Arts Expo Cancelled

We were most disappointed that the Arts Expo planned since April this year and scheduled to be held during October at The Academy of Arts, in Montigny, has been cancelled.

We have not yet received a full explanation but we assume that there was a lack of interest from other members of the group of five twin towns. We express our regret to members of the Denton Art Group who produced a collection of excellent paintings and also to members of Woodend Artists, Mossley who were planning to be present at the Expo.

A Theatrical Demonstration of European Unity

Four students from Ashton College Karen Beech, Iona Fisher, Katie Linney and Sarah Hannah Tibbot, all 17 years of age, have just impressed our European neighbours with their dancing, acting and singing skills. They are all students at Ashton sixth Form College.

In the company of Gavin Childs, chairman of Denton Twinning Association, the party arrived in Kierspe near Cologne, late on Sunday evening, 17th August. The following morning the group met up with 26 young persons from Germany, France and Italy at rehearsal rooms in Kierspe. Under the guidance of a professional choreographer and director, the students were put through their paces, working against a deadline in order to create and to perform an original production on the following Saturday evening. The theme for the show was Be Europe. There was a short break in rehearsals on Thursday when the cast were taken for a trip to Cologne where they visited a chocolate museum and the magnificent cathedral, and afterwards of course, some shopping. 

The weekend of the concert coincided with the town’s carnival. The performance took place in a theatre in the community centre. The mayor and civic dignitaries were present as part of an audience of some 250 people that included representative groups from Kierspe’s associate twin towns of Wicklow in Ireland, Marostica in Italy, Lunca in Romania, Montigny in France and Denton. With a mix of comic sketches and a little pathos, together with music and dance, the performance demonstrated how negative perceptions of national characteristics can, when people are forced to work together, turn into positive understanding and friendship. In fact, no doubt a reflection of what had been experienced by the individual members of the cast during the week. The show ended to warm applause.

As a reward for their efforts the members of the cast were taken out after the show for a meal ‘German style’. The artists returned home on Sunday after a tearful farewell and promises to maintain the friendships that they have made. The four students acknowledge with thanks Denton Twinning Association for the part it has played in helping to organise this performing arts production and also the Youth Opportunities Fund for its help in funding the trip.

Plans are now in hand to host this annual performing arts project next year in Tameside.

European Grant for Training Programme

Tameside MBC has been successful in its bid to the Leonardo programme to help fund an Apprenticeship Scheme for young people in 2009. Existing and new Apprentices, working for the Council, will have the opportunity to gain experience during 5 week’s paid training in the Town Hall in Montigny le Bretonneux, near Paris, Denton’s twin town.

Sampling our Culture and Improving their English

July saw the arrival of three students from Montigny - Adrien Monnet, Gabrielle Moigneau and Olivier Mahieu. The students were in Tameside for a period of two weeks to work and to improve their English. View the full article: Sampling our Culture and Improving their English

 Student Exchange

During May and June we welcomed seven students to Tameside from our twin town, Montigny. They benefited hugely from their visit to the area and from the work experience gained with local companies. We wish to thank the families that offered them accommodation and we are also grateful to Brother UK Ltd., Global Heatsave Ltd, New Charter Housing Trust, PnP Motion Controls, Recipharm UK., Scapa Group Plc. and Tameside MBC.

Any young person in education or full time employment who would like to broaden his or her experience through a short term work experience placement in France is invited to contact us.

Carnival Time Again

On Friday 20th June a group of over fifty students and adults from Denton visited our twin town to take part in its carnival weekend. Students participated from two local schools: Dane Bank and St. John Fisher. Dane Bank's Steel Band took part in an open air performance in front of a large crowd in the centre of Montigny on Saturday afternoon and they entertained the crowd during the carnival procession on Sunday afternoon. A group of youngsters from John Fisher also took part in the carnival with an exhibition of Morris dancing. The Carnival also featured groups of entertainers and many decorated floats, some from Montigny's other European twin towns.

The mayor of Montigny, Michel Laugier was delighted to welcome the mayor and mayoress of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside Councillor Jack Davis and Mrs Carole Davis. Denton Twinning is grateful for the interest shown by successive mayors of Tameside in the work of the Twinning Association.

Councillors Walter and Margaret Downs along with Pat Hallows and Anne Flemming, all members of the Association, chose to dress up as Pearly Kings and Queens in order to make their contribution to the carnival theme 'All Around the World'.

Local School Formalises Twinning Agreement

St. John Fisher School in Denton has just formalised a twinning agreement with the Paul Verlaine School in Montigny. Plans for a variety of twinning activities are to be announced to parents on Thursday 10th July but we are told that a visit to Denton is already planned during 2009.

Denton has been twinned with Montigny-le-Bretonneux near Paris, France, since 1991 and since then, numerous organisations have benefited from exchange visits.

Montigny-le-Bretonneux is a new town with excellent facilities that benefit its relatively young population. It is situated about twenty miles to the south west of Paris, near Versailles.

The Denton Town Twinning association exists to cultivate friendships with the citizens of its twin town and to develop cultural links by promoting: Youth Visits, organising Educational Trips, arranging Weekend Excursions, developing Sporting Links and participating in Arts Festivals; also promoting Business Opportunities.

Montigny-le-Bretonneux is also twinned with Wicklow in Ireland, Kierspe in Germany, San Fernando in Spain and Lunca in Romania.

Information about Montigny-le-Bretonneux can be viewed on: www.montigny78.fr

Teacher Exchange

Two Trees Sports College has just hosted a visit from two teachers from a lycée in our twin town, Montigny. The teachers were welcomed by Denton Twinning Association and the purpose of their visit was to explore the possibility of teacher exchange visits. More discussions are to follow.

Welcome to Tameside – Olivier Mahieu

Since 9th February, The People’s Gallery in Stalybridge has had a new assistant, Olivier Mahieu. Olivier applied through the Twinning Association in Montigny to spend some time in England in order to gain work experience and to improve his English. He is happy in his work and is coming to terms with our local accent which I am told is not too difficult to interpret.

Denton Twinning Association thanks the team at the Gallery led by Joanna Ross and Steve Ollerenshaw for providing the two week placement and Mr & Mrs Hughes of Stalybridge for providing the accommodation for Olivier during his stay. Many thanks also to Alan Marrow, one of our members, for the hard work which he has put into arranging work placements for the students who are visiting us this year.

A Message for All Young Persons in Tameside

If you are confident that your French is adequate, why not apply to obtain work experience in our twin town, near Paris, or simply let us know if you would like to visit for a few days to improve your spoken French? You will find that our friends in Montigny-le-Bretonneux are only too pleased to accommodate you and to make your stay rewarding.

Interested? Then call Brian Booth our assistant secretary on 0161 370 4113.

Events Planned for 2008

August: Performing Arts Project in Kierspe, Germany. 23rd - 31st August

For the last two years students from Tameside have taken part in a Performing Arts Project that has been staged in Montigny. It has involved students of the performing arts from France, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Romania and the UK. This year it is being hosted by our friends in Kierspe, near Cologne, in Germany. A number of students from Ashton 6th Form College are planning to take part.

Next year we are planning to host the Project here in Tameside.

November: Bonfire Night Visit

In November we are looking forward to hosting a visit by around twenty persons from our Twin Town. They will be treated to a conducted tour of Manchester on Saturday 8th November which will be followed in the evening by a small fireworks display and typical bonfire night food. On the following day our guests will accompany members of the Association to an official armistice ceremony in Tameside.

Yes we realise that by the 8th November Bonfire Night will have past, nevertheless, our visitors from Montigny have expressed a wish to sample a flavour of this British event and naturally we do not want to disappoint them.