Denton Town Twinning

Activities During 2009

Tameside veterinary practice helps another French student gain practical experience 

This month sees the arrival of French student Flavy Benoit. Flavy, who hails from Montigny- le-Bretonneux, is the first of a number of French students who are due to take up work experience with Tameside companies during the course of 2010.

Flavy, aged 21, will be taking up a two week placement with Gourley’s Veterinary Practice in Ashton as part of a ‘séjour linguistique’. Her placement is particularly appropriate given that she is currently preparing for her entrance exams for the French veterinary school.

Flavy, is delighted at being afforded such an opportunity and is very keen to take up her placement. She hopes that her stay in Tameside will not only give her an insight into the world of veterinary practice but that the visit will help her to improve her spoken English.

During her albeit brief stay in Tameside she will be lodging with a local family and receiving English lessons from Brian Booth, one of the twinning association’s members. As this is her first visit to England she is also hoping to see some of the main sights of the region.

Her visit follows that of Eve Manceau who recently passed her exams for entrance to the French veterinary school as a result of her placement at the veterinary practice in Ashton.

Experiencing Life and Work in Montigny

Amie Chalmers, Carrie Wilson, Jordan Brooks, Ross Catracchia and Sarah Collis, all 2nd year modern apprentices with Tameside Council, have recently returned from France having spent five weeks working in the town hall in Montigny.

The placements, all of which were funded by the European Union’s Leonardo da Vinci Programme, took place in the last week of September and all of October.

Before going to France the modern apprentices underwent French language and cultural awareness training to give them the confidence to take up their placements. An individual training plan was also drawn up for each apprentice which included cultural and leisure pursuits.

Amie, Carrie and Sarah worked within the town’s Events Unit, Ross was placed in a garage and Jordan worked in Sports and Cultural Services. The apprentices also spent sometime at the Lycée Déscartes chatting to French students during their English lesson.

It wasn’t all work though; the apprentices got the opportunity to visit Paris several times, seeing all the famous sights. They even managed to squeeze in a trip to Disneyland Paris and despite an initial bout of homesickness they were all sad to leave the new friends that they had made. During their stay in France, the apprentices kept a diary of their experiences and took several hundred photos some of which are featured here.

Sarah said:” We feel we have achieved and learnt so much. We have become different people with new ways of approaching things and we have built new friendships. This has been a once in a life time experience and we plan to keep in touch with all the friends we have made and also keep the friendship which has grown between the five of us. Our French has improved and we have realised what an achievement it is to have another language so are planning on keeping this up.”

The trainees have also decided to join the Denton Town Twinning Association to help develop links between the youth of both towns

Since their return, the council’s Human Resources Section has been inundated with applications for next year’s visit! Watch this space for updates.

Exam success for Eve!

Eve Manceau from Denton’s twin town, Montigny le Bretonneux, is one of a number of French students who have taken part in highly successful work placements in Tameside companies this year.

Eve completed a three week placement at Gourley’s Veterinary Surgery in Ashton and was hosted by a local family during her stay in Tameside in February.

During her placement, Eve gained invaluable practical experience in her chosen career and was afforded the opportunity to practice and improve her command of spoken English ahead of a compulsory English examination for entry into veterinary school in France.

Following completion of her examinations, Eve is delighted to inform us that she has passed her English examination with flying colours and is now looking forward to taking up her place at veterinary school this autumn.

Eve hopes to return to Tameside in the very near future to further improve her spoken English and to take part in another placement.

Fête in Montigny

A number of members of the Twinning Association organised a coach trip to Montigny our twin town in France during the weekend 19th to 21st June to take part in a music and arts festival to welcome the first day of summer. This is a national celebration in France and similar events were taking place all over the country.

As part of the Denton/Tameside contribution to the event the Twinning Association took a selection of Paintings from Denton Art Group (see also reference below to Denton Art Group). Members were also joined on the coach by Apparatchik a four piece rock group from Stalybridge. A folk duo: Bill Hackwell from Dukinfield and Paul Fernley was also featured in the event.

The ‘Fête’ was held in the grounds of the Ferme du Manet in Montigny and, over Saturday and Sunday several thousand people came along to see the exhibits and to listen to the music which was almost non-stop. The event was also supported by Montigny’s other twin towns from Germany, Romania, Ireland, Italy and Spain.

Apparatchik took to the stage on Saturday evening at 9.00pm and really wowed the large crowd with a unique brand of rock music which contained several original numbers. They gave a really polished, dynamic and professional performance. Bill and Paul entertained the audience on Sunday afternoon. They featured as part of a varied programme of entertainments which included performances from musicians and dancers from the other participating countries.

During the festival The Worshipful the Civic Mayor of Tameside Councillor John B. Sullivan spoke on behalf of those present from Denton/Tameside and, speaking in French, he really impressed the crowd. He gave a brief summary of the programme of Twinning Events which are taking place during the year and he drew attention to the support that Denton/Tameside gives to encouraging young people from Montigny and from Tameside to take up study and work placement opportunities in the twin towns. On Saturday afternoon our mayor and mayoress were taken on a conducted tour of Montigny-le-Bretonneux by the mayor of Montigny, Michel Laugier. During the closing ceremony on Sunday evening Councillor Sullivan presented a token gift to visiting dignitaries and, possibly with a visit to Tameside in mind, he also gave each one an umbrella. In the photograph he is seen (left) making a presentation to the mayor of Montigny.

Denton Art Group

We extend a special word of thanks to the members of the art group for creating especially for us a collection of art works that we were able to present to the people of Montigny. Denton Art Group is due to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2010. It meets each Wednesday evening in the Festival Hall adjoining Denton Library.

‘What a lovely young man’

Here is a comment from Alison Shockledge Project Co-ordinator, The Park Cafe, Hyde Park, about Benjamin one of the students from Montigny who has recently completed a work placement here in Tameside helping to set up and organise a new café in Hyde:

“What a lovely young man Benjamin is. He settled into our team so well that when the time came I found it difficult to say goodbye. In only the first two weeks his spoken English and understanding of our language, which were quite good when he stared, had really improved. My team all commented on how hard he worked, stating that it was doubly hard for him, but that he had really got stuck in. More importantly his relationship with our trainees really developed well; especially as he hadn’t had any previous experience of working with people with learning disabilities. He is a natural with a lovely manner and disposition. When his placement, working with us on a new Cafe Project in Hyde came to an end, we took the time to hold two celebratory events in order to say goodbye and thanks.”

Bienvenue à Tameside

The month of May saw the arrival of four French students from the Lycée René Descartes in Montigny. They have taken up work placements, each lasting four weeks, in departments of the council here in Tameside. While on placement the students will undertake a wide range of administrative tasks and when they return home they will be expected to prepare a report on their experiences. Their reports, which will be supported by their employers here in Tameside, will be taken into consideration when they are awarded their final course marks.

This is their first visit to England so naturally when we met them at the airport on the 18th May they were excited but also a little nervous at the prospect of working here. The main question they must have been asking themselves was “is my English good enough?” I don’t think that they have much to worry about.

The visit has been organised by Alan Marrow one of our members in conjunction with Tameside Council. We thank him for his hard work and our council for making this learning opportunity possible.

Thank you Tameside

Brian Booth from Denton Twinning Association met 35 students and 4 teachers from the Lycée Emilie Breteuil on Tuesday 12th May. The group, who had travelled from Montigny by coach, spent five full days in Tameside. During the day they visited Audenshaw School where they spent half a day taking part in school activities. After lunch at McDonalds they were taken to the Park Bridge museum where they were surprised to read that it was here that the rivets for the Eifel Tower were made. Later in the afternoon the party met the Mayor of Tameside Councillor Jack Davies in his parlour in Ashton and after tea they were given a guided tour of the Town Hall. 

Before returning to their hostel the students went out around the centre of Ashton to meet the citizens of the town and to complete a random survey which they had prepared as part of a project that they had come to research. They were in fact taking part in an organised study visit which among other things involved a comparison of the manufacture and consumption of alcoholic drinks and the English person’s views of hunting and blood sports. The students had a full programme including a trip to a nature reserve near Rochdale and a visit to Hyde’s Brewery in Moss Side. After spending Saturday in the company of local students they returned to France on Sunday.

Strengthening Links

On Thursday 30th April the Mayor of Tameside, Councillor Jack Davies, met with a group of students from the Lycée Renée Descartes in Montigny. The students and their teachers were visiting Tameside for the purpose of strengthening links with two of the borough’s colleges, Ashton 6th Form College and All Saints, Dukinfield. Whilst in Tameside they worked with students from both colleges and visited Manchester City’s stadium, the Portland Basin Museum and Setantii. They were also taken on a guided tour of Manchester.

The students were very impressed with the stadium and delighted at being given the opportunity to walk out onto the pitch. It is surprising how much the boys, in particular, know about football in the U.K.

Introducing five modern apprentices

In April the Mayor of Tameside (Cllr Jack Davies) met with Michèle Parent (Deputy Mayor of Montigny), Christine Garnier (Montigny Municipal Councillor), Alan Marrow (Economic Development Unit) and the five modern apprentices from Tameside Council who will be going to Montigny later in the year to work in la mairie.

After formal introductions the group retired to the mayor’s parlour where the apprentices were given an opportunity to discuss their placements with the Deputy Mayor of Montigny, Michèle Parent. Madame Parent reassured the apprentices that she would do her upmost to find them suitable placements and to make their stay in Montigny a pleasant one.

Do we really have to stay with a French family?

Of course there are many differences between the ‘Brits’ and the French and for that matter amongst people from other countries which is the main reason why so many people find it interesting to travel abroad. One of the main differences that we at the association experience regularly is the conservative nature of the average person here in Britain. Young persons and grown ups alike frequently say that they would prefer not to host a French visitor or, when they themselves are contemplating a trip to our twin town, they say that they would prefer to provide their own accommodation. By contrast we are constantly amazed by the number of families in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, our twin town, who readily volunteer to host a visitor from England and indeed from other countries.

Does this mean that the French are more hospitable? Not necessarily. When families over here are persuaded to host visitors from our twin town they are generally very kind and generous and indeed their French hosts speak highly of British hospitality. However the majority of our French friends certainly do take hospitality very seriously, almost as a point of honour.

A group of nine students from Ashton 6th Form College visited Montigny in March for work experience. They were accompanied by one of our members, Dave Hiles, who is a lecturer at the college. The visit was funded by Leonardo da Vinci, a European Funding Organisation.

Lauren, one of the students, became the subject of an article in the L’ignymontain, the local paper in Montigny which printed a feature article describing the visit, Lauren’s job at an enterprise called Avnet, and her relationship with her host family.

One of the facts that one picks up on when one is reading the article is the amount of support that Lauren received from her host family, whether at work or in her leisure hours, and it demonstrates clearly the extent to which our French friends are prepared to put themselves out to accommodate and to help visitors.

It is likely that there will be an increasing number of opportunities especially for young people to broaden their education or work experience by visiting our twin town and I urge them not to let good old British reserve act as a barrier.

A few words from our President, Councillor Margaret Downs

2008 was a busy year and indeed a successful year for our Association and 2009 also promises to be busy and indeed, challenging.

Our programme this year gets underway with the arrival of Eve Manceau a student from Montigny. Eve, aged 20, will be taking up a two week placement with Gourley’s Veterinary Surgery in Ashton as part of a ‘séjour linguistique’. Her placement is particularly appropriate given that she is currently preparing her candidacy for the veterinary school in Paris. Eve, is delighted at being afforded such an opportunity and is very keen to take up her placement. She hopes that her stay in Tameside will not only give her an insight into the world of veterinary practice but that the visit will help her to improve her spoken English.

Denton Twinning Association - Open meeting

If you are interested in finding out about the work of Denton’s Twinning Association we invite you to join us at 7.00pm in Denton Town Hall 27th April 2009. The meeting will last no more than an hour and refreshments will be provided.

Performing arts project in Tameside

This is the fourth year of this challenging project. Last year it was held in Kierspe in Germany. Intended for young persons 17-19 years it has proved to be a great opportunity for them to develop individual performance skills and social and life skills. The project depends on young persons working together, in advance, to satisfy a creative brief.

Then, over a period of 6 days commencing 28th June, all the participants will commence rehearsals under professional direction. They have to overcome language problems and cultural differences in order to create and stage an original production on 4th July. The project involves students of performing arts at Ashton 6th Form College. It is to be staged in the theatre at Egerton Park Arts College and it will involve a number of young persons from Denton and Tameside who will be assisting in the production.

A festival of twin towns in France

An Opportunity to show off your Talents and to Share your Interests
Weekend of 20-21st June 2009

Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France | Denton, England | Kierspe, Germany | Lunca, Romania | Marostica, Italy | San Fernando, Spain | Wicklow, Ireland

Along with our associate twin towns in Europe we have received an invitation to participate in a celebration weekend to mark an important anniversary in the life of our French twin town near Paris and we have been asked to extend this invitation to all clubs and associations in Denton and Tameside.

The festival is to be held during the weekend of 20-21st June. It is to take place at the ’Ferme du Manet’ one of the oldest buildings in Montigny, recently adapted to serve as a conference, exhibition and entertainment centre with good indoor and outdoor facilities. This is a great opportunity for artists to display their works, for musicians and entertainers to perform in front of an international audience and for special interest groups to make contacts abroad.

A Great Opportunity for Networking

We will travel by coach from Denton to Montigny, leaving early on Friday morning (19th June) and return to Denton on Monday evening. The cost of a seat on the coach is £70 for an adult and £60 for a young person up to 16 years or 18 if still in full time education. Accommodation will be provided free by our friends in Montigny.

To find out more contact Brian Booth,
Denton Twinning Association 0161 370 4113 or
e-mail: brianbooth@ntlworld.com

Work experience in Tameside

It is expected that during the year some 12 French students will be taking up work experience opportunities with Tameside companies or will be visiting the area for the purpose of improving their English. We are most appreciative of the organisational work done by Alan Marrow, one of our members, and of the companies in Tameside that are willing to offer visiting students work experience. Also to the families that provide accommodation. Such visits provide a wonderful opportunity for young persons to improve their language skills. However, this is by no means a question of one way traffic! More and more persons, young and old, from Denton and Tameside are regularly enjoying French hospitality.

If you would like information on work experience opportunities / séjour linquistiques in both countries then contact Alan Marrow, Economic Development Unit on 0161 342 3980.

Making comparisons

In May, Brian Booth, our assistant secretary, will be welcoming a group of around eighteen 17 year old students and three teachers from a school in the centre of Montigny. They are visiting Greater Manchester and Tameside for a week and they will be using the time to complete a project which involves a comparative study into the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the UK and France. They will be visiting one of our oldest breweries and, as part of their project they are expected to gain an understanding of the commercial and social history of our region from the 1830’s until the present day. They will be meeting students at Dukinfield All Saints Language College and also students in Denton.

Visits to Montigny

This year 10 students from Ashton 6th Form College will be taking up work experience in Montigny. The students will be accompanied by Dave Hiles (left) one of our members and a lecturer at the college. They will be taking up 2 week placements with businesses, during the month of March.

In September, modern apprentices from Tameside MBC will be exchanging their place of work: the Council premises in Ashton, with the town hall “la marie” in Montigny. This will be for a period of 5 weeks. 

Both projects are being funded by the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Program (Leonardo).

Eve, it was a delight to meet you too

We have just received a warm thank you from Eve Manceau for having arranged her work placement here in Tameside. Eve, from our twin town, is a student at the Veterinary College in Paris and her work placement was spent at the Gourley Veterinary Practice in Ashton. She expresses her gratitude to Mr and Mrs Gourley, to her work colleagues for their support, and to Alan Marrow from the Twinning Association for arranging the visit.

Introductions to our twin town

Brian Booth, our assistant secretary will be making a presentation about Montigny on the evening of 28th January to a group of apprentices from Tameside Council and also on 4th February when he will be repeating it for the benefit of students at Ashton 6th Form College.