Angmering twinning group joins Queen at D-Day event

MEMBERS of the Angmering Twinning Association have been invited to attend the high-profile commemoration in Normandy next year for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Members of Angmering Twinning Association on their visit to OuistrehamMembers of Angmering Twinning Association on their visit to Ouistreham
Members of Angmering Twinning Association on their visit to Ouistreham

The Queen and many other heads of state are expected to take part in next June’s events, and the Angmering group’s invitation was issued by the mayor of Ouistreham, the village’s twin community.

Ouistreham has been designated as the principal centre for the commemoration of the Normandy landings – its own coastline was Sword Beach for the allied invasion which ultimately liberated France and was to be the turning point of the Second World War.

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The mayor, André Ledran, issued his invitation during the twinning association’s visit to Ouistreham over the August bank holiday weekend.

At a dinner at the Ferme Saint-Hubert, M Ledran spoke of the respect and gratitude felt by the French people towards the British for their part in the liberation in 1944 of Ouistreham, Normandy and France.

He invited the twinning group members as representatives of the people of Britain. Gifts were also exchanged at the dinner.

“We were deeply moved by his invitation and are making plans, for those who wish, to be there,” said Gill Partington, chairman of the association.

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Angmering has been successfully twinned with Ouistreham, the ferry port for Caen, for 37 years, with some families now exchanging with the fourth generation.

The visit by the 36 members began with a welcoming drink in the Grange aux Dimes, before the evening was spent with host families.

On Saturday, an early start was made to the Ferme de la Michaudière, a centre for heavy horses, where members were greeted with a traditional farm breakfast, including tripes à la mode de Caen, which a few intrepid English managed to eat, washed down with cider and Calvados. There was also a display of working horses.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the group can contact secretary Val Jerram, at [email protected]

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