D : DAY 80 POOLE

A short booklet on the role of Poole in the D Day Landings June 1944 by D F Beamish is available - please donate £5 via our buymeacoffee website. After we've covered costs we will donate to the current Mayor's Charity https://buymeacoffee.com/pooletwinning

Links to UK events to mark 80 years

Link to Portsmouth Events and Collections

Links to France’s commemorations in Normandy

Links to France’s commemorations in Cherbourg

Museum of the Liberation is inaugurated in Cherbourg 

Archive Video Library

Archive Photo Library

Share D-Day and the Battle of Normandy personal accounts

Links to Royal British Legion Events

PCTA Online Nov: 2022- Feb 2024

Our Web and Social Media Co-ordinator has written a short report on

PCTA’s virtual activity in this Website's first year

Poole-Cherbourg Twinning Association
Web/Social Media Report 2022-23 (updated Feb 2024) - Colin Phillimore


PCTA has been able to develop its interaction with key organisations (in Poole and Cherbourg) the wider public and members through developing it’s Social Media use and the development of a pooletwinning.com website. We are always open to contributions from members.

Social Media Platforms. The three main social media outlets have provided a wider audience for PCTA events, developments and membership to be publicised - locally and in the Cherbourg - en- Cotentin region.

Facebook: 220 (310) Followers Poole 50 41% Bournemouth 15.5 21.9% Cherbourg 3.2 2.6% Ferndown 2.7 1.9% Wimborne 2.3 % Dorchester 1.3%

16.2.24. Les Skittles III post reached 22 people

Twitter/ X: 203 Following 136 Followers

Instagram: 215 /212 Followers
Website:

The new pooletwiining.com website was launched at the Nouveau Beaujolais event in November 2022. This enables PCTA to provide visitors to the Website to explore:
Archive photographs, Events and a Blog page referring to specific events or other developments. Courtlye Musick provided a report on their Twinning with Cherbourg-based musicians Ars Noveau to create a Blog article: https://bit.ly/3QQsGg3

Menu headings: About
History (by decade 1970’s -2020’s) Events
Contact
Poole Twinning Blog
Gallery (archive photos).

Interest so far peaked (as we would expect) at the time of the launch (62 visits)
During the visit of the Poole Dolphin Marching Band to the Carnaval de Cherbourg in April (71 visits) and the Pétanque competition in July (35 visits)

Year November-December 2022 78 visits
188 page views 62 unique visitors

Year Jan-Aug 2023 254 visits 618 page views 219 Unique Visitors

Year Jan - Feb 2024 28 visits 46 page views 28 Unique Visits

I hope that this report shows an encouraging increase in the amount of people that are engaging with the PCTA ‘virtually’ and how interest spikes when we are active promoting what we do - typically relating to events and archive sharing. As with any publicity it cannot be one person’s sole responsibility and material, posts, sharing and commenting all helps to show ‘the world’ that we are active, relevant and value our heritage a La Manche.

Colin Phillimore PCTA Web/Social Media Co-ordinator

September 2023 updated February 2024.

The Inaugural Les Burden (Pétanque) Trophy: Upton Country Park, 21 July 2023.

Six teams of local people enjoyed an evening of Pétanque at the facility within Upton Country Park in Poole. Organised by the PCTA to mark Bastille Day (the original event on the 14 July was postponed due to extreme weather conditions!!!!) in France we were greatly supported by Muscliffe Pétanque and Upton Country Park's own Pétanque club. A gentile evening was had by all, with some fine picnics, a complimentary drink and a Raffle helping to add to the enjoyment.

Muscliffe Junior Team enjoyed beating their Senior Team in the Final, the main focus was to complete the three ends before the gates were locked at 9pm!!!!! The Deputy Mayor Cllr Tony Trent presented the Les Burden Trophy, named after our ex-Chair , who sadly passed away earlier in the year.

Thanks to everyone that took part and supported the event which we hope will be an annual event.

The Winners! Congratulations Muscliffe Junior Pétanque Team.

View courtside.

Checking the rules and measuring the winning boules!

The Les Burden Trophy and medals on the Raffle table

Ten years of musical twinning by Anne Jones of Courtly Musick

Arts and Culture have always been a way of sharing our lives through twinning. Just three weekends ago we were taking part in the Carnaval de Cherbourg with the young people from the Dolphin Marching Band and you can read about this and our previous participation in 1995/96 here

This weekend (29 April 2023) we celebrate another longstanding collaboration, through medieval and renaissance music. Anne Jones member of Courtlye Musick was born and bred in Poole and for 10 years this music group, with its specialist work, has shared with Chebourg based Ars Nova. This year, the groups are focussing on French and English music from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, including music for ‘La Mascarade d’Arion’, written for Henri VI of France. (See https://www.arsnova-consort.com/la-
mascarade-d-arion.html ).  Here Ann shares the group's last visit to Cherbourg in June 2022 and the French group's return visit to Poole and Dorset in September where they played a concert at St.Peter's church, Ashley Cross, we wish them 'bon chance et bon jumelage':

"On 23rd June 2022, members of Courtlye Musick were delighted to be crossing the channel to reconnect with members of early music consort Ars Nova.  Not only were we looking forward to a reunion following Covid19 restrictions, but we also had ten years of musical twinning to celebrate!  

As we sailed past Brownsea Island, we gave it a wave – by this time we were well into rehearsals for Twelfth Night with Brownsea Open Air Theatre and these would be held on the island from the beginning of July (in 2023 the play is Romeo and Juliet).  Magical!

 In Cherbourg, we were hosted by members of Ars Nova in their lovely gîte, close by the 16th century Château des Ravalet with its tragic history.  We weren’t performing there this year but, no doubt, that will happen again?

The weather was good enough for us to enjoy an outdoor rehearsal in what would soon be our hosts’ new kitchen, followed by lunch and a lovely walk around the castle grounds.

On Saturday 25th, Ars Nova and Courtlye Musick performed together in Chapelle St Paul, Cherbourg.  This concert of medieval and renaissance music and dance was well-received and it was fascinating to view the newly restored artwork in the chapel.

There was another connection with Brownsea Island as part of our visit to France.  Both musical groups enjoyed a leisure visit to l’Île Tatihou, just 30 minutes from Cherbourg, off St-Vaast-la-Hougue.  It’s wild and lovely with lots of history, so well worth a visit.  There’s a twinning link with Brownsea island (non-active) listed on the Dorset Twinning Association website, so it seemed very appropriate.

September saw a return visit, with Ars Nova arriving in Poole on Thursday 22 nd followed by a successful concert at St Peter’s Church, Parkstone the next day. We were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Poole, Tony Trent and his wife, Anne. Their attendance made such a difference to our French visitors and we hope they enjoyed the music, too!

This time our day of leisure involved a visit to the Isle of Portland with its imposing castle built, as was the castle on Brownsea, towards the end of Henry VIII’s reign to safeguard the country against a possible invasion".

l’Île Tatihou off St-Vaast-la-Hougue near Cherbourg

The castle on the Isle of Portland

You can find out more about the work of Courtlye Musick on their website at: https://courtlyemusick.wordpress.com and Ars Nova here: https://www.arsnova-consort.com

Carnaval-time!

Watch the video of the Dolphin Marching Bands trip to Cherbourg to take part in the Carnaval de Cherbourg here!

The 2023 Carnaval Poster

The talented Dolphin Marching Band at their Easter Weekend in Poole Park, 2023

A party from Poole will accompany the Mayor, Councillor Tony Trent and Mayoress on 15 April  to take part in the  2023 Cherbourg Carnival. We are pleased to support 18 members of the well known local Dolphin Marching Band to be part of Carnaval processions on the streets of Cherbourg.

But this won't be the first time the Poole-Cherbourg Twinning Association have joined the annual parade. In1995/96 a float depicting a huge model of St.George made its way across the Channel to join the Carnaval which has a long history in the city

If you would like to help sponsor this visit please email the Honorary Secretary at: pooletwinning@gmail.com

Local young people in front of the PCTA Float, 1995/96.

The PCTA Float on the move with the Mayor (Cllr Bernard Ewart). For more images see the Gallery on this website.

Mayor of Poole’s Charity 2022-23

We are privileged to have the Mayor of Poole as Honorary President of the PCTA. Each year their Sheriff is also part of the Association. This year Councillor Tony Trent has been Mayor and his chosen charity is the Routes to Roots . 

Since November 2015 Routes to Roots has provided supported housing for three rough sleepers, working with the local authorities to move them on into independent accommodation. At five drop-ins we provide basic necessities, such as showers, hot food, clothing and sleeping bags, and offer outreach access to the BCP addictions team, mental health workers, BCP rough sleeper outreach team and housing advisers.

PCTA Visit to Cherbourg 12 April 2022

It was 6 O'Clock in the evening on 20 March 2020 when representatives from the Poole side of the Poole-Cherbourg Twinning Association left the town hall in Cherbourg to board the Brittany Ferries 'Barfleur'. Two hours later the French President announced a national Lockdown!Last week the special friendship or 'jumelage' was reinstated face-to face as members (including three BCP Councillors) arrived at the Ferry terminal in Poole to board the 08:30 hours crossing, the first crossing as services re-started. New Chair of the Association, Cllr Marcus Andrews explained:"We decided that we wanted to celebrate 50 years of the channel crossing between Poole and Cherbourg and reconnect after two hard years of COVID measures".Members paid for their own crossing on the ‘Barfleur’, being the first sailing out of Poole for 2 years! The Captain extended a warm welcome to all passengers as he tooted the ships horn. On arrival in the afternoon, they met with several Cherbourg representatives in the Hotel de Ville including Anna Pic and longstanding member of the Cherbourg Jumelage Charmaine Martin. After some sightseeing in the town centre the Poole delegation were taken back to the ferry port for the overnight crossing to Poole by volunteers from Maison Pour Tous Leo Legrange, Cherbourg-Octeville.The Poole-Cherbourg Twinning Association meets regularly and is planning cultural and social events in the coming months.Anyone wishing to join should Email: pooletwinning@gmail.com and you can Follow the Association's Social Media sites at:Twitter/Instagram: @pooletwinningFacebook: Poole-Cherbourg Twinning Association

Members arriving at the Ferryport Check-in

Members snapped from the Chain Ferry channel at Sandbanks

It was so lovely to be greeted by a friend from Maison Pour Tous Lèo Legrange when we arrived!

Members with friends and colleagues at the Hotel de Ville, Cherbourg

Cherbourg Kayak club 40th anniversary

On Saturday 26th of September our twinned Kaya club in Cherbourg celebrated their 40th anniversary. After a 10K return kayaking trip from the club to surfing cove 'l'anse du brick', technical director David Szlachta, opened the festivities along with the current and 3 of the club's previous chair persons.

 A traditional dish of chicken and chips was server by a local rotisserie to a 182 guests. The event was a great success and lasted late into the night.

Thanks to Frederic Boistuaud for the photographs and the report.