Would you be interested in helping Wareham’s Twinning Group?

Wareham’s twinning towns are with Hemsbach (near Heidelberg, Germany) and Conches-en-Ouche (Normandy, France).  The Twinning Group hope to promote continue the twinning tradition in Wareham.

About Wareham’s Twinning

“Partnership for all time.” as stated in the Charter, when the Friendship was sealed in 1986 between Wareham and Hemsbach, but unfortunately was dissolved in Autumn 2017.

The twinning between Wareham and Conches-en-Ouche commenced in 1978, but was also unfortunately dissolved in 2007 due to the struggle to keep up numbers. However in 2018 our friends from Conche–en Ouche came over to celebrate the 40th anniversary.

To continue the wonderful experience of meeting French and German friends, Wareham Twinning rose like a Phoenix in 2018. In 2019 Wareham representatives visited Hemsbach and that was the last time we’d met until earlier this year.

The history of twinning in the UK

The tradition of towns twinning dates back around just over a century ago. The first town to be twinned in 1905 was Keighley in West Yorkshire with a town in France. However, the practice really became popular after World War II when local community leaders saw twinnings as a way to heal divisions and support cooperation. For example Coventry, which had suffered heavy bombing in the war twinned with Stalingrad and then Dresden. However, from the 1980’s onwards there has been a slow decline in twinning. Perhaps due to the fact that it usually depends on local community volunteers to arrange it.

Reviving Wareham’s Twinning

Wareham’s Twinning Group are hoping to keep up the twinning tradition in Wareham. They are hoping to have alternative visits by either the French or Germans here, and Wareham Twinning visits to either France or Germany in the same year.

If you would like host and visit with French and / or German people, please get in touch by calling:-
Jacquie Hall 07890 139038
Sue Dean 07931 628461