Didcot–Meylan Twinning Association

Newsletter no.2, July 2000

Editorial
Welcome to the second edition of our newsletter. We are now well and truly twinned with our partners in Meylan, having witnessed a ceremony in both countries.
We are planning a ‘bring and share’ supper, for everyone involved in, and interested in twinning. The planned date is Saturday, September 2^nd from 5pm. This would be a bring and shareparty. We hope to see as many of you as possible. Drinks will be provided, but please bring your own food and something to sit on. If you would like to come, please complete and return the form at the end of this newsletter. If you have any photos of twinning events that you would like displayed, please bring them to the party too.
    The next event that we hope to take part in is a concert on Friday 3^rd November in Meylan. This is to celebrate the opening of their Concert Hall.
    Newsletters will only be sent to members in future so if you meant to join but haven’t, now is the time! It’s still only £5 for family membership and £10 for corporate membership. If you wish to join the Association, please complete and return the membership application form.

An Enjoyable Four Days - a report by a member
I didn't join the twinning group with any pre-ordained ideas, except that I wasn't going to do any cooking, artwork, and I certainly wasn't going shopping!  Fortunately my wife is of a similar mind. I did have an idea that I would like the mountains and I thought I might bump into an ex-service person or group as a sort of bonus. We were very fortunate that our hosts wanted to satisfy our inner most longings, which was to see the mountains, they were also keen walkers and skiers so we were given a cook's tour of every mountain in sight. I can now answer the quiz question “which town hosted the 1968 winter Olympics and up which mountain?” We were driven up to the cable car, which fortunately was running (most of the maintenance is done around June time). This cable car took us up to the top of the Chamrousse (2250 m) where the Olympic ski runs were. The clouds moved about enough for us to take some pictures. On the Saturday morning, we were driven up to a high spot above Grenoble which had some stupendous views. We were in the vicinity of a church and ruins of some description. At this point, there was a memorial to the 1914-18 war, and by coincidence, my host told me that her father had been taken prisoner, as was my father. We were shown the mountains where the resistance fighters hid during the last war, and that was about the sum total of my ex-service contacts. Time was all too short as I expect all will agree, and on the Saturday evening we made another journey to the old fort for dinner. The views especially with all the lights on in Meylan was like the icing on the cake. I hope my hosts will make the journey to us, we can show them the views from Wittenham Clumps!

The Twinning Exhibition Meylan
Last November Didcot welcomed a party of delegates from Meylan for the first half of the Twinning Ceremony. I was asked to set up a small stand and an exhibition in Baptist House to represent D'Arts (Didcot Arts Society) - this was part of their official tour. It was at this function that the first steps were made towards a joint venture. One lady from Meylan discussed the possibility of D'Arts exhibiting at their Annual Exhibition and vice versa. We exchanged e-mail addresses and their tour continued on its way to the next function.
    Five months later, and out of the blue, came an e-mail from our friend in Meylan saying that in June the British delegates were going to visit Meylan for the second half of the Twinning Ceremony and could we arrange a joint exhibition to coincide with it. We did it, with help from our friends in France. When I received that first e-mail from Meylan, I rang the chairman to inform him that D'Arts and the Lezards Association were going to have a joint exhibition to coincide with the Twinning trip and to ask him how I could get 30 paintings all the way across France? It then transpired that AFFA agreed to ship the paintings to Meylan for nothing, which was nice!
Thursday morning
So the paintings have made it in one piece. Now it was our turn, the delegates, and after an 11-hour trip by coach and Eurostar, I'm unsure as to who travelled more comfortably, the paintings, or us but like the paintings we got there in one piece. Phew!
Friday morning
The day started with breakfast at 7.30 am then straight up to the Town Hall (La Mairie) at 8.30 am for the signing up for trips and functions, Our friends in Meylan had already organised all sorts for us artists and first it was off to see the exhibition, then a brisk stroll around the back streets of Meylan to go and see the studio of Max Laignbau, a famous artist of Meylan, then some more brisk strolling and yes! At last coffee! Ahhhhh! Much better, with the temperature in the thirties we needed refreshment and then it was off for a whistle stop visit to Michael Capdervert's studio and then to La GRANGE DU CLOS des CAPUCHINS for lunch, and a very nice lunch it was, and guess what, yes! More red wine. As soon as lunch was finished it was time for us to attend the private view of the exhibition and it looked great, a good mix of styles, media and subject matter and a lot of praise for all concerned and of course, the by now mandatory red wine punch, orange juice and nibbles, then it was back to the hotel, bath, change, and out for the evening meal and a nice bottle of wine.
Saturday
It was nice to know that we didn’t have to rush too much on Saturday morning as the first function, the Twinning Ceremony, wasn't until 12.30 pm and the hotel was only 300 metres from the Town Hall (La Mairie). It was so typically French to have a band playing on the green outside, with everybody waltzing round and round the band, and then everybody inside for the official ceremony, French speeches, British speeches, Handshakes, and Clapping, Congratulations all round, and back outside for the buffet and champagne. Next came the mini train ride round Meylan; unfortunately it was delayed in the traffic. So after waiting for nearly an hour, we decided to go and have a coffee instead. This was the only real hiccup of the trip so it wasn't that bad, back to the hotel and stand in front of the air conditioner for an hour, bath, change and on to another minibus for the ride up the mountain to the fort for the big party, wow! What a setting, a Victorian fort on top of a 1500 metre sheer cliff overlooking Meylan and Grenoble with fireworks and gliders circling below us and about 40 miles of valley stretching out in front of us, not forgetting the moon coming up over the Alps with patriotic songs being sung by both the French and the British and what's more as much red wine as one could muster it was enough to bring a tear to your eye.
Sunday
The trip home was really just a repeat of the trip there, except some of us were a bit hung over and probably a little less tolerant than usual, but I must say, congratulations to everybody involved in the organisation of it all. It was a trip of a lifetime; the French made us so very welcome and I would recommend it to one and all. On behalf of all of us from the Art Society we thank everyone for everything and more importantly for giving us the opportunity to extend our horizons, our friendships and our cultural knowledge. And I'm going back as soon as I can.

From a biscuit to a bedstead
It was hard to believe that I was looking down from 1338 m from St Eynard in the Massif de la Chartreuse over Grenoble and its suburb Meylan, Didcot’s twin town. Looking across the valley I could see even higher mountains, some topped with snow, stretching away over in the border into Switzerland.
    A chance remark by the organiser of Meylan’s Art Society about a joint exhibition triggered it all off. During the twinning ceremony in Didcot, in November ’99, their artists took the chance to suggest collaboration at some time in the future. An email from Meylan in April got the ball rolling.
    Once we had agreed the venture was possible, the logistics were harder to arrange. A swift letter to all Art Society members resulted in a ‘lottery’ to decide who should send paintings as only 30 could be accepted. Having chosen the paintings, the transportation to Meylan was our next priority. A timely conversation resulting in a princely offer of free packaging and transport by AFFA on Milton Trading Estate solved the problem.
    For all representatives the trip passed in a blur of new faces, new places, heat, tired feet and wine! Visits were arranged to Grenoble, the museums, the studio of Meylan’s most famous artist, Max Laigneau and a flying visit to Carrefour (the local hypermarket) for whisky, on special offer! Calvados, Armagnac, Cognac etc.- from a biscuit to a bedstead, they sell it!
    The Civic Ceremony was very emotive, George Seurat himself could not have bettered the local band, which was excellent and, the picnic in the park which brought me back to looking down on gliders and a firework display from dizzying heights.
    We wouldn’t know for several weeks if any of the paintings had been sold, but in a way that was not of paramount importance. The chance to meet other artists on equal ground and have a damn good time into the bargain summed up what twinning was all about.

Gine's Garden
On a hot summer's day, the garden of Gine Vagnozzi provides a haven of quiet and shade. With an artlessness that only a true plant lover can achieve, the native plants tumble and seed their way through the more exotic introductions. It is not a very large area and is almost completely surrounded by trees and shrubs, yet any feeling of enclosure is prevented as your eye moves up to take in the tantalising views to the distant Chamrousse. The terrace, almost too hot, is filled with apparently haphazard clusters of pots, filled with cuttings or full grown plants and now so numerous that they stand shoulder to shoulder on shelves, like supporters at a football match, layer upon layer of riotous colour. Only the sound of water provides relief. There, at the bottom of a gentle slope and surrounded by lush planting, is a crystal clear pool, the surface of the water barely rippled by a small fountain. This is the home of what must be the happiest bullfrogs in all France.
    But back in Didcot, I realise that Gine's garden is rather larger than I first thought. Thinking back, I understand now that it encompasses the whole of Meylan's enviable network of parks and open spaces. She cares for all of these deeply, devoting much time and effort to protecting and improving them for the benefit of all Meylannais.  Those of us who followed the 'Parks and Gardens' theme on our visit will undoubtedly remember her enthusiasm, and not only for the way Gine's French became increasingly rapid as she shared her other 'gardens' with us.

Meylan- a culinary trip?
I'd been invited to join the group of people representing Didcot on a twinning trip. From Didcot to Waterloo by coach, then Eurostar to Lille; we stopped for several hours in Lille awaiting the next train. We were told there was a Careffour to do some shopping. The shopping centre was large with lots of exciting shops. The Carrefour was shopping heaven, huge long rows with everything, but where was the food!!! Someone in our party was on a mission to buy her host some whisky (and there was an offer on). We found it down the stairs - the ground floor was as large as the top floor with exquisite displays of vegetables, fish, meats, fruit, cheese breads and pastry's. We purchased some wine and cheese and made our way back. We met several others from our group who had decided it was dinner time and had ordered the hugest baguettes. Back on the rain we consumed our bread and cheese along with a bottle of wine. We 'borrowed' some cups from the buffet; we had a corkscrew but nothing to drink from. We also had some 'English' strawberries and cream, which I had taken with me. On arriving at Meylan we were met by our hosts and huge platters of bread and cheeses on big wooden boards and plenty of drink. We were all very tired from travelling all day but they were excited by our arrival and wanted to chat. My first evening I stayed with Laurence Pommeret (female) as I had no fixed abode she kindly said I could stay. Breakfast Friday morning was toasted French bread with honey and jams, which my host had made herself. French women make a lot of their own preserves. I had taken as my gift for my host a basket of my home made jams marmalades and lemon curd, so we ate each other's produce. The strangest thing was the bread on the table, no plates; we just ate off the tablecloth. Tea was served in what looked like a large cereal bowl? (Others in our group thought it was a cereal bowl and used it for such. I wondered what they drank their tea out of?) I didn't eat a lot at breakfast as the first item on our itinerary said 'breakfast at the Civic Hall and I wanted to make sure there was room.
    However there wasn't any breakfast just a briefing as to what we were going to do for the day. I opted to go to the market with Nicolas which was really interesting. Fruit and vegetables were very cheap; one market trader offered us endless strawberries and cherries to eat with no push to buy. In the old covered market there were cheeses and meats as well as croissants I just had to have two chocolate ones as I was really hungry by now. Lunch had been arranged at Clos des Capucins, which had stunning views of Meylan. We met in the old dairy where walnut bread, smoked meats and olives were plentiful. Although we didn't know if this was lunch!!! Cassis and red wine flowed freely; we were then called into the dining room. There was lunch after all.... Gammon steaks cooked in a delicate sauce with potatoes dauphinois and more walnut bread. Dessert followed with a traditional French tart with fresh fruits on top. Then came another of their stunning cheese boards, served on the wooden platter with olives and fruit, served at the end of the meal, which is not the traditional French way. The table was frequently replenished with Cassis and red wine.
    That evening we returned to our hosts a new host for me.... President of the Twinning Committee - no less - who spoke little English. I was really grateful to Angela who was also staying there as her French was perfect (she teaches it at adult education). We were treated to a 'snack of pasta with salmon and fish with spinach' which was delicious. Other host families provided a three course evening meal. Saturday morning, I was off on another culinary trip. This time to learn to cook with a French lady in her home. We all really enjoyed her hospitality and the willingness to allow 7 English ladies into her home to cook. We made Quiche Lorraine and Tarte aux noix. Her garden was full of vegetables and herbs with stunning views of the mountains. (I'd have liked to stay with her for a week). The afternoon was spent at a local school after the picnic in the park, which was something else. Each host providing a picnic hamper and we all joined in swapping hosts, drinks, cheese, wine and anything else we could get to eat. It was a memorable occasion on a splendidly hot day. On leaving the school I had hoped there would be time for a little shopping in the Carrefour, Michelle our driver said I could have half an hour. Good, I thought, time for what I wanted to take home. After all I couldn't return without any French goodies. Di was brilliant she knew her way around the Carrefour and quickly guided me to each aisle as I said what I wanted to buy. I filled a trolley to everyone’s amusement - 6 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of Rum, 1 bottle of Cassis, 1 bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (on special offer), 6 kinds of cheeses, 2 types of smoked meats, bread, cakes and a dress! With Angela in the queue we did our shopping in the allocated time - thanks everyone. Back to our hosts, quick shower and change (no time to try the new dress) and get to the restaurant for our last night, at St Eynard Fortress at the top of the mountain. The evening was so clear and the view was stunning. Again pre-dinner drinks, smoked meats and olives. A splendid buffet of meats and salads were laid out for us followed by fruit tarts and the now very popular cheese boards. We managed to find our way back down the winding road to our hosts at around mid-night knowing we had to be up at 5am for the early start home. We even managed breakfast toast off the tablecloth and hot milk with chocolate in the big bowls. Marie Francios had also packed us a picnic to take on the train. Heaven! and I had bought cheese and bread thinking we would not get fed I ate and drank all weekend and thoroughly enjoyed all of it. I’m looking forward to a return trip to take in the area at a more leisurely pace! Bon appetite.

Memories of Meylan
The most striking feature about Meylan is its mountains. On one side they rise into the sky with just a smear of snow on top and on the other side the great craggy rocks of the Massif de la Chartreuse seem to bear down on the town to make sure it knows its place. It was dark when we arrived so we didn't see much of this magnificence until morning when we got a wonderful view from our host's balcony. After breakfast with Jossette and Laurent and the novelty of drinking out of bowls instead of cups, we were driven to the Mairie (Town Hall) where we were presented with a variety of possibilities for spending a sunny morning. We chose the walking tour of the parks and gardens and followed our two guides through the allotments where the soft fruits were already ripe and tempting. Meylan is a very green town with lots of trees among its buildings, some gardens in the centre of housing estates and lots of parks, some parts of which are allowed to stay wild. There is also a lot of water coming down from the mountains to make streams and ponds. Five frogs sitting on one leaf posed for photographs. We learned a lot and enjoyed the company of our interpreter who had lived for 15 years in Richmond. The afternoon was very hot so we were glad to be able to explore the cool depths of the 'Musee de Archeveche' in Grenoble. We saw the remains of the ancient Baptistry and the original baptismal pool, minus water, before climbing the stairs to follow more recent periods of history. Later enjoying a cool drink at a pavement cafe. Next day there were four workshops dealing with twinning matters. We chose the one that carried on the theme of parks and gardens. After some talks and discussion it was proposed that a link be made to exchange information on this subject. Three delegates should be found to represent - Public parks and green spaces, the ordinary private gardener and environmental education. Has anyone any views on this? When we got out of the Mairie the sun was still shining and a band was playing. When they had got through our two national anthems the musicians began to play a quick waltz, we joined hands and, swaying to the rhythm, and before long everyone had taken a partner and we were all joining in a spontaneous dance with whoever was nearest. What a wonderful way to begin the Twinning Ceremony, which continued with speeches and signing in the Town Hall. The rest of the afternoon was spent picnicking with our hosts and friends under shady trees in a pleasant meadow, which is called " the green heart of Meylan." The day ended with a beautiful drive up a spiralling mountain road to St Eynard Fortress where we danced, had dinner and at last made use of the song sheets we had brought with us. Not the formal performance some had feared but a great sing-song in which everyone joined.

Business links
On the morning of Friday 16 June a meeting of the Economic Development Group was held at Prozirst business park in Meylan, to which I had been invited by Oxfordshire County Council to discuss business links potential between the South Oxford area, in. particular Culham Science Centre, and Prozirst.  The Economic Development Group meetings formed part of the Didcot-Meylan twinning celebrations, which were to extend over the weekend, with many extremely well organised business and social activities arranged by our French hosts. Other members of the group included council representatives, the Mayors of Didcot and Meylan, John Bateman (MD of Milton Park) and Derek Goode (Senior Lecturer in Microbiology). GRAIN's vocation is to create technical businesses based on laboratory prototypes with high use potential: its goal is not to make money but to facilitate business success through the services it provides. I gave a subsequent presentation on the Fusion & Industry initiative, which was well received and stimulated a considerable amount of interest in Fusion technology spin-off opportunities. The possibility of staff or student exchanges was discussed along with exchange of material, in order that we might learn more about our respective organisations and thus identify collaboration opportunities. Given GRAIN's particular interest in Fusion, it was agreed that in this case a central co-ordinating body was less appropriate and that direct contact was preferable.
    A timely follow-up is recommended to maximise the benefits of this visit, and I am currently looking into a number of ways in which this might be achieved in the short term. Oxfordshire County Council have also requested that we keep them abreast of developments and seek their advice in cultivating future partnerships.
 From a business perspective the trip was extremely worthwhile, offering exciting possibilities for Culham and excellent networking opportunities.   From a personal perspective I was overwhelmed by the hospitality, generosity and sheer enthusiasm of our hosts (the scenery and sunshine were pretty impressive, too). It is important that we now take positive steps to progress these new partnerships to demonstrate our readiness to pursue potential opportunities and our desire to foster valuable links with Europe.at Oxford Brookes).
    The meeting began with a presentation by both the President and Director of Prozirst, Jean-Frangois Simon and Annie Soufi, on the park facilities and services.  It is the first of 42 industrial parks in France, a network known as ‘France Technopole', and comprises some 250 companies, including CEA and Alstom, with the current number of employees totalling 5,500+. The majority of companies are small, i.e. less than 10 employees. Their establishment on the park must be approved by Prozirst's selection committee, according to predetermined guidelines relating to the kind of activity, which may be undertaken. This is seen as a guarantee of long-term sustainability. The committee meets monthly and the decision-making process is swift. Prozirst believes in developing a vibrant business environment to encourage small emerging companies by creating opportunities for the resident businesses to interact, for example through cultural events, sports activities, 'prestige’ evenings and business breakfasts. The presentation was followed by group discussion, during which the French expressed keen interest in collaboration with S Oxfordshire innovation centres. It was suggested that communication be co-ordinated by a central body, such as Oxford Innovation, and that the hosting of seminars at the various parks might be a possible first step towards a two-way exchange of information.
    After a splendid lunch at former monastery 'Clos des Capucins', where we were rejoined by the other members of the twinning parties, we made our way to the afternoon meeting at Grenoble Alpes Incubation (GRAIN), which was established by the government-owned research laboratories of the Alpes region- The President, Jean-Claude Sabonnadi6re, gave a presentation on the incubator philosophy: GRAIN's vocation is to create technical businesses based on laboratory prototypes with high use potential: its goal is not to make money but to facilitate business success through the services it provides. I gave a subsequent presentation on the Fusion & Industry initiative, which was well received and stimulated a considerable amount of interest in Fusion technology spin-off opportunities. The possibility of staff or student exchanges was discussed along with exchange of material, in order that we might learn more about our respective organisations and thus identify collaboration opportunities. Given GRAIN's particular interest in Fusion, it was agreed that in this case a central co-ordinating body was less appropriate and that direct contact was preferable.
    A timely follow-up is recommended to maximise the benefits of this visit, and I am currently looking into a number of ways in which this might be achieved in the short term. Oxfordshire County Council have also requested that we keep them abreast of developments and seek their advice in cultivating future partnerships.
 From a business perspective the trip was extremely worthwhile, offering exciting possibilities for Culham and excellent networking opportunities.   From a personal perspective I was overwhelmed by the hospitality, generosity and sheer enthusiasm of our hosts (the scenery and sunshine were pretty impressive, too). It is important that we now take positive steps to progress these new partnerships to demonstrate our readiness to pursue potential opportunities and our desire to foster valuable links with Europe.

The Twinning Ceremony and all the representatives from Didcot and Meylan