10 replies to this topic

[dave the cat]

Just been reading http://www.bbc.co.uk...gazine-16408111 about the un-twinning of towns within the UK and this got me thinking... having lived in Amersham for a number of years now I was wondering what actual links we have developed with our German twin Bensheim and Krynica in Poland?

A quick Google shows that the Rotary Club and our town Mayor visited recently and are actually quite active

http://www.amersham-...inning_1.aspx#2

Has anyone any experience of other links with these towns or visited? Holiday lets, Christmas gifts between towns, exchange students...organised bus trips, school trips. Or have you ever been to either of our twin towns?

Just wondering...

[gazza13]

Bensheim used to visit during Amersham carnival week and attend a stall with the local Amersham/Bensheim society. The Germans dressed up in traditional dress and did country dancing and the like.

Apparently Amersham used to go to Bensheim and do a similar reciprocal visit. Not sure if it still takes place or the society still exists.

I think the Polish Club in Raans Road is the centre of the Krynica link.

[Old Resident]

I remember many years ago that Amersham was twinned with Amersfoort in Holland; I went there on holiday and was given a very friendly welcome by the shopkeepers when I mentioned I was from Amersham. I have no idea why the twinning with Amersfoort ended.

[David P]

I've never seen the point of town twinning other than as an excuse for a councillors' jolly. AS Dave says above, a quick Google reveals that the group of our councillors visited Bensheim last year and a group of their Rotarians visited Amersham (at carnival time). To find any more detail you have to go to the German site where the calendar seems to reveal that that is all that happened, other than meetings that the Germans held with no involvement of the British.
I've no objection to a group of people forming a society to meet with a corresponding one elsewhere but this is of no benefit to Amersham as a whole so I do not see why it should be sponsored by the council, nor why it should be advertised at every entrance to the town.

[Jinni]

Ordinary Councillor's who attend twinning events whether here or abroad pay their own way.

[dave the cat]

Cheers all, I wonder if they have also got their own local forums similar to the Amersham forum and if we could link ours up to theirs?

I would search but don't know the lingo, could then practice my pigeon German

I see from further Googling that our wonderfull Woodside Morris Men popped over to Deutschland in 2007 and they made it into a 5 page blog which you can read here http://www.woodsidem...07_bensheim.asp must have loved them!!!

I like the idea of mentioning that you are from the 'twin town', did you get any special treatment, discounts, what about best places to stay....

Anyway where/when did the Amersham tourist board go/gone

[Milton]

Challoner's boys run an annual exchange with a school in Bensheim, & have done for many years.

[HP6]

A councillor on an official visit from Krynica stayed im HP6 Haus a few years back, at no cost to Chiltern taxpayers.

Horizons are admittedly more global these days, but I’ve always thought that if twinning enables young people to broaden their horizons (see post above and the gentleman from Bedfordshire quoted in the BBC piece, also above) and meet real (rather than Internet) people then it’s not exactly harmful.

The political angle that some national media are trying to take on twinning is a bit silly.

As for road signs, they’re no more disturbing than “Birthplace of the Paralympics”, “County of Opportunity” or “High Wycombe”. .

[PaulEden]

As for road signs, they’re no more disturbing than ~~ “High Wycombe”. .

[gazza13]

I've never seen the point of town twinning other than as an excuse for a councillors' jolly. AS Dave says above, a quick Google reveals that the group of our councillors visited Bensheim last year and a group of their Rotarians visited Amersham (at carnival time). To find any more detail you have to go to the German site where the calendar seems to reveal that that is all that happened, other than meetings that the Germans held with no involvement of the British.
I've no objection to a group of people forming a society to meet with a corresponding one elsewhere but this is of no benefit to Amersham as a whole so I do not see why it should be sponsored by the council, nor why it should be advertised at every entrance to the town.

Perhaps this explains why we lost money when we joined the Amersham /Bensheim Society at the carnival, and we never heard from them again. We weren't Councillors!

[BucksMike]

My parents from Chesham were some of the first to forge links with friends in Bensheim back in early 1960s, way before the two towns were twinned. This all started with football and Pioneer Scouts forming a link with TSV Auerbach (Auerbach is a part of Bensheim. My father was at that time very involved with the football team . and visiting Bensheim until his death in 2003The official twinning came much later.
OI went with my parents to Bensheim for the first time in 1971. our family has strong personal ties with many friends in Bensheim with us going over on holidays, to the wine festival in September and to friends weddings with one person especially coming over to this country many times, My most recent visit was in October 2009 to take my mother to see friends there. Sadly she died last April and Horst Knop, my parents great friend since 1964 came over for her funeral.