Coleshill Twinning Association

Coleshill Twinning Association started in 1982 and has been going strong ever since. We are twinned with Chassieu, a town in France near to Lyon airport.

We organise activities In Coleshill during the year and of, course, as the main event, we have visits between the two towns. We went to Chassieu last year and they are due to come and visit us in Coleshill in June of this year.

So what happens on these visits? I suppose that most people who have been involved would speak of the warmth of the welcome into peoples' homes.

If you would like to have more information please either ring the secretary Anita Butler on -

Tel : 01675 470443.

or email paul@coleshilltwinning.co.uk

Then there are the visits to so many different places of interest and of course the putting on of weight. Twinning is not a serious activity.

But isn't it scary? Well yes, just a bit at first if you're going to stay with someone you don't know, but the warmth of the welcome is invariably such that the nerves disappear very quickly indeed.

Do you need to speak French in order to take part? Amongst our members you will find a range of people - from those who speak no French at all to those who speak it fluently. And on the French side there is a similar range of ability.

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What we do as associations is arrange for people to stay with people with whom they will be able to communicate.So if you can speak no French then you will not find yourself staying with someone who speaks no English.

That is not to say that communication will be effortless, but making yourself understood is part of the fun of the experience. And if you do want to learn or improve your French, then this is one of the best ways of doing it! A number of us speak (as it were) from experience.

When the French come over here, is it possible for non-hosting members to take part in the activities we arrange? Certainly. The more the merrier. From our funds, we pay for the French to go to see whatever we have arranged during the time they are here and we pay for the lunches for them while we are out on these visits. As members, though, we pay for ourselves to go on the trips and, of course, for any meals involved.

For those hosting a French family, they would be your guests and you would be expected to provide all meals not provided during the day trips. We often get together for evening meals with friends from the association which means that it can turn into a bit of a party.

So why not come along to one (or more) of our events and get to know us? Then perhaps you might have the confidence to get to know someone from Chassieu as well.