Guests arrive from Stamford’s twin town Vence in the south of France
Relations between the English and the French haven’t always been cordial - but thanks to two towns’ efforts over the past 46 years they are now pretty parfait.
Stamford in Lincolnshire and Vence in the south of France have been twinned since the late 1970s, and that entente brings annual opportunities to exchange culture, language and joie de vivre.
This year, with the Paris Olympics about to get underway, it was the turn of the French to visit Stamford, and a small delegation arrived on Wednesday (July 24) to stay for the week with local host families.
Those visiting include ‘la Reine de Vence et de ses demoiselles d'honneur’, which translates literally as ‘the queen and her bridesmaids’.
The tradition of having a ‘queen of youth and beauty’ for the town of Vence was created after the Second World War and this year, Manon Lesueur became 92nd Queen of Vence with her maids of honour Guilia Vergano and Anaïs Château-Artaud. All are high school pupils in France.
The girls wore their traditional dress for a Stamford Twinning Association reception at Stamford Town Hall on Thursday evening (July 25), which was attended by mayor of Stamford Kelham Cooke, deputy mayor Amanda Wheeler, and other members of the town council.
Stamford’s poet laureate Caroline Avnit presented the visitors with a freeform poem she wrote to mark the occasion, called To Vence with Love from Stamford.
Eileen Polkinghorne, whose husband John is chairman of Stamford Twinning Association, said: “Stamford has been twinned with Vence in the south of France since 1978 and exchanges have taken place every year with the exception of the pandemic years.
“We were absolutely delighted to see our friends once the travel restrictions were lifted in 2022.”
The week-long visit to Stamford this year includes a trip to Cambridge, a visit to the National Space Centre in Leicester, and plenty of free time to explore Stamford.
John added: “During the time with us, new friendships will be made, old friendships will be reaffirmed and, when our guests leave, there will be promises of ‘see you next year in Vence’ as we wave our friends off to Stansted Airport.
“Whatever else is happening in the world today, the ‘entente cordiale’ between Stamford and Vence will be maintained and strengthened.”
Stamford has also been twinned with the town of Kutna Hora in Czechia since 1999, and Gostomel in Ukraine since December.
Anyone interested in becoming involved with Stamford Twinning Association can contact Stamford Town Hall on 01780 753808.