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Richmond Community - Richmond French Town Twinning Association
Richmond is twinned with two towns, one in France, the other in Norway. Our French twin is Saint Aubin du Cormier in Brittany. It’s a market town perched on a hill, rather like Richmond, but the strongest links are between the two castles which once defended each community.
Richmond Castle was built in 1071 by a French noble who had been given the land by William the Conqueror. Now move forward 150 years and meet the 8th Earl of Richmond, Pierre de Dreux. He admired his Yorkshire castle so much that he went over to Brittany and built another like it and this was the beginning of Saint Aubin du Cormier.
What Does Twinning Mean for the People of Richmond?
Making links with our French twin town results in a lot of fun and new friendships. Pupils from Richmond School have exchanged visits with their counterparts at Pierre de Dreux College. Primary schools are beginning to make links.
Richmond Mavericks Football Club has been over to play matches against the St. Aubin team and the French players visited our town in the summer of 2008.
The French Twinning Agreement was signed only in 2006 and the Association wants to help other Richmond organisations to make links with their equivalent in Saint Aubin.
Members of the Richmond and Saint Aubin twinning associations make exchange visits every other year and the St Aubin visitors came here in April 2009. This is all done on a very low budget, with families opening their homes to guests and members paying most of their own travel expenses.
Our French friends have always given us a very warm welcome.
Saint Aubin Today
Saint Aubin is about 17 miles from Rennes, the regional capital, and is an attractive market town perched on a rocky crest in the Breton Marches. About 3,500 people live there. It’s a mainly agricultural economy and the French Marines have a base nearby, so it has some of the garrison town qualities of Richmond, with Catterick Garrison just up the road.
The origin of the name is from Saint Aubin, a Breton monk who became Bishop of Angers and is remembered for his defence of the weak and oppressed. The Cormier is a local tree which grows to a height of about 15 metres and has pretty white flowers in the spring, pear shaped green fruits in the summer and a richly coloured foliage in the autumn. The fruits are sometimes used to brew beer.
To see more about Saint Aubin, see their website:
www.ville-staubinducormier.fr
EVENTS
Humorous poems in a mix of French and English were recited by Richmond poet and Francophile Daphne Clark as part of the entertainment at a French-themed social evening organised by the Association. This was followed by a quiz on French history and culture, including questions on St Aubin du Cormier, which was accompanied by wine and snacks. Around 30 people came to the event at Richmond Town Hall in April 2010.
In 2008 and again in 2009, the French singer Flossie Malavialle, who is based in Darlington, was a huge hit at her concerts staged by the association in Richmond Town Hall. It was great fun, with tables laid out cabaret style and tickets including a glass of wine.
In 2007 Richmond took part in the tree exhibition at St. Mary’s Church in which many organisations created a tree on the theme of their work. Jos Huddleston of the Twinning Association created a magnificent and much admired wooden collage showing both towns.
In 2008 the exhibition theme was scarecrows. Two young twinning association members created “Les Jumeaux” which means twins, with one scarecrow wearing a Richmond Mavericks football shirt, the other a Rennes shirt, a gift from the Saint Aubin team.
CONTACT
If you’d like to join the Richmond French Town Twinning Association, or simply to be put in touch with your twin organisation in Saint Aubin, please click the link below.
Individuals £5, family £8.
