Twinning Association
Bidford on Avon is twinned with Ebsdorfergrund - found close to Marburg in Rheinhessen, Germany.
Ebsdorfergrund is a beautiful part of central Germany, it is an area with much history, and is comprised of eleven villages, covering a large area. Our twinning history with Ebsdorfergrund is now over 25 years of age and frequent visits take place on an annual basis. This year we expect a party of 30 German visitors to come in late May 2006.
It was agreed at the 2004 Annual General Meeting that the Association be made open to all residents of Bidford on Avon. Anyone can participate. Notices of future events or visits are published in the Parish Magazine and also in the village library.
The concept of twinning, if new to you, is to develop and promote friendship and understanding between towns and villages in different countries. As you may know many towns have multiple twinning arrangements with different countries, but for the moment we are only twinned with Ebsdorfergrund - who themselves are also twinned with Linewo, in Poland.
The key of twinning success is friendship and understanding. Often when visiting or hosting our German friends we obtain a greater understanding of different traditions, life styles, folk law, etc. All of this is very important and particularly to younger people because you have the opportunity to live in another person's house for a short while and see how they live, what they hold as important or trivial, etc. As well as this, and very importantly, we have fun and it is really great to share the same sense of humour with people.
A Christmas Message
We are delighted to have received a Christmas Message from our friends in Ebsdorfergrund.
Can You Remember?
Did you know that the association between Bidford on Avon and Ebsdorfergrund extends well before 1980 when the twinning was formally founded? At a recent visit to Germany, a few old football veterans who played football for Ebsdorfergrund apparently played here in Bidford-on-Avon and hosted a return game to Ebsdorfergrund in the late 1940s.
The question we need to ask - Is this correct? Did the village host a team from Germany in the late 1940s?
If anybody remembers, then please let us know because this would mean that the Twinning is over 30 years older than we thought.
Twinning Article - August 2007
An local article from Ebsdorfergrund (in German language).
Twinning Photographs - May 2007
A collage of photographs from the Ebsdorf branch of the Twinning Association from their visit to Bidford in May 2007.
Twinning Update - February 2007
At the end of January 2007, 29 people attended the Annual Dinner held this year at Norton Grange. After an enjoyable meal, secretary Malcolm Dewsbury outlined the arrangements for the forthcoming visit to Ebsdorfergrund in May. A party of about 30 are due to travel over during Spring Holiday weekend. Some going by car and others flying. These exchange visits are very important to the continuation of the Twinning Association, so it is especially pleasing that so many people want to go.
In August, one of the eleven villages is celebrating its 1250th anniversary. The secretary has received an invitation to the Association to join in the celebrations, so we are hoping to be able a send a delegation to represent Bidford.
Visit from Ebsdorfergrund - May 2006
Over the May Bank Holiday a group of 27 people from Ebsdorfergrund arrived in Bidford for a 4 day visit. They were greeted by their host families at a reception at Broom Hall.
An apple tree presented to us by our twin village was planted in the school grounds. After the ceremony everyone was invited to a tour of the school led by some of the pupils. We were all impressed by what we were shown, many thanks to the head teacher Mrs Honeybunn for making these arrangements.
Our visitors and some host families travelled to Bath on Saturday, despite the wet and windy weather everyone enjoyed seeing the sights there. In the evening at a party in the Crawford Hall the visitors were welcomed by the Parish Council chairperson Mrs Joyce Keeley. A superb buffet meal was provided by Naylor Fine Foods and the tombola proved to be a great success.
The final day of the visit was spent with the host families, some attending the church service and other exploring the local countryside.
On Monday morning the visitors departed for a short tour to Brixham before heading off back home to Germany.
The commitee wish to express their thanks to the host families and everyone who helped to make this visit a successful one.
Our Twinning Association
The following is a single extract from the 20th anniversary Festivity Paper produced in liaison with our friends in Ebsdorfergrund. The complete document is to be found in Bidford on Avon library. The extract is written by Andreas Schulz (Burgermeister). The extract has been very slightly modified, but left much in the original wording. The extract gives all residents an opportunity to understand the very close friendship that exists between our two communities. All residents of Bidford in Avon are now automatically members and can join in either hosting or visiting Ebsdorfergrund. Although the paper was produced in October 2000 it is still a very useful and enjoyable record for you to read. If you need to learn more about our twin village please do not hesitate to ask.
Please excuse the absence of some correct German spellings, English type-settings do not accommodate easily!
"There is a connection between Bidford on Avon and Ebsdorfergrund who have been twinned together for 20 years. Men, women and families of both communities have supported this friendship. We say a big thank you to both twinning organisations for managing it and also for their administrative help to fulfil the objectives of the Partnership.
Last year in Ebsdorfergrund a twinning club was established based upon the English model and the 20 years anniversary celebrations for the year 2000 will be the first test for the new German twinning club! I do wish all our active members will be successful when preparing a pleasant and unforgettable stay for our English guests and that our plans for a lovely birthday party will be successful. Our local council members will make a full contribution to this event.
We call the twinning affairs 'foreign policy on a community level'. We wish that the foreign affairs could be local affairs. We could hope to realise a united Europe as a common home for all of us, even though it may take many years to realise this. It is very important for that: nobody should be afraid of loosing their own identity - it has to be kept anyway - but without prejudices against the other side. To learn to respect our mutual, national peculiarities, nevertheless to emphasise the ideas, which bring nations together- that, is the main point of each twinning community. And because the United Europe can't be ordered from any Government - there is nothing more important than supporting this process by the local administration authorities. The local authorities are conscious of this obligation. On behalf of that we enjoy to give support now and in the future of all twinning matters.
I say thank you for any co-operation, for becoming a host family, for carrying out the idea of nations agreements, which cross over language barriers. There is nothing else better for Europe, I think. I do wish that our forthcoming anniversary will bring us closer to Europe. For our guests we wish that you fell at home with us - your home in Europe."
Kind regards
Andreas Schulz
"Seit nunmehr 20 Jahren verbindet Bidford on Avon and Ebsdorfergrund eine auch offizielle Freundshaft. Diese Freundshaft wird von Frauen und Mannern beider Germeinden getragen. Dankbar kann man den beiden Partnershaftvereinen sein, die vor allem das Organanisatorische regeln und damit helfen, die beiden Kommunen bei ihrer Aufgabenerfullung zu entlasten.
Im Ebsdorfergrund wurde im vergangenen Jahr nach dem englischen Vorbild ein solcher Verein gegrundet das Partnershaft ist eine erste grosse Bewahrungsprobe fur den Verein. Und ich wunsche schon heute den Aktiven, dass es ihnen gelingen moge unseren Gasten einen angenehmen und unvergesslichen Aufenthalt bei uns in der Germeinde zu bereiten und uns allen ein schones und hoffentlich gut besuchtes Geburtstagsfest auszurichten. Die Germeinderverantwortlichen werden ihren Beitrag dazu leisten.
Partnershaft ist fur uns Aussenpolitik auf kommunaler Ebene. Wir wunschen uns, dass solche aussenpolitischen Dingen werden. Dann konnen wir das Vereinte Europa als gemeinsame Heimat verstehen, auch wenn da ein weiter Weg ist. Wichtig dabei scheint mire, dass niemand furcheten muss, seine Identitat zu verlieren, sie muss erhalten bleiben- ohne Vorurteile der anderen Seite gegenuber. Die nationalen Eigenarten gegenseitig zu repektieren lernen, gleichwohl das volkerverbindende Element zu betonen, ist Sinn und Zweck einer jeden Partnershaftsarbeit. Und weil Europa nicht einfach von Oben verordnet werden kann, gibt es nichts Wichtigeres als dass eben dieser Prozess von der Gemeinde unterstutztwird. Die Gemeindeorgane sind sich dieser Verpflichtung bewusst. Gerne unterstutzen wir deshalb die Arbeit des Partnershaftsvereins auch in Zukunft.
Bedanken mochte ich mich fur alle Mitarbeit, z. B fur die Bereitschaft, Gastgeber zu sein,und den Gedanken der Volkerverstandigung auch uber sprachliche Grenzen hinweg weiterzutragen. Ich wusste nicht, was Europa Besseres widerfahren konnte. Uns allen wunsche ich, dass uns die kommenden Tageder Begegnung Europa wieder ein Stuck naher bringen. Ihnen, liebe Gaste, wunsche ich, dass Sie sich bei uns wohl und zuhause fuhlen-zuhause in Europa."
Herzlichst Ihr
Andreas Schulz