KINGSKERSWELL TWINNING ASSOCIATION

THE START

Quite by chance in December 1986 my wife Barbara saw a poster in the village library stating the Parish Council would be holding a public meeting to discuss the possibility of twinning and the Devon Twinning Officer would attend the meeting.

As we had enjoyed membership of Newton Abbot Twinning Association for several years, we thought we would support the meeting. Alas the elements were against us, it was January 1987 with it’s extreme weather conditions, it was too cold for people to go out at night and the guest speaker was snowed in at Okehampton, so the meeting was cancelled.

September 1987 was the only date the Devon Twinning Officer could make, this saw a successful meeting, quite well attended, and at the end 7 people volunteered to form a steering committee, 2 of these never attended another meeting, the other 5 got down to business.

We elected the committee as follows:-

Steering Committee 14th September 1987

Chairman Mr Phillip Sproston

Vice Chairman Mr Les Haines

Secretary Mrs Barbara Haines

Treasurer Mr John Elliot

P.R.O. Mrs Carole Durston

Committee:- Mrs Alice Channing Mr Frank Channing

After our small committee had been operating for 4 months, we though it time to get membership under way, and recruit more committee members, so we held a public meeting at the Junior School, in mid January 1988. Several people became members, and 5 joined the committee, 2 of them from Coffinswell. The enlarged committee soon got to work, we drew up a constitution, got a competition for a logo under way at the village school, it was won by Zoe Lidbury, and tried to get more people interested in the association.

The winning Logo is the one below.

This was bought to life by John Jury later, as below.

The Parish Council gave us £25 to get started, and left us to it.

We thought a town between Torquay’s twin Hamlyn and  Newton Abbot’s twin town Besigheim would be ideal but the one we tried for, Neider-Ulm, did not want to come as far as Devon.

Barbara, our Secretary, received a letter from her contact at the British Council, who arranged these matters, giving details of 2 German towns wanting to twin with a village our size, one set of details was in German the other in English, the choice was easy.

So the British Council in London was phoned, and asked them to send our details to Lonsee.

A Letter soon came from the Mayor of Lonsee, Gunter Mack, asking for a meet, so we wrote back inviting them to send a delegation to visit us for a weekend in September 1988, 7 people came, Gunther Mack the Mayor, his Wife Gisela, Arwed Greiner, Werner Vogel (Vicar), Gunter Merke & Josef Sieber.

Left to right, Josef, Arwed, Ken, Lorraine, Iris, Gisela, Gunther and

Barbara, having an English tea and wine from Bovey Tracey vineyards.

Lorraine's Head, Arwed, Werner ( vicar), Peter,and Ken Strongs arm.

Before the Delegation returned home, an invitation to visit them

in the spring was given, which we accepted.

Photos of the visit on Lonsee's page.

At our first A.G.M., in January 1989 we had a change of Chairman and Treasurer.

Chairman Mr Les Haines

Vice Chairman Mr Bill Emmerson

Secretary Mrs Barbara Haines

Treasurer Mr Peter Fuzzey

P.R.O. Mrs Iris Buck

Committee:-

Mrs Hilda MacVicar, Mrs Lorraine Emmerson, Mrs Margaret Coleman,

Mr Ken Strong, Mr Trevor Stokes, Mr Dennis Wilkinson,

Mr Phillip Sproston.

The signing of the first Charter took place in October 1989, at Forde House, Newton Abbot, lent to us for this occasion by Teignbridge District Council, it was signed by our Chairman Les Haines and the Mayor of Lonsee, Gunther Mack. About 21 people had come from Lonsee and they took in a tour of London before coming to Devon.

The first Charter signing at Forde House.

Welcome speech from the Chairman Les Haines, Kingskerswell Twinning

Association, prior to Charter signing.

Lonsee Twinning Committee Chairman, Gunter Merke, replying.

The Mayor of Lonsee Gunther Mack, signing the Charter, followed by the Chairman

Les Haines, in photo below.

The Charter now hangs in St. Mary's Church, Kingskerswell, along with the

Lonsee bronze plaque, above and to the right of the North Porch.

Gunther Mack giving Les Haines a video of the 1100 years celibrations

 in Lonsee 1988 and a bronze plaque for our Twinning Association.

Les Haines presenting Gunther Mack with a Dartington Glass candle

holder from our Twinning Association to their Twinning Association.

Cutting the celibration cake, made for us by one of our members.