Twinning 2023 |
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TWINNING 2023
HELLO
Thanks for looking in on the village twinning page.
You will find some general details about twinning below and more specific information about our plans for this year (2023)
PLANS FOR 2023
Three years ago, Postrelmov was due to be the host but all plans were cancelled as we had to deal with the Pandemic. Things are getting back to normal and we have been invited to take up to 24 visitors to Postrelmov this year from July 21st to July 24th. Notice of this proposed trip has come late (We would normally have dates, the year prior to a visit) so it is important to assess interest as soon as is possible.
Unfortunately air fares to Bruno (Nearest airport) have more than doubled since our last visit and we have therefore looked at alternative ways to travel. This would include a stopover in Prague, but it is well worth it. A beautiful city with lots to see and do. Ultimately this would end up costing more than just the flight to Bruno but would give you more of a break and an opportunity to take in Prague.
Potential schedule for the weekend
Wednesday July 19th
Thursday July 20th
Friday July 21st
Friday - Monday
Monday July 24th
Travel by coach to Stansted Airport
13.00 Fly to Prague (Journey time 2 hours)
Book into hotel / B and B
Free day in Prague, possibly all meet for a meal in the evening
14.38 Train to Zabreh (3 miles from Postrelmov)
16.39 Arrive at Zabreh, picked up by host families
Weekend in Postrelmov
Depart Postrelmov
10.11 Train, Zabreh to Prague
12.08 Arrive Prague
20.05 Flight to Stansted (Journey time 2 hours)
21.00 Arrive Stansted / Coach to Willingham
COST OF ABOVE (All prices can fluctuate)
Your coach journey to and from Stansted will be paid by the Twinning Committee
Flight to Prague (return) with Ryan Air, including one piece of baggage – currently £250
Transport to centre of Prague – Aprox £1.50 (Bus/train/metro passes are paid for by the half hour)
Train from Prague to Zabreh (Postrelmov) – as low as 7 Euros, upgrade to Business class and still only 14 Euros
Transport from Zabreh to Postrelmov and during the weekend – No cost
Accommodation in Prague – from about £70 for a double room inc breakfast per night (Booking.com) Good deals on Airbnb.
Insurance – Have you got or do you need travel insurance?
NB – It is likely the Twinning Committee will be able so subsidise children travelling, but the extent of any discount will depend on numbers and grants normally accessed.
For those who can only attend the weekend, it is possible to travel by air from Stansted to Bruno (Czech Republic) . The air fare is currently £325 return. The bus journey from Bruno to Postrelmov is about 1 ½ hours. Your travel to Stansted, would in this case, have to be arranged by yourself.
THE COST OF LIVING IN PRAGUE
Beer / Cigarettes / Restaurant food / anything made locally is inexpensive
Classic Czech dish £5
Pint of beer £2
Bottle of wine £6
Lunchtime specials widely available (3 course meal) £12
Meal for two, centre of city £30
24 hour public transport pass (Metro/tram/bus) £5
Like all cities, get away from the main centre/river and the prices drop quite dramatically. Even the central bars and restaurants are generally much cheaper than in England. Once in Postrelmov these prices drop even more.
I would like to hold an open meeting in the near future when we have more to tell you. Our AGM is on Thursday March 16th at 8PM in the Village Hall and you are welcome to put any questions to us there. In the meantime our committee would appreciate any feedback you can give us and an indication as to whether you would like to join us in Postrelmov this year. Points to comment on could be:
* Are you prepared to host a couple or family in Willingham in the future?
* Would you like to travel to Moyenneville or Postrelmov?
* Do you have a preference for your country to visit? (You can do both)
* Would you take your children if there was a little help with expenses?
* What concerns, if any do you have about twinning?
If you have a question you’d like to ask and can't get to the AGM, please email or phone me
Dave Bussey
Chairman, Willingham Twinning Committee
dave@bussey.co.uk
01427 788425
NOW MORE GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT TWINNING
WHAT ARE OUR TWINNING ARRANGEMENTS ?
The village is twinned with Moyenneville in France and Postrelmov in the Czech Republic. Each year one of the three villages hosts a weekend lasting usually from Friday PM to Monday AM. About 20 visitors come from each of the other two countries and are hosted by families in the village. Willingham therefore hosts once every three years.
WHO CAN GO?
Whole families or individuals. Children are more than welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. We are usually limited to about 20 in our party, so the earlier you contact us, the more chance you will have of coming along
WHAT HAPPENS DURING OUR WEEKENDS ?
Prior to the weekend our committee will give you details about the families you are hosting and any specific information about them that you may need. Visitors tend to arrive at about teatime on a Friday. You will be asked to meet your guests outside the Village Hall. The Village Hall will be open where drinks and light refreshments will be available. You are then welcome to take your guests to your home.
During the weekend you could expect to have a meal with your guests on Friday night. Go out on a coach trip on Saturday, followed by a function in the village hall for everyone on Saturday evening which would include supper. Sunday morning is free time. Some guests will go to church, others will visit a local place of interest with their hosts. Sunday afternoon is usually an event on the Playing Field. On Sunday evening we try to get groups of 2/3 families together for a barbecue or evening meal. With up to a dozen gathered together, interacting is never a problem. Monday sees our guests head home, usually around 8 to 9 AM. Host families are encouraged to offer guests a packed lunch for their journey.
The organisation of the weekend is arranged by the committee, but we do ask for a little help from the families involved. This could be setting up the Village Hall and Playing Field or helping a little with the food preparation for the Saturday night. Don’t worry, it won’t impact on your own enjoyment of the weekend and always remember, when we go abroad you can relax and enjoy the experience with none of the organisational responsibilities to worry about.
The weekend as hosts, costs just a little extra for food. You don’t have to buy in anything special, we always eat what our hosts eat at these events. When abroad, the programme is very similar with the only costs being travel. It would be rare for you to pay for anything while abroad. Saturday coach trips are paid for by the Twinning Committee.
TRANSPORT AND ACCOMODATION
When we travel to Moyenneville, we go by coach. The cost is shared equally amongst all those travelling, with children travelling at a reduced rate wherever possible and sometimes free of charge. Accomodation is with your host family and allocated by the Postrelmov Twinning Committee, bearing in mind any special requirements EG: "No stairs" or "No pets"
Postrelmov is a flight for us (Although they come all the way by coach and make a week of it visiting London, Paris and other places of interest) The cost of the airfare changes. The later we book, the more it is likely to cost. Some subsidies are available to make child fares less expensive. Families often travel together by car to Stanstead, and a coach takes us from Bruno airport (Czech Republic) to Postrelmov, a journey of about one and a half hours.
It is possible to make it more of a break and fly into Prague for a couple of days, which some of us have done. It’s a lovely city and the train service from there, will take you to a village close to Postrelmov. The rail fares are much less than in this country. (Currently the journey, which is similar to a train to London, is about £10)
WHAT WILL I GET FROM TWINNING ?
* A visit to another country at a fraction of the cost
* Make and enjoy new friendships
* Experience local food and drink
* An opportunity to learn a new language and experience another culture
* Take pleasure from introducing your guests to our village/country
* Meet other Willingham residents with twinning connections and interests
* Enjoy sport and social activities with like minded twinning friends
Great relationships have grown out of our twinning arrangements and I won’t be the only one who is looking forward to seeing our friends again. It is not unusual to receive cards for birthdays, when people are unwell and on at least one occasion, friends from abroad have travelled to us for a funeral, such are the close ties we have. It is also not unusual for visits to be made by individual families in addition to our more formal twinning arrangements.
LANGUAGE
Obviously the most asked question is, what about the language barrier ? The answer to that is there is rarely a problem. English is widely spoken in both countries so there is always someone close by to help to get your message across. These days, you can put your tablet or mobile on the table, switch on the translator and that works well. You never have to feel uncomfortable if conversing is a little slow, because the people you’ll be with are in exactly the same position. For most of the visits you’ll be in a large group of both English and visitors so it’s not a problem. No one expects you to speak to your guests continually. At the end of the day, you can always resort to “Sign language” (Charades). It works, is invariably fun and funny. When Barbara and I first went to Postrelmov neither us or our hosts could speak each other’s language and we managed just fine.
WHAT ARE OUR TWINNING ARRANGEMENTS ?
The village is twinned with Moyenneville in France and Postrelmov in the Czech Republic. Each year one of the three villages hosts a weekend lasting usually from Friday PM to Monday AM. About 20 visitors come from each of the other two countries and are hosted by families in the village. Willingham therefore hosts once every three years.
WHO CAN GO?
Whole families or individuals. Children are more than welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. We are usually limited to about 20 in our party, so the earlier you contact us, the more chance you will have of coming along
WHAT HAPPENS DURING OUR WEEKENDS ?
Prior to the weekend our committee will give you details about the families you are hosting and any specific information about them that you may need. Visitors tend to arrive at about teatime on a Friday. You will be asked to meet your guests outside the Village Hall. The Village Hall will be open where drinks and light refreshments will be available. You are then welcome to take your guests to your home.
During the weekend you could expect to have a meal with your guests on Friday night. Go out on a coach trip on Saturday, followed by a function in the village hall for everyone on Saturday evening which would include supper. Sunday morning is free time. Some guests will go to church, others will visit a local place of interest with their hosts. Sunday afternoon is usually an event on the Playing Field. On Sunday evening we try to get groups of 2/3 families together for a barbecue or evening meal. With up to a dozen gathered together, interacting is never a problem. Monday sees our guests head home, usually around 8 to 9 AM. Host families are encouraged to offer guests a packed lunch for their journey.
The organisation of the weekend is arranged by the committee, but we do ask for a little help from the families involved. This could be setting up the Village Hall and Playing Field or helping a little with the food preparation for the Saturday night. Don’t worry, it won’t impact on your own enjoyment of the weekend and always remember, when we go abroad you can relax and enjoy the experience with none of the organisational responsibilities to worry about.
The weekend as hosts, costs just a little extra for food. You don’t have to buy in anything special, we always eat what our hosts eat at these events. When abroad, the programme is very similar with the only costs being travel. It would be rare for you to pay for anything while abroad. Saturday coach trips are paid for by the Twinning Committee.
TRANSPORT AND ACCOMODATION
When we travel to Moyenneville, we go by coach. The cost is shared equally amongst all those travelling, with children travelling at a reduced rate wherever possible and sometimes free of charge. Accomodation is with your host family and allocated by the Postrelmov Twinning Committee, bearing in mind any special requirements EG: "No stairs" or "No pets"
Postrelmov is a flight for us (Although they come all the way by coach and make a week of it visiting London, Paris and other places of interest) The cost of the airfare changes. The later we book, the more it is likely to cost. Some subsidies are available to make child fares less expensive. Families often travel together by car to Stanstead, and a coach takes us from Bruno airport (Czech Republic) to Postrelmov, a journey of about one and a half hours.
It is possible to make it more of a break and fly into Prague for a couple of days, which some of us have done. It’s a lovely city and the train service from there, will take you to a village close to Postrelmov. The rail fares are much less than in this country. (Currently the journey, which is similar to a train to London, is about £10)
WHAT WILL I GET FROM TWINNING ?
* A visit to another country at a fraction of the cost
* Make and enjoy new friendships
* Experience local food and drink
* An opportunity to learn a new language and experience another culture
* Take pleasure from introducing your guests to our village/country
* Meet other Willingham residents with twinning connections and interests
* Enjoy sport and social activities with like minded twinning friends
Great relationships have grown out of our twinning arrangements and I won’t be the only one who is looking forward to seeing our friends again. It is not unusual to receive cards for birthdays, when people are unwell and on at least one occasion, friends from abroad have travelled to us for a funeral, such are the close ties we have. It is also not unusual for visits to be made by individual families in addition to our more formal twinning arrangements.
LANGUAGE
Obviously the most asked question is, what about the language barrier ? The answer to that is there is rarely a problem. English is widely spoken in both countries so there is always someone close by to help to get your message across. These days, you can put your tablet or mobile on the table, switch on the translator and that works well. You never have to feel uncomfortable if conversing is a little slow, because the people you’ll be with are in exactly the same position. For most of the visits you’ll be in a large group of both English and visitors so it’s not a problem. No one expects you to speak to your guests continually. At the end of the day, you can always resort to “Sign language” (Charades). It works, is invariably fun and funny. When Barbara and I first went to Postrelmov neither us or our hosts could speak each other’s language and we managed just fine.
Willingham by Stow, Lincolnshire
Copyright 2023