Great Waltham Parish

Great Waltham Twinning Association

OUR TWINNED TOWN

Great Waltham has been twinned with Ceyrat since 1979. Ceyrat is a small town near the city of Clermont Ferrand in the Auvergne region in the centre of France. It is a region of impressive extinct volcanoes, mountains, lakes, wooded countryside and pretty villages. 

OUR MEMBERS

 We have members of all ages and we are always happy to have more. Young families are particularly welcome and it is an ideal opportunity for children who are learning French at school to try out day-to-day French. But you don’t need to know any French to join – we all get by somehow!

 OUR COMMITTEE

THE VISITS

The aim of the twinning association is to promote friendly relations between our two communities. We do this by visiting each other’s towns, staying in their homes and seeing something of the real life of each country.

We visit Ceyrat for one week every other year, usually in the last week of July. In between, the French come to us and stay with us in our homes in Great Waltham and surrounding area (we have members in Springfield, Broomfield, Chelmsford and Great Baddow as well as Great Waltham).

We travel to Ceyrat in a group; for the 2024 visit we went by coach and ferry, with the cost to travelers set to just recover the cost of the coach, driver and ferry. Once we are there, all the trips and activities are paid for by Ceyrat Twinning Association and the hosts provide breakfast, packed lunches and dinners. It will be our turn to visit Ceyrat at the end of July 2026. If you are at all interested, watch out for information in the Parish News  or just drop an email to joanna.2.steel@btinternet.com.

When the French visit us, our Twinning Association organises and pays for trips for the French people. Any English people wishing to go on the same trips (they are not compulsory) have to pay for themselves. Trips may be local and hosts might need to take their guests by car, or if further afield, a coach will be hired.

WHAT HAPPENS ON A VISIT?

There is always a variety of excursions and activities. In France, we have been to museums, castles and sweet factories, and when we have had youngsters with us, they’ve been kayaking, rock climbing and other exciting activities. There is a chance to spend time with your hosts, visiting somewhere that may be of specific interest to you, and generally enjoying the French way of life. In England, the Twinning Association has taken our French visitors to such places as Frinton, Walton, London, and more local places such as Wild and Rooted Farm in Great Waltham, and bowling at Falcon Bowling Club. We try and organise something that everyone will like.

When the English members are hosting, they have to provide breakfast, packed lunches and evening meals for their French guests (other than when there is an organised communal meal) and entertain them during free time. That means that hosts will incur a cost. But it is possible to find things to do which cost very little. In the evenings, hosts often invite other hosts and their guests round for dinners, which lightens the load and makes for a jolly evening. Of course, when we go to France, the French hosts do the same thing for us.

THIS YEAR'S VISIT TO CEYRAT BY GREAT WALTHAM 

GREAT WALTHAM TRIP TO CEYRAT 21^st  – 27^th JULY 2026

£320 for adults, £160 for children.

The charge covered travel and there are no expenses when you get there, as we stay with a French family and they look after us. Ceyrat Twinning organised interesting free trips and activities for the whole group, making sure that they are suitable for all ages. We traveled there by coach from Great Waltham, and ferry from Dover to Calais – a long journey but stress free; no lugging suitcases around, worrying about traffic, or catching flights or a ferry. It’s all done for us.

Thank You Jill Readings for the following write up of the visit:

Town twinning had its heyday in the post war era when people saw building friendships between citizens of different nations as a vehicle for securing peace in Europe, after years of war.  These days, the idea of spending 17 hours on a coach with random strangers to travel to a tiny village you've only seen on the village sign and share a house with people you don't know is generally viewed as madness.

Nonetheless, 41 people, aged from 8 to 89 years in age, boarded a coach at 4.30am and set off from Great Waltham on just such an adventure.  Nearly half of those on the bus were first time twinners, but the rest had been many times and were looking forward to seeing their French friends again.

The week is a mix of social events, civic events and organised visits to places of interest.  This year, we visited both Royat and La Bourboule to learn about the golden age of Spa cures at the turn of the last century, when you could get a train direct from London to take the waters. We admired the Art Deco tea rooms and the beautiful mineral items that the local volcanic rock produces.  It was a surprise to be shown a collection of school physics equipment, but that is the joy of the twinning.  We visited Clermont Ferrand and learned about Vercengetorix, the local Gaul who (briefly) defeated Julius Caesar and was the inspiration for the Asterix books.

The warm weather meant that we could take our time to enjoy the night time visit to the Volcanic site at Lemptigy, where a fantastic light show has been installed, a real highlight of the visit.  The traditional Petanque tournament ended the week, followed by the farewell meal, with music and attempts at dancing!

When trying to explain the joy of twinning, I think that the current interest in Pilgrimage is a model that helps.  It is a long journey, sometimes hard, travelling with strangers, but no one is left out or left behind.  There are wonderful things to see and do; there is a degree of formality as civic officers make speeches and exchange gifts, but the abiding memory is the fellowship we share with others.  There is laughter on the coach, meals shared in houses where tables are squashed together to fit everyone in and the lack of common language is no barrier.  We are all a bit tired and emotional when it is time to leave, but we are all changed for the better.

2025 VISIT BY CEYRAT TO GREAT WALTHAM  

In July 2025, it was our turn to welcome Ceyrat visitors into our homes. Forty people from our Twinned town of Ceyrat descended on Great Waltham for a week at the end of July! They were of all ages, but we were especially pleased to have 13 French youngsters and their families.  We organized trips and activities for everyone; London, as always; Little Waltham Social Club for an afternoon of rounders and scones; sunny Frinton with its sandy beach and pretty beach huts; Saffron Walden with its market, medieval architecture and impressive church, followed up with a picnic lunch in beautiful Bridge End Gardens and the chance to get lost in the huge maze. At the end of the week, we treated them to a big Farewell Dinner and dance to a rock band at the village hall.

See our 2025 visit page on this site

2024 VISIT BY GREAT WALTHAM TO CEYRAT

On 24^th July 2024, (return date of 31^st July) members from Great Waltham and the surrounding area visited  Ceyrat for a week. We travelled by executive coach from Great Waltham and ferry from Dover to Calais. At Ceyrat our hosts collected us and took us to their homes. The whole journey was relaxing and stress free. The charge is set just to recover the costs of the coach, driver and ferry, and everything else (accommodation, meals, entertainment) is free. Our visits to Ceyrat are always a great opportunity for children who are learning French at school, at whatever level, to hear ordinary, everyday French being spoken. Not forgetting the parents who might like to soak up the French way of life. The ability to speak French is not essential – we all muddle through somehow! And we try to match up people who don’t speak any French with French families who speak English. See our 2024 visit page on this site for photos of our visit and a description of what we did .

2023 VISIT BY CEYRAT TO GREAT WALTHAM 

In 2023, Ceyrat members visited us. See our 2023 visit page on this site

INTERESTED?

If you are interested going in hosting French visitors in July 2027, or going to Ceyrat in July 2028,  or helping at or attending fundraising events, or if you would just like further information, please email me on joanna.2.steel@btinternet.com. Or visit our facebook page - Great Waltham twinning.

Joanna Steel      Chairperson