Archiv des Autors: Peter Fry

Minutes September 2022

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Minutes of the committee meeting held in The Gravenchon Room, Straße Parish Zimmer, Leigh Road

Wednesday 28th September 2022. Das Treffen begann um 7.30 pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Peter Fry PF, Francis Knight FK, Catherine Atkins CA, Sally Wood SW and Sarah Gulliver


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: Marina Richards, Paul Badman, Kay Strain, David Mozley and Nina Swift


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 24th August: DA checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting and it was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date. JK will bring the folder to the next meeting for signing.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: No matters arising


  1. Chairman’s Report: Received confirmation from the Parish Council that we can hold our committee meetings in the Gravenchon Room within the Parish Rooms at no cost. Street Twinning have been invited to the Investiture on 27th Oct. Unfortunately this coincides with the Gravenchon visit but BF und PF will see if they can attend to represent Street Twinning. Various emails have been sent and received from Cllr. Laura Wolfers and Sharon about the Gravenchon trip which will be covered in item 8. Marina has stated that she would like to step down from the role of Treasurer but will continue if necessary.


  1. Secretary’s Report: Distributed and replied to various emails.


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Marina was not present at the meeting. The accounts are with the accountant to be looked over ready for the AGM.


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: One of our members Pauline Saunders has been unwell in hospital for a while and had sent an email to JK from her hospital bed stating that her and John will now be unable to travel to Gravenchon with the group. JK had replied sending her best wishes and DA will send a Street Twinning card on behalf of the association.


  1. Visits: Gravenchon trip Wed 26th to Sun 30th Oktober 2022 - The preparations for this visit are almost complete. A check list has been circulated to all 16 members of the group who will be travelling by four cars from Poole to Cherbourg and then driving up to Gravenchon. Most of the group have replied to say they have received and read it and JK will follow up with those she has not heard back from. Cllr. Laura Wolfers is hoping to travel to Gravenchon and be present at the reception event on Wed 26th. Sharon has checked with JK reference any food allergies and replies from members have been forwarded onto her.


  1. Fundraising and Events:


Merriman Park Fun Day Saturday 3 rd September: FK has written a report and thanks everyone for their help and support. The committee thanked Francis for all his hard work in organising the event and making sure it ran smoothly on the day. It was another successful event for Street Twinning and we raised £317.43

FK’s full report can be read at the end of the minutes.

JK said that the play your cards right game was popular and the display boards worked very well again. The Chair of The Wells Twinning Association came over and chatted and she was very interested in how we attract new members and what kind of fund raising events we do. She took a flyer and said she will get in touch. DA suggested inviting her to one of our committee meetings as it would be good to exchange ideas, the committee agreed. They twin with France, Germany and Italy.


Street Festive Event Saturday 3 rd December 11am – 4pm: This will be free for community groups and BF suggested a bric a brac stall. The committee agreed and BF will apply for a stall. Sarah suggested stocking filler type items would go well and BF und DA said they have some suitable items left over from previous bric a bracs. BF suggested no large items and no china or books. If members have suitable things such as toys or gift type items then please hold onto them for the moment until nearer the time. DA will ask to borrow the Lions gazebo.


  1. Webseite & Facebook: PF has updated the Website and JK has posted Merriman Park photos on Facebook.


  1. Publicity: DA reminded JK to send him some photos for the brochure. JK will distribute flyers to various places to promote twinning.


  1. Lotterie: Congratulations to the winners of the September lottery draw. Thank you to Kay Strain for drawing the numbers earlier that evening as she could not attend the meeting. JK will inform Marina so as she can send payment to the winners.

1st Prize no.43 Avril Berry

2nd Prize no.40 David Mozley

3 rd Prize no.22 Claire Axten


  1. AGM : Saturday 15th Oct at 2.30pm at the Crispin Community Centre: The 1st calling notice was sent to all members on the 14th Sept and the 2nd calling notice will be sent to everyone on Saturday 1st Oct. Zoom will be offered but if you would like this option please inform DA at least a few hours before the event is due to start so as it can be set up as it wont be set up if not needed. Back in January it was minuted that there had been a discussion about creating a supporters category. This was discussed again as there would need to be changes made to the constitution if this was to go ahead. Pros and cons were discussed and it was decided, as our membership fee isn’t very much yearly, to keep membership as it is with no separate category or fee for members who no longer travel. The current membership fee is £15 and the committee agreed not to increase it this year. SW passed on her apologies for the AGM as she will not be able to attend, she is happy to stand on the committee again. CA will organise teas and coffees which we have left over from Avril’s summer tea and will get biscuits, milk and sugar.


Nominations:

David Atkins - chairman

Barbara Fry - vice chair (Barbara had only planned to do this short term but is happy to carry on but does not want to discourage anyone who would like to stand for this post)

Jacqui Knight - Secretary

No nomination for treasurer


  1. AOB: None


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA thanked everyone for coming and thanked Sarah for joining the meeting. The Gravenchon room worked well for the meeting and will be alright for future meetings.


Meeting Closed at 8.45pm

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 23 rd November 2022 at 7.30pm

Venue: The Street Parish Zimmer, Leigh Road, STREET, BA16 0HA





Report on the Merriman Park event.


We had another successful day at Merriman Park this year with funds raised
of £317.43. This is about £100 down on last year due to having a very
inexpensive wine stock available to use last year (35 bottles at a total cost of
£46.58) and the event itself not being quite as busy this year.


We had 36 bottles donated compared with 37 last year and thank you to those
who donated as it does make a huge difference to how much we raise. Thanks
also to those who provided us with empties. We started from scratch with our
empties stock so only just managed to have enough on the day. We have kept
back 50-60 of the best bottles for use next year to give us a head start in our
collecting.


Thank you to David & Catherine for buying the very reasonably priced wine in
France and bringing it back with them.
Thank you to everyone who helped at the wrapping party and those who were
able to do a shift on the day. Thanks again to Sally Wood for sourcing the
wrapping paper.


We are indebted to Glastonbury & Street Lions for the use of their gazebo,
play your cards right game and horn and to David and Veronica Brunt for the use
of their gazebo. Thank you emails have been sent to both parties along with
an email of appreciation to the Merriman Park group for the day itself.


For reference, we did take almost £30 using the sum-up card reader machine
on the day and I can confidently say that without the machine, none of that
money would have been spent with us. So a good investment.


In summary, another great day and thanks to everyone who helped make it so.


Minutes August 2022

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Minutes of the committee meeting held at Peter and Barbara Fry’s house.

Wednesday 24th August 2022. The meeting started at 7.30pm.

 

·         Welcome and apologies for absence: Barbara welcomed everyone to the meeting.

 

VORHANDEN: Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Peter Fry PF, Francis Knight FK, Sally Holz SW, Kay Strain KS, David Mozley DM

 

ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: David and Catherine Atkins, Marina Richards and Paul Badman.

 

·         Minutes of the meeting held on 27th Juli 2022: BF checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting and it was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date.

 

·         Matters Arising not on Agenda: None

 

·         Chairman’s Report: David was not present at the meeting but had sent information to BF. David had applied to the Parish Council for the grant to hire one of the Parish rooms for our monthly meetings. He had not heard back yet.

BF read out the proposed amendments to the constitution which David had sent to all committee members by email previous to the meeting. All points were agreed by the committee.

 

·         Secretary’s Report: JK und FK had met with Cllr. Laura Wolfers and Sharon in Street during Sharon’s recent visit. This was prior to a trip that Cllr. Wolfers had planned to visit Gravenchon where she met the mayor and deputy mayor. It was a very positive relaxed meeting and Cllr. Wolfers then posted a very nice report on Facebook about the meeting and then about her trip to Gravenchon. JK was asked by the committee to share the posts so as people who are not on Facebook could read it. There is a copy of what she wrote on Facebook at the end of the minutes.

 

·         Treasurer’s Report: Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes. Marine was not present at the meeting. The financial report was reviewed by the committee members and accepted as a true record.

 

Current account balance £8782.33

Deposit account balance £8062.23

 

·         Membership & Member’s Welfare: Nothing to report

 

·         Visits:

 

Isny – BF reported that there had been a recent zoom with Isny which went very well. It was lovely to see everyone again and to catch up on the latest news and events. Both sides are looking forward to holding another one where we hope more members can attend.

 

Gravenchon – JK reported that emails have gone to everyone who showed interest in the trip. To avoid the very high costs of hiring a coach for a small group it has been agreed that members will take their own cars. FK reported that we had another mini group meeting and there will be a thorough check list sent out to members that are travelling over to Gravenchon very soon to avoid any problems as we will be booking and travelling over separately instead of as a group this year. There will be 16 members travelling in October including 4 children.

 

·         Fundraising and Events:

 

Summer Social – Held at Avril Berry’s house on Saturday 6th Aug. DM reported that it was a very nice event with cakes, tea and coffee. It was a very sociable afternoon. JK said that everyone was enjoying catching up with everyone so much that they lost track of time. Avril kindly said we could stay on after the arranged time and a few people stayed on and had a go at archery in Avril’s garden.

 

Merriman Park Fun Day Saturday 3 rd September - We have had the confirming email from the Merriman Park group and Marine has been asked to pay the pitch fee. FK will send out an email shortly to ask members to volunteer on the rota, to remind members about donating wine and to ask for as many empties as they can get hold of. David Brunt is kindly lending his gazebo and we will also be using the Lions gazebo. There will be the Water or Wine, play your cards right and the Street Twinning photo and information board to try to attract new members and create interest. Wrapping will be next week at the Knights house and an email will follow shortly with a confirmed day and time. David and Catherine Atkins have brought back 48 bottles of wine from France and there have also been some donations from members. There is some paper left over and SW offered to get some more from the scrap store. We will be re wrapping as we go like last year but we hope not to run out this time.

 

·         Webseite & Facebook: PF has put the minutes from July onto the Website. JK has posted with photos about the summer tea, a reminder about Merriman Park, the Isny zoom and also shared the posts from Cllr. Laura Wolfers.

 

·         Publicity: We still have a lot of flyers left and it was thought a good idea to distribute these again like before at the library, theatre etc. The brochure will be ready shortly.

 

·         Lotterie: Congratulations to the winners of the August lottery draw. The numbers were drawn by members of the Committee and Kay Strain read out the winners during the meeting.

 

1st Prize no.70 Tony Della Valle

2nd Prize no.6 Marina Richards

3 rd Prize no.36 Daniella Della Valle

 

·         AOB: The AGM is quickly approaching. We are looking at holding this at the Crispin Community Centre and the 1st calling notice will go out with further details when it is due. SW asked if there will be another Bric a Brac. BF stated that there isn’t one arranged yet but it was agreed that it will be an agenda point in September.

 

·         Vice Chairman’s Closing Remarks: BF thanked everyone for attending the meeting.

 

 

Meeting Closed at 8.34pm

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 28th September at 7.30pm

 

 

Minutes July 2022

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Minutes of the committee meeting held at Peter and Barbara Fry’s house.

Wednesday 27th Juli 2022. The meeting started at 7.30pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Marina Richards (treasurer) MR, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Peter Fry PF, Catherine Atkins CA, Sally Holz SW, Kay Strain KS, David Mozley DM, Sarah Gulliver and Nina by Zoom.


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: Paul Badman and Francis Knight


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 22nd Juni 2022: Amendment to June’s minutes: It was stated in item 8 that the twinning had previously travelled through the channel tunnel. The twinning did have a previous long coach journey which many stated they did not enjoy as much but they caught the ferry from Dover and did not travel through the tunnel.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: None


  1. Chairman’s Report: I e-mailed Sharon and Veronkia about the timings of visits given the cancellations over the last couple of years. It is clear from Sharon’s response that the French want to remain with the current pattern especially as next year they have a 50th anniversary with Isny in NDG and a visit to Rubeno, Italy to celebrate 20 years. Isny are very much geared up for August 2023.

So this means that we will have to manage two hostings and two visits each year – not

ideal but we will need to keep trips well apart.

E-mail re death of Manfred Behrning, former mayor of Isny, and twinning supporter. I sent

a card of condolence to the Burgermeister and I believe that SPC have done the same.

Contacted by SPC Chair Laura Wolfers asking if we could arrange a meet with the Mayor of

NDG Virginie when Laura in France. Contacted Sharon who has arranged for her to meet

the deputy Mayor Helene Briffault, who is a former twinner.

Sharon will be in Street in August and Laura wants to meet her with maybe some councillors at the Crispin Hall Café on Saturday 20th August. We will be away but we must ensure that Sharon has some support and that the Association is represented. JK und FK plan to join Sharon when meeting Laura Wolfers.

I have spoken with Linda Ruff about a copy of the infamous plaque and she has suggested

the main wall in the Gravenchon Room in the Parish Rooms that would be perfect. I will

liaise with Sharon about size and format.


A discussion then followed about the painting from Isny which was presented to the Parish Council when they visited Street in 2018. It would be nice if this could be put up in the Parish rooms as it is yet to be put on display. JK stated she has a photo of it after the meeting she emailed it to DA. SW said it would be nice to have a list of items presented to the Parish Council/Twinning and DA will look into this.


  1. Secretary’s Report: Nothing to report


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes. MR stated that the direct debit payment that was stated in the June Minutes has now been clarified. It wasn’t Sum Up as originally thought, it was for a Land Rover magazine subscription. GDPR prevents a lot of information being passed back to MR as to who set up the direct debit but it has now been cancelled and all payments refunded.


Current account balance £8823.48

Deposit account balance £8061.59


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: JK and FK’s daughter Isobel recently had an appendectomy and spent a week in hospital due to an infection, she is now home and recovering well. DA passed on the twinning’s best wishes to her for a speedy recovery.


  1. Visits: CA has contacted the coach company and emailed Brittany Ferries. To travel by coach will be expensive and as the number of twinners travelling to Gravenchon now only stands at a possible 20 it was suggested that maybe we could hire two mini buses or people could car share and drive. We would need people to drive the mini buses or have enough cars to cater for members who don’t drive. Options were discussed such as driving to the port and leaving cars and boarding the ferry as foot passengers, then being collected in France by the French coach. Or taking our cars over to France and then using the French coach for trips. JK will send out an email to everyone who stated interest in travelling to Gravenchon to get their feedback. DA will email Sharon to ask about the possibility of using a French coach.

Sarah Gulliver, who joined the meeting and is also part of the Gravenchon Mini group, has been looking at the paper work needed for the trip. She also stated that everyone must make sure their passport is stamped when entering France as some workers at passport control are forgetting to do this and it causes problems when coming back through customs on the way to England. The mini group will meet again on Friday 12th July and they will make sure everyone is aware of what they must do before and during the trip.

The aprons have been located ready to take to Gravenchon but we will need a few more made. CA has the bunting to take. Anyone who enjoys sewing please get in touch.


Isny: A social Zoom meeting will take place on Thurs 4th August. Not all the Isny twinners are able to make the meeting but it was felt it should still go ahead and then another Zoom meeting will be arranged for the Autumn when hopefully more people will be available.


  1. Fundraising and Events:


Summer Social on Saturday 6th August: MR met Avril and arrangements have been made and the event will be from 2.30 – 4.30pm. Need to know numbers and so MR will create an invite to be sent out to everyone. DA offered the Lyons gazebo to use and MR has one if needed. This is to be a free event.


Merriman Park Fun Day Saturday 3 rd Sept. FK will send out an email shortly asking for volunteers and bottles and will be arranging the rota. Will need 2 gazebos.


  1. Webseite & Facebook: Nothing to report


  1. Publicity: Brochure is in the process of being prepared.


  1. Lotterie: Congratulations to the winners of the July lottery draw. The numbers were drawn at the meeting by members of the committee.


1st Prize no.47 Peter Fry

2nd Prize no.33 Marcia Della Valle

3 rd Prize no.25 Kay Winn


  1. AOB: DA said that the AGM needs to be discussed at the next meeting. Need to agree the changes to the constitution.


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA thanked everyone for attending the meeting with special thanks to Sarah for coming along and to Nina for joining us by zoom. Thank you to Peter and Barbara for hosting. Please note change of date for the next meeting.


Meeting Closed at 8.58pm

Termin der nächsten Sitzung: Thurs 25th August at 7.30pm

To be held at Barbara and Peters house.


Minutes June 2022

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Minutes of the committee meeting held at Peter and Barbara Fry’s house.

Wednesday 22nd Juni 2022. The meeting started at 7.30pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Marina Richards (treasurer) MR, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Peter Fry PF, Francis Knight FK, Catherine Atkins CA, Sally Holz SW, David Mozley DM


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: Paul Badman, Kay Strain and Nina Swift


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 25th Mai 2022: DA checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting and it was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: None


  1. Chairman’s Report: At last months meeting Nina Swift had said we may be able to use the Parish rooms for future meetings. DA reported that we would have to apply for a grant to use the room for no cost instead of paying £8 an hour. The deadline for applying for this grant is Aug and so it was agreed by the committee that DA will fill in the form to apply.

For our AGM the Crispin Community room has been booked for Saturday 15th October from 2 – 4.30pm

DA will be discussing the plaque from Gravenchon with Linda at the Parish rooms shortly.

Cllr. Laura Wolfers will be travelling to Gravenchon soon and has expressed an interest in meeting with Virginie the Mayor of Gravenchon. Cllr. Wolfers has been put in touch with Sharon in Gravenchon to help with arrangements.

DA has sent an email to Gravenchon and Isny to discuss future exchange dates.


  1. Secretary’s Report: JK has sent the Newsletter to all our members.


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes.

Current account balance £8835.98

Deposit account balance £8060.93

There is now a facility to photograph a cheque which will make it easier and quicker to pay cheques into the bank. Please could everyone put their name as the reference when making a payment by BACS. On the back of cheques please write what the payment is for. MR reported that there has been a monthly payment of £3 taken by BAUER. This is possibly linked to the SumUp card machine and will be looked into.


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: JK continues to recover well from her foot operation. We have 53 members including 6 children.


  1. Visits: Gravenchon Wed 26th – Sunday 30th Oktober 2022: We have potentially 25 members travelling to Gravenchon with another 9 that are unsure at this time. Sharon has been away recently but JK hopes to speak with her about hosts in the next week or so. CA reported that we have had some quotes from Bakers coaches in Yeovil. Ferry and Channel tunnel prices will be released in July.

A mini group will be meeting on Tues 12th July to start planning for the trip and to make sure we are aware of any new rules due to Covid or Brexit that our members need to be aware of. The channel tunnel is likely to be more expensive going by the coach quote and also it might not be viable due to the long journey on the coach. MR could remember a previous trip to Gravenchon through the tunnel and many members had stated they would not like to do it again and preferred travelling by ferry. JK will send out an email to everyone who has shown interest in this visit and this will include passport rules once the government website has been checked.

BF mentioned that there were some members who were sewing some aprons and bunting which were originally taken to Isny. More were being made to take to Gravenchon and then the trip had to be cancelled and so we would like anyone who still has any to get in touch. It would be lovely to still take some over with us.


BF reported that Isny have run into an issue with zoom as they use the town hall for this but are unable to do so at the present time.


  1. Fundraising and Events:


VicFest Saturday 2md July: We unfortunately don’t have enough members to help on the stall and so JK will send an email to the contact at the Victoria Club apologising that Street Twinning will no longer be attending.

Summer Social Saturday 6th August: MR und SW offered to organise this event. An email will go out to all members once we know more details. There may be a small cost to members attending but only to cover the cost of food as this is a social event rather than a fund raiser. MR will contact Avril Berry.

Merriman Park Fun Day Saturday 3 rd Sept: FK has volunteered to run this event. Please start collecting your empty screw top wine bottles and we would also like donations of full ones. Hold on to these for the moment until nearer the time. More details will follow as we will need volunteers to man the stall and to help wrap the bottles ready for the day. DA und CA will be purchasing some wine for the stall when they go to France.


  1. Webseite & Facebook: PF has put the minutes on the Website and JK has posted on Facebook Father’s Day for both England and France.


  1. Publicity: DA showed the committee a draft of the brochure which will help to promote Twinning. JK will add some photos. It will cost £80 for 100 brochures. The final draft will be shown to the committee before it goes to print.


  1. Lotterie: Kay was away and able to attend the meeting. The numbers were drawn a few days later. Congratulations to the winners of the June lottery.


1st prize no.70 - Tony Della-Valle
2nd prize no.18 - Francesco Della-Valle
3 rd prize no.11 - Avril Berry


  1. AOB: PF und BF have kindly offered their house again as the venue for next months meeting.


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA thanked Peter and Barbara for opening their home to the meeting and thanked everyone for coming along and supporting twinning.



Meeting Closed at 8.33pm

Termin der nächsten Sitzung: Wednesday 27th July at 7.30pm

To be held at the Fry’s house



Minutes May 2022

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Minutes of the committee meeting held via Zoom.

Wednesday 25th May 2022. The meeting started at 7.30pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Peter Fry PF, Francis Knight FK, Catherine Atkins CA and Nina Swift


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: Marine, Paul, Sally and Kay


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 25th April 2022: DA checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting. It was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: None


  1. Chairman’s Report: Cllr. Nina Swift is now the Street Twinning representative on the Parish Council along with Cllr. Simon Carswell. Nina was welcomed to the meeting.


  1. Secretary’s Report: JK has sent emails to the following people: All STA members reference the Gravenchon trip. Carli from VicFest confirming that we would still like a stall at this event. Peter Hopwood with the filled in form requesting a large pitch at Merriman Park Funday.


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes.

Current account balance £8843.98

Deposit account balance £8060.22


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: DA wished JK well after her recent foot operation. JK thanked him and said the operation went well and she is enjoying the rest with her foot up at home. JK reported that we have received 47 membership payments plus 6 children who have free membership. Everyone has been sent an email receipt for their membership payment and so if you have not received a receipt and have paid, please get in touch with JK street.twinning@gmail.com

A Newsletter is being prepared for distribution.


  1. Visits: Gravenchon Wed 26th to Sunday 30th Oktober 2022: JK is waiting for a couple of responses to her emails about the Gravenchon trip. If you would like to provisionally put your name down for this trip but have not yet responded, please do so asap. JK will be speaking with Sharon very soon asSharon would like an idea of numbers and the names of people available to travel on those dates so as she can let their hosts know. 27 people have put their name on the list so far which is a really good response. CA has been in touch with Bakers Coaches, and they will be emailing her back with a quote. Nina suggested using the Channel Tunnel as she had recently used it and it was very easy. CA will ask Bakers Coaches for a quote on this as well. At the next meeting a small group will be put together so as planning for the trip can start.

BF has not heard from Isny yet about a zoom.

DA will write an email for JK und BF to send to Gravenchon and Isny to start looking at future exchanges to try to get back on track. What we hope to avoid is two hosting’s in one year and similarly to avoid us travelling twice in one year.


  1. Fundraising and Events:


Bric-a-Brac Stall at Street weekly market: Carry forward


Vicfest on Saturday 2nd July at Victoria Club: A few of our regular stall volunteers are not around on this date including DA und CA. FK offered to set up and break down. JK is happy to send out the initial emails asking for volunteers but will not be there on the day, we will need someone to organise this event. On our stall it is probably going to be a tombola and perhaps a children’s game.


Summer Social on Saturday 6th August: Avril Berry has confirmed this date. An email will go out nearer the time with further details and this event will also be in the newsletter.


Merriman Park Fun Day Saturday 3 rd Sept: DA will buy some wine for this whilst they are in France. FK has offered to organise this event. Emails will go out nearer the time requesting volunteers and the usual donations of wine and empty screw top bottles.


  1. Webseite & Facebook: Nothing to report


  1. Publicity: It is now time to start promoting twinning again. The aim is to produce a brochure using the grant from the Parish Council.


  1. Lotterie: Congratulations to the winners of the May lottery draw. The numbers were drawn by Kay Strain before the meeting.

1st Prize no.12 Sam Richards

2nd Prize no.20 Ben Atkins

3 rd Prize no.29 Kay Winn


  1. AOB: Nina Swift stated that there have been recent discussions at the Parish Council about the Isny Road request. Peter Goater who was initially dealing with this has returned to the Council and so will continue to help Street Twinning with this request. Procedures have changed though recently, and it is now thought that we need to go through the developers.

DA pointed out that the if the AGM was on the 4th Wed of the month it will clash with the Gravenchon trip in October. It was suggested to bring it forward and possibly change to a Saturday. The date of Saturday 15th Oct at 2.30pm was agreed and DA will enquire about the availability of Crispin community centre.


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA asked for thoughts about having a face-to-face Committee meeting next month. Venues were discussed and BF und PF offered their home as a meeting place for next month and DA thanked them. It will be possible to have a hybrid of zoom and face to face for people who would prefer not to meet face to face yet. For the future Nina offered to ask the Parish Council about using one of their meeting rooms and also the Grape and Grain hire their upstairs for meetings and so this could also be a possibility.



Meeting Closed at 8.27pm

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 22nd June at 7.30pm

To be held at Peter and Barbara Fry’s house



Minutes April 2022

Verfasst am von

Minutes of the committee meeting held via Zoom.

Monday 25th April 2022

The meeting started at 7.30pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Peter Fry PF, Francis Knight FK, Catherine Atkins CA, Kay Strain KS, David Mozley DM


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN:


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 23 rd März 2022: DA checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting and it was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: None


  1. Chairman’s Report: DA will be speaking with the Parish Council this week about the plaque.


  1. Secretary’s Report: Nothing to report


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Marina not present at the meeting. Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes.

Current account balance £-----

Deposit account balance £-----


Report of Finance Review: Difficult to budget for the next couple of years as there is only one exchange this year which puts next years exchanges out of sync. Historically we have hosted one country and travelled to the other in the same year. Isny is not able to travel over this year and so potentially we could be hosting both countries next year. DA said that this will need to be a joint discussion with the three host towns as to how to move forward. The committee agreed that it is not ideal to host twice one year and then travel twice the following year. DA will construct an email for Gravenchon and Isny reference the pattern of exchanges going forward.

The committee were all happy to go forward with the recommendations from the financial review meeting as outlined the e-mail and attachment sent to committee members on 24th April 2022.


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: JK stated that we have 53 members including 6 children.


Spring Newsletter to Members: DA und JK will liaise about this.


  1. Visits:


Zoom Meetings with France & Germany: BF said that Isny would like to do a zoom and are suggesting May. Isny would like to organise it and will then liaise with DA.

JK reported that Sharon would like to delay the zoom until later in the year. She is very much involved with the Ukrainian refugees arriving in Gravenchon and also she said it would be nice to wait until we know who is travelling over to Gravenchon this year so as to try and include them in the zoom.


Gravenchon trip Wed 26th to Sun 30th Oktober 2022: From previous costings there is no significant difference in hiring a small or large coach to travel to Gravenchon. JK has received a list of hosts available from Sharon. There is no immediate rush to make bookings at this moment, but we now need to have an idea of numbers travelling. Emails will be sent out very shortly to all members. JK to ask if planning to travel with the group or using own transport and also Sharon needs to know if people are fully vaccinated against Covid. CA will contact Bakers coaches to get an idea of availability. We planned to use them back in 2020 and they were very helpful and had also booked the ferry for us.


  1. Fundraising and Events:


  1. Bric-a-Brac Stall at Street weekly market: Carry forward

  2. Vicfest on 2nd July at Victoria Club: Carry forward – to include in the spring news letter

  3. Summer Social: DA has spoken with Avril and will feed back that the 6th Aug is preferable.

  4. Merriman Park Fun Day Saturday 3 rd Sept: The association has received an invitation to have a stall. The committee agreed that 2 pitches worked well last year. FK is happy to take responsibility for this event and JK will reply to the email to secure a pitch and to specify size 6x3meters (two pitches but as one)


  1. Webseite & Facebook: Nothing to report


  1. Publicity: DA will look at creating a booklet to promote exchanges.


  1. Lotterie: Congratulations to the winners of the April lottery draw. The numbers were drawn by KS during the zoom meeting. JK will forward the winning names to Marina


1st Prize no.71 David Brunt

2nd Prize no.45 Cameron Richards

3 rd Prize no. 57 Francesco Della Valle


  1. AOB: The committee decided to continue with Zoom for the next meeting. DA said that soon we will have more to discuss and then it would be possible to meet face to face.


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA thanked everyone for their support and good to see everyone looking so well.



Meeting Closed at 8.23pm

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 25th Mai 2022 at 7.30pm

To be held via Zoom.


Minutes March 2022

Verfasst am von

Minutes of the committee meeting held via Zoom.

Wednesday 23 rd März 2022. The meeting started at 7.30pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Marina Richards (treasurer) MR, Peter Fry PF, Francis Knight FK (Stand-in Secretary), Catherine Atkins CA, Paul Badman PB, Kay Strain KS, David Mozley DM


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: Jaqui Knight, Sally Holz


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 23 rd Februar 2022: DA checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting and it was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: None


  1. Chairman’s Report: DA will speak to the Parish Council in due course about the plaque. All other comments covered under later points.


  1. Secretary’s Report: Nothing to report other than those to be discussed under later points.


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes. A group of committee members have been looking at the finances of the Association and our level of reserves – they will report their findings to the committee at the April meeting.


Current account balance £xxxx

Deposit account balance £xxxx


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: Jacqui has posted a letter to Lloyd and Mary Hughes and has not heard back yet as to their Twinning intentions. We received news that former member Jim Lidgate has sadly passed away. PF is likely to attend the funeral and if he does he will represent the Association. DA has sent a card of condolence to Liz Lidgate on behalf of the Association.


  1. Visits: BF has received an email from Isny expressing their disappointment that they can’t visit us this year but they still feel it’s the right decision. They send their best wishes to everyone. BF has replied asking if they would like to set up a Zoom meeting but not heard back yet. Sharon has been in touch to say she’s had a good response from our French twinners about the trip we hope to make in October, she is visiting Street in April and will meet up to discuss further details then.


  1. Fundraising and Events: Bric-a-brac stall to be carried forward to later in the year. We have a confirmed stall at VicFest at the Victoria club on 2nd Juli – the focus of this will be promotional but we are able to borrow the Play your Cards right game from the Lions to help generate some interest around the stall, we may also do a tombola but this will be decided closer to the time. The possibility of a Strawberry Tea fundraising event in the summer will be discussed later.


  1. Webseite & Facebook: Nothing to report other than last month’s Minutes have been posted on the website.


  1. Publicity: Nothing doing on this until visits confirmed.


  1. Lotterie: Congratulations to the winners of the March lottery draw. The numbers were drawn by Kay Strain during the zoom meeting.


1st Prize no.7 Tom Winn

2nd Prize no.46 Gill Davey

3 rd Prize no.2 John Parfitt


  1. AOB: Our next scheduled meeting clashes with an AGM of another group which some of our committee members have to attend so our meeting was rescheduled for Monday 25th April, once again via Zoom.


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA thanked everyone for attending the meeting.



Meeting Closed at 7:50pm

Date of next meeting: Monday 25th April at 7.30pm

To be held via Zoom.



Minutes February 2022

Verfasst am von

Minutes of the committee meeting held via Zoom.

Wednesday 23 rd Februar 2022. The meeting started at 7.30pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Marina Richards (treasurer) MR, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Peter Fry PF, Francis Knight FK, Catherine Atkins CA, David Mozley DM


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: Paul Badman and Kay Strain


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 26th Januar 2022: DA checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting and it was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: None


  1. Chairman’s Report: Not yet spoken with Parish Council about the plaque but will do so before we have contact with Gravenchon.


  1. Secretary’s Report: Nothing to report


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes. Nothing further to report


Current account balance £xxxx.xx

Deposit account balance £yyyy.yy


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: JK reported that we have 41 members plus 4 children. Committee members have spoken with unpaid members and reported back that there are 5 more members that are likely to re-join and 1 more child.


  1. Visits: JK received an email from Sharon in Gravenchon. She sent an email to their members at the end of January and another Mid-February asking for confirmation of hosting from 26th bis 30th Oct. Sharon has had feedback from some but not all.


Zooms: It was agreed to leave for the moment until possibly Easter. BF will contact Isny, und JK will contact Gravenchon.


  1. Fundraising and Events:


Bric-a-Brac – This will be carried forward.


Vicfest 2nd July at Victoria Club – We have been offered a stall at this event which is raising money for Motor Neuron Disease. It will run from 1-5pm, there is no pitch fee but a donation to the charity. There will be other local groups one of which are doing a water or wine stall. BF suggested that the event could be a raise our profile rather than a fund raiser. Possibly do a tombola with some of the decent Bric-a-Brac items and possibly a couple children’s games to attract people to the stall. It was agreed to except the invite of holding a stall. JK stated we still have lots of flyers and promotional items.


Social Summer Event – Avril Berry has offered to host a garden event similar to the ones that her and William used to hold. Possibly mid-June but keeping in mind that there will be the Jubilee at this time so could be July or early Aug on a Saturday or Sunday.


  1. Webseite & Facebook: Nothing to report


  1. Publicity: DA und JK will be working on the Newspaper report but better to wait until more to report. JK suggested a promotional poster that could be displayed on the notice board outside the parish council rooms.


  1. Lotterie: Congratulations to the winners of the February lottery draw. The numbers were drawn by Kay Strain earlier that day as she was unable to attend the meeting.


1st Prize no.33 Marisa Della Valle £20

2nd Prize no.22 Claire Axten £10

3 rd Prize no.4 Millie Bailey £5


  1. AOB: It was agreed that due to the meetings still being very short that the committee would keep to Zoom meetings for the time being.


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA thanked everyone for attending the meeting.



Meeting Closed at 8.00pm

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 23 rd March at 7.30pm

To be held via Zoom.


Minutes January 2022

Verfasst am von

Minutes of the committee meeting held via Zoom.

Wednesday 26th January 2022. The meeting started at 7.30pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Marina Richards (treasurer) MR, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Francis Knight FK, Catherine Atkins CA, Sally Holz SW, Kay Strain KS, David Mozley DM


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: Peter Fry and Paul Badman


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 24th November 2021: DA checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting, and it was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: None


  1. Chairman’s Report: DA has not spoken with the Parish Council yet about the plaque photo from Gravenchon. He will be in touch with them before we have contact with Gravenchon.


  1. Secretary’s Report: All payment receipts have now been sent out by email for membership and lottery payments. If you have made a payment but have not yet received a receipt, please contact Jacqui at streettwinning@gmail.com


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes.


Current account balance £8860.98

Deposit account balance £8059.46


FK said that Meriman Park should be included, und DA und MR agreed.

DA spoke about the amount in the reserve account. This has gone up a lot since the pandemic as we have not had exchanges or many outgoing costs. There followed a discussion about what the reserves could be used for. Previously there had been a group of committee members that discussed the level of reserves and DA would like this to happen again. DM as a new member of the committee was asked to join this group which he is happy to do. BF suggested that some money could go to new families that join to help with costs. SW said that we are coming out of an awful couple of years and there may be members that will now struggle with the cost of twinning and hosting as purse strings are tightened with a lot of people being financially worse off. JK asked the committee not to be hasty in re-allocating or spending the reserves as we do not know what the future holds, it may become more expensive to travel not only due to Covid but now being out of the EU. She also said that we might still have to pay privately for PCR tests before travelling and it would be good if the reserve funds could possibly help members with some of these extra hidden costs. BF said that travel insurance costs could be more and perhaps it would be a good idea to look into group insurance. DA agreed that it would be right to keep some money back but to use some of the reserves and this is what the group will look at and report back to the committee.


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: JK reported that we now have 39 paid adult members and 4 children under the age of 18. The list of members that have not yet paid was split between committee members. They will be contacted directly to find out their thoughts as to whether they would like to re-join twinning and to gauge if they would be looking at possibly hosting or travelling this year.

DA would like to review the current membership situation and look at creating a Supporters category. He stated it can be misleading when organising exchanges to say we have a certain number of members but with some of those members not hosting or travelling. JK had some reservations. She stated that some of the members that do not travel still pay full membership. She also stated that she has a list of supporters who can be invited to events, but she doesn’t send the minutes to them. DA said that when there are subs involved you are either a member or not but if you are a supporter many other groups charge a small amount so as they can stay on the list and attend events. SW agreed and is a member of a society where “patrons” pay less than full members but are still invited to special occasions, they are informed about everything that is happening. BF agreed that it would be a good idea to have a separate category and some of the non-travelling members still help out at events and this would give them a standing within the group. DA said that this will need to be brought up at the next AGM for the constitution to be amended if it is agreed.


  1. Visits:


Isny: BF recently contacted Isny to say that things are getting a lot better in England, but some are still anxious and finding their way through things. Christine replied to say that they do not know whether they will be able to visit Street this year as it is very complicated at the moment and it may be easier to do it next year instead. They will speak to the coach company. They are trying to find a family for our new family, and she sends greetings to all the group. Wolfgang replied to say that it is difficult to plan anything at the moment. It is difficult to make contracts with companies as they are unable to cancel. He suggested having another zoom to speak to everyone. DA summarised that the outcome of that is Isny are in no place to decide, and they are sounding like they would like to postpone. We can’t say that they will not come but we need to be aware that it might not happen this year. A zoom will be arranged in a couple of months’ time.


Gravenchon: JK has spoken with Sharon, and it is sounding hopeful that we will be able to visit France this year. The proposed dates are Wed 26th to Sunday 30th Oct when both English and French children are on school holidays. Sharon will be contacting their members to see how many would be potentially interested in hosting this year. We will be looking at organising a zoom in February.


BF und JK will discuss dates for zooms and then contact the relevant parties to arrange them. DA will draft an email to send to our members about the possible future visits. We would like to get an idea of who would possibly be interested in exchanges this year. Nothing is set in stone, but it would be good to gauge members thoughts.


  1. Fundraising and Events:


Bric a Brac: DA thanked everyone that helped and reported that we had raised £94. There are some items left and there are members with more items to sell. DA asked if the committee would like to hold another one. FK stated that it is important to be out there and seen to keep the twinning in people’s minds and the committee agreed that it would be a good idea to hold another one. This will be discussed at the next meeting, and it was suggested that nearer to Easter would be a good time.


January Social – Afternoon Tea: DA reported that it was a nice simple gathering and there was a £15 profit. Special thanks to CA und KS for their help on the day. MR said that she had great memories of the strawberry teas at Avril and William’s house where there was cake, games of boule and a raffle. This was seen as a fundraiser previously, but it was suggested that we should try to hold an event like this again as a social event.


  1. Webseite & Facebook: Peter Fry was not at the meeting to report about the Website, FK reported that the website links to and from Gravenchon were now all ok. JK has put a post on Facebook to remind people about the lottery, membership payments and to share a photo from the afternoon tea.

  1. Publicity: DA stated that it is difficult at the moment to try to promote twinning as there is not a lot to offer at the moment. MR agreed saying that many groups are in the same situation at the moment as there is not much going on. DA will send something to JK to look at, but it was decided to put off putting something in the paper at the moment.


  1. Lotterie: 74 tickets have been sold which is brilliant and this makes it possible to stick to the same lottery winnings. Congratulations to the winners of the January lottery draw. The numbers were drawn by KS during the zoom meeting.


1st Prize no.5 Gill Davey £20

2nd Prize no.26 Avril Berry £10

3 rd Prize no.36 Daniella Della Valle £5


DA thanked KS for taking the lottery on.


  1. AOB: None


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA said that the meeting in February will be held via zoom. It was a lengthier meeting tonight but probably not enough to warrant a face-to-face meeting. This will be reviewed again at next month’s meeting. He thanked everyone for their support and for attending the meeting.



Meeting Closed at 8.40pm

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 23 rd February at 7.30pm

To be held via Zoom.



Minutes November 2021

Verfasst am von

Minutes of the committee meeting held via Zoom.

Wednesday 24th November 2021. Das Treffen begann um 7.30 pm.


  1. Welcome and apologies for absence:


VORHANDEN: David Atkins (chairman) DA, Barbara Fry (vice chairman) BF, Jacqui Ritter (Sekretär) JK, Peter Fry PF, Francis Knight FK, Catherine Atkins CA, Kay Strain KS, David Mozley DM


ENTSCHULDIGUNGEN: Sally Wood, Tina Della Valle


  1. Minutes of the meeting held on 22nd September 2021:


DA checked that everyone had read the minutes from the previous meeting, and it was agreed that they are a true record. Signing of the minutes will take place at a later date.


  1. Matters Arising not on Agenda: None


  1. Chairman’s Report: Good number of members attended the AGM and also there were a few that joined the online zoom. It was well worth doing a hybrid and people on zoom could hear the meeting. Not spoken with the parish council as yet about the possibility of having a photo of the French plaque displayed in the parish rooms, this will happen as soon as possible.


  1. Secretary’s Report: Nothing to report


  1. Treasurer’s Report: Marina was not present at the meeting. DA reported that the only outgoings have been the payment for the room for the AGM, insurance, and bottle of wine for Chris Ford for checking the accounts.


Please see the financial report at the end of the minutes.

Current account balance £7797.20

Deposit account balance £8059.32


  1. Membership & Member’s Welfare: JK reported that about half of last years members have renewed their membership so far. Receipts have been sent for all payments received to date. John and Maureen Parfitt have said they are remaining with the twinning but won’t be travelling abroad. Sheila Urwin has sadly decided to leave twinning, Sheila unfortunately never got to travel to Isny with the twinning but has helped out many times on various fundraising stalls and an email was sent by JK to thank her for all her help.


  1. Visits:


Meeting with Sharon Paimpare in Street: DA, CA, FK und JK met with Sharon recently when she visited Street. It was a very positive meeting and dates were discussed for us to visit Gravenchon in 2022. As stated at the AGM the early part of the year when French and English children are both off school was thought to be problematic for various reasons. Sharon has now confirmed with us that the majority of the Gravenchon twinners cannot host in the April, Mai, or August holidays. October was the other option and Sharon is now checking with her members to see if they can host sometime during the half term holiday between Sat 22nd to Sun 30th Oct.


Zoom with ND de Gravenchon: JK is going to send Sharon some possible dates for a social zoom in December but if this is too short notice to arrange the zoom then it might not take place until the New Year.


Isny: BF doesn’t think we will hear anything further from Isny until the New Year reference making plans for them to visit Street next year.


  1. Fundraising and Events:


Bric-a-Brac Stall at Street Market: An email will go out to members to ask if anyone has any toys or suitable items that would make good Christmas presents to go on a stall on Thurs 16th Dec. This will probably be more for advertising Twinning rather than a fund raiser as we might not make very much money. In the email we will also be asking for volunteers to help on the stall. FK has offered to set up and break down.


January Social – Venue and Format: DA said that it would be around £50 to hire a church hall for a social event. A discussion then followed about possible days and times and a Saturday was decided. BF suggested afternoon tea and this was agreed. It was agreed that there would also be something to do at the event such as a game or short quiz but no raffle. The two options were the United Reform Church, or the Mission Church and the committee agreed on the United Reform Church which is on the High Street. DA will look into dates, and it won’t be until January and so the Committee will communicate through email or WhatsApp as there is no December meeting.


  1. Webseite & Facebook: PF reported that the AGM minutes have gone onto the website and JK reported that the lottery winners were posted on Facebook.


  1. Publicity: DA und JK still need to put together a newspaper article. This will now happen in January. A brochure will be put together early next year using some of the Parish Council grant. This will be a good advertising tool for attracting new members and when approaching schools.


  1. Lotterie: TW has now handed over the running of the lottery to KS. A letter will go out to members before Christmas about the lottery and a reminder will go out in early January before the first numbers are drawn for the start of the year.


1st Prize no.47 Trevor Skinner (donated to Oxfam)

2nd Prize no.48 David Mozley

3 rd Prize no.14 Claire Brunt


  1. AOB: None


  1. Chairman’s Closing Remarks: DA suggested having a hybrid for the January meeting like we had at the AGM. Some committee members felt that as the meetings are so short at the moment we may as well keep them as zoom meetings. Once exchange dates have been arranged there will be more to organise and discuss and so to then meet up in person. This was agreed. DA thanked everyone for attending the meeting and special thanks to David Mozley for attending his first committee meeting as a committee member.


Meeting Closed at 8.05pm

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 26th Januar 2022 at 7.30pm

To be held via Zoom.