A NEW committee has been launched to reinvigorate the relationship between Ringwood and its French sister town after an apparent wane in interest.

During a full Ringwood Town Council meeting on Wednesday, February 23, the acting chair of the Twinning Association stated a case for an improvement to the town’s relationship with French commune Pont Audemer.

Ringwood and Pont Audemer, a commune in the Normandy region in northern France, were twinned in 1986 and enjoyed a successful partnership for a number of years. However, as discussed in the meeting, “interest had waned” in recent years.

To help “regenerate” interest a new self-funded committee has been formed with a set of clear directives to rekindle the relationship. These are:

  • A visit to Pont Audemer in March, with a reciprocal visit the following year
  • Organisation of a bi-annual civic event
  • Use of a meeting room at Gateway building for committee meetings
  • Assistance when French visitors are in Ringwood, possibly by funding a coach every other year to enable attendance at an event out of town

It was agreed that the council would continue to assist with organisation of a bi-annual civic. The Town Mayor said he would discuss the requests further with the town clerk and report back.