Dear SHTA Friends,

All of a sudden we find ourselves in April, the clocks have gone forward giving us brighter evenings and there’s the promise of al fresco dining just around the corner. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the Easter weekend whether that included over-indulging with chocolate or not!

On the other side of the Channel some things at this time of year are similar to what we know here while others differ considerably. SHTA Vice-Chair, Mark Moorhouse, offers this summary of Gallic activities at Easter:

“In France Pâques (Easter) is celebrated in much the same way as it is in England although Good Friday (Vendredi Saint) is not regarded as a public holiday. On Easter Day the French traditionally cook a large Easter meal with a leg of lamb (gigot d’agneau).

In France, it is not the Easter Bunny that distributes Easter Eggs but magical holy bells (with little wings) called ‘les cloches de Pâques’ – that have been blessed by the Pope.

The Easter Bunny derives from the tale of Ostara, the ancient Germanic goddess of the spring transforming a bird into a hare. The hare then responded by laying coloured eggs for Ostara’s festival.

The Roman Catholic Church forbade the consumption of eggs during Lent (le Carême) so it was tradition to have crêpes on Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras). At the end of the 40 days in which hens continued to lay eggs there was a surplus that needed to be eaten – hence the popularity of Easter Eggs although traditionally these would, of course, not have been chocolate ones!”

As usual, the middle Wednesday of the month sees SHTA screening our next film; in this case you’ll be invited to join us to watch ‘Un Homme et une Femme’, an all-time classic romantic drama, released in 1966 and directed by Claude Lelouch; it stars Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film was written by Lelouch and Pierre Uytterhoeven. The film is known for its lush photography, which features frequent segues among full colour, black-and-white, and sepia-toned shots, and for its music score by Francis Lai. It won seven awards from the most distinguished awarding bodies: the Oscars, the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. We’ll be showing the film on Wednesday 17th April. Here’s a synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes:

“Jean-Louis (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is a widower who has become a single father after his wife’s suicide, and Anne (Anouk Aimée) is a widow and single mother still reeling from the accidental death of her husband. When the two cross paths at their children’s boarding school, both are wary, but they soon form a friendship that is quickly charged with romance. Yet the pair continue to struggle to overcome their past tragedies as they try to begin a new relationship.”

Our March film, ‘Coco Avant Chanel’ was very popular indeed and reinforced the need for guests to reserve their places in advance. Priority will be given to people booking prior to the night of the film and arriving ‘on spec’ may not guarantee you a seat depending on the numbers on the night. Please do your best to arrive at the cinema between 7.00 and 7.15 pm. In addition, in a change to our booking arrangements, we would ask you now to contact Stuart Jones on 079896 95129 or by email on stuartpjones100@yahoo.co.uk to secure your place.

We’d all like to thank Jan Cooper for doing this job for many years. A familiar face to many around Sandwich, she’ll be missed on the front desk at the Empire Cinema but we’ll still look forward to seeing her there to enjoy the film and the company of friends. The cost of a seat remains at £7.50 per head and can be paid online in advance to SHTA (account number 42027168; sort code 30-90-09); alternatively you can pay by cash or card at the cinema on the night.

Our two remaining films for the 2023-2024 season, which you’ll also find on our website, sandwichhonfleurtwinning.org.uk, and in your Member’s Card, are as follows:

• Wednesday 15th May: ‘Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie’
• Wednesday 12th June: ‘Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles’

Also a reminder that we have already started a list of potential films to show in the 2024-2025 season and would be delighted if you had suggestions of film titles to add to the list, so please do get in touch.

Coming up very soon is our New Members’ Evening on Wednesday 24th April; if you’re a new or relatively new member of SHTA, i.e. within the past year or two, you’re invited to come along to The King’s Arms pub and restaurant in Strand Street Sandwich at 7.00 pm. There will be a free buffet and the opportunity to meet other new members as well as those on the Committee. To assist with catering could you please let me know if you’d like to attend. Thank you.

As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, we’ll be holding a ‘Pique-Nique’ on the Quay Green on Monday 20th May. Providing there isn’t a thunderstorm, we’ll be meeting around 12.00 midday to eat our own lunches and have a general chat. There’s certainly no obligation to speak French or bring any snails but a deckchair and a smile would do for starters!

The balmy weather of Summer isn’t so far away now and residents of and visitors to Sandwich will see the SHTA stall over the Saturday and Sunday of 8th – 9th June for ‘Le Week-end’ when we’ll be ‘selling’ the Association. An hour of your time on our stand, if you’re available, will be very much appreciated. Please let Stuart Jones know if you’d like to be included in the team of volunteers for an hour’s slot between

10.00 am and 4.00 pm on either the Saturday or Sunday.

The following month sees the SHTA Annual General Meeting on Thursday 18th July in the Jury Room at the Guildhall. As in previous years, there will be a summary of the past year and election of a new committee for the forthcoming year. New Committee members and a fresh approach are always welcomed, so why not take the plunge and give it a go!

Now you might be wishing that you’d been available to play Boules last Summer to stand a chance of winning the almost coveted title of SHTA Bangers & Boules Champions 2023. Well, guess what, you can take that tag away from Sandra Breen and Phil Cooper by entering this year’s event on Thursday 25th July at the Anchor Pub in Wingham. Although it’s three months away, get your name down soon to avoid disappointment.

And finally, an update on where we stand with hosts for our friends from Honfleur who will be with us from 31st October – 3rd November: we’ll now be able to accommodate up to 40 people; however, we do need a few more to be secure and with a reserve list in mind, so if you think that this is something you could do, please contact me and I’ll add your name to our list.

That’s all for the moment. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes from Stuart, Mark and the Committee