Dear SHTA Friends,

With the celsius due to hit the low twenties this week in Paris for both the tennis players and spectators at Roland Garros we can, hopefully, start to think that Summer is finally here. Many will be looking forward to this being extended into July and August when the French capital hosts the 2024 Olympics.

June in Honfleur, Normandy and France:

• A ‘Colour Festival’ was held in Honfleur on 1st June to mark the passing of the Olympic flame through the town with food outlets, music, dance and much more.

• On the 6th June this year Omaha Beach will see the official celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings, the largest seaborne invasion in history. Along with the associated airborne operations, it marked the beginning of the liberation of France and western Europe. Each year at this time the tourist offices of the Landing Beaches area invite residents and visitors to celebrate freedom! The D-Day Festival of Normandy takes place along the entire coastline from Pegasus Bridge to Sainte-Mère-Eglise, including Ouistreham, Arromanches, Pointe du Hoc, and, of course, the five iconic sectors of Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Juno Beach and Sword Beach.

• There will be a ‘Fête de la Musique’ throughout the whole of France on 21st June, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day, or World Music Day, On Music Day, citizens and residents are urged to play music outside in their neighbourhoods or in public spaces and parks.

• The Bordeaux Wine Festival or ‘Bordeaux Fête le Vin’ is back on the banks of the Garonne from 27th to 30th June, with a showcase of Bordeaux and Nouvelle-Aquitaine wines, a gourmet market featuring local produce, visits by legendary tall ships, drone shows and fun activities.

What’s happening in the Sandwich Honfleur Twinning Association?

1) Well, the SHTA film season for 2023-2024 concludes when our ninth and final film, ‘Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles’, will be screened at the Empire Cinema on Wednesday 12th June. If you’re an Audrey Tautou fan (and, let’s face it, who isn’t?!), you’ll be able to see her alongside Gaspard Ulliel and Marion Cotillard in this 2004 romantic war drama film, entitled ‘A Very Long Engagement’ in English and co-written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. It is a fictional tale about a young woman’s desperate search for her fiancé who might have been killed during World War I. It was based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Sébastien Japrisot.

The film was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography at the 77th Academy Awards. Marion Cotillard won the César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, and Gaspard Ulliel won the César Award for Most Promising Actor.

If you’d like to see the film please reserve your place in advance. Priority will be given to people booking prior to the night of the film. To do this please contact Stuart Jones on 079896 95129 or by email on stuartpjones100@yahoo.co.uk to secure your place. Could you please also try to arrive at the Empire Cinema between 7.00 and 7.15 pm.

The cost of a seat is still £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. Let’s finish the season with a great turn-out!

2) Currently we have a list of 22 potential films for our 2024-2025 Film Season. Many thanks to all of those members who have made suggestions towards next year’s programme; obviously, with only 9 to be selected, some serious discussion will take place by the sub-committee charged with this responsibility to find a suitable wide range. However, if you’d like a film you’re aware of to be considered, please do let us know and we’ll add it to the mix.

3) This coming weekend sees the centre of Sandwich adopting its best French outfit for the imaginatively titled ‘Le Weekend’. Amongst all of the other stallholders, some of them from the other side of the Channel, SHTA will be hosting their own stand on the Guildhall Forecourt to promote our Association. We’d like to extend a big thank you to all of those members who have volunteered to be on the stand for an hour or two on either Saturday 8th or Sunday 9th June. If you’re free on one of those days and fancy popping by to see us anytime between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm, we’d be delighted to see you. Why not bring a friend and even persuade them to join SHTA?!

4) A reminder that the SHTA Annual General Meeting takes place on in the Jury Room at the Guildhall on Thursday 18th July. There will be, as is customary, a summary of the past year and election of a new committee for the forthcoming year. Members will be sent the minutes of last year’s meeting and the agenda for this year by email 3 weeks prior to the AGM. If you’d like to know even more about what SHTA does and/or have a say in how it happens, please do consider standing for election yourself. Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

5) And finally for this newsletter, the SHTA Bangers & Boules Competition will be on Thursday 25th July at the Anchor Pub in Wingham. There are still 3 places remaining, so here’s a chance to join a team and find out how surprisingly little skill is required to convince others you’re an expert and have a great time into the bargain! As last year, a round-robin format will guarantee you a minimum of four games before the winners are revealed and celebrations take place with Bangers & Mash, or veggie option, crumble or sorbet in the upstairs function room. Please contact me to let me know you’d like to take part.

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

Best wishes from Stuart, Mark and the Committee