Dear SHTA Members and Friends,

With 1st December being the first day of winter according to the meteorological definition, we should perhaps be expecting colder, darker days with occasional frost and maybe even snow. However, it’s a great time for birdwatching, including starling murmurations, and for spotting seal pups along the coast. The absence of leaf cover on deciduous trees can reveal more of the landscape and views of historic buildings, plenty of which we have in Sandwich. Winter is also the perfect season to enjoy the warmth of traditional pubs and country inns, so lots to look forward to.

In Honfleur, Normandy and France

In December 2025, visitors to Honfleur and Normandy can expect festive Christmas markets, with those regarded as the best being : –

• Rouen : Considered one of the region’s largest and most popular Christmas markets, it takes place in the historic city centre in front of its famous Gothic cathedral. It’s known for its lively atmosphere, with chalets selling handmade gifts, local food, and hot drinks, and a theme that includes an ice-skating rink.
• Bayeux : A magical experience with twinkling lights and festive decorations, this market features chalets with gourmet and artisanal products, from jewellery to local delicacies.
• Caen : This market is set up with around 60 chalets, offering a wide selection of gifts and regional products. It’s a great place to find local crafts and gourmet items for the festive table.
• Dieppe : The city of Dieppe also has a Christmas market along its esplanade, offering a festive setting for holiday shopping.
• Lisieux : Lisieux also hosts a Christmas market, providing another opportunity to enjoy the festive season in Normandy. 

The winter months of December to February see a seasonal natural phenomenon occur in the Cotentin and Bessin Marshes Regional Nature Park (Parc Naturel Régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin) in Normandy, known as the White Marshes (Marais Blancs)

During the late autumn and winter, abundant rainfall causes the rivers (such as the Douve, Taute, Vire, and Seulles) to burst their banks. This flooding transforms the vast green meadows and fields into an enormous, shallow inland sea that stretches across the landscape.The land is said to “whiten” because the water acts like a vast mirror, reflecting the sky and the pale winter light, and covering all the usual natural landmarks such as vegetation and fences. 

This temporary aquatic landscape becomes an ideal wintering ground for tens of thousands of migratory water birds, including : –

• Storks (Cigognes)
• Lapwings (Vanneaux)
• Plovers (Pluviers)
• Herons (Hérons)
• Teals (Sarcelles)
• Ducks (Canards)

The area is a crucial sanctuary for a variety of birds – providing a rich feeding ground and a peaceful refuge during the cold months and is considered a must-see spectacle for nature lovers visiting Normandy in winter.

Visiting the White Marshes

• Observation Points : Good vantage points for observing the phenomenon include climbing to the top of the Plessis-Lastelle Keep for a panoramic view. The road from Varde to Marchésieux is also known for being isolated by the water, offering unique photo opportunities.
• Activities : Visitors can take guided tours, go birdwatching, or explore the flooded areas by electric boat or horse-drawn carriage when conditions allow.
• Visitor Information : The best starting point for a trip is the Maison du Parc located in Carentan-les-Marais, which offers information and various discovery trails. 

Many thanks to Vice-Chair, Mark Moorhouse, for the fascinating contribution above.

What’s happening in the Sandwich Honfleur Twinning Association?

A huge thank you to those of you who were able to do a stint on our Vin Chaud stall on Saturday 29th November at the Christmas Fayre and Christmas Lights Switch-On in the Guildhall Forecourt. Despite the inclement weather, our hardy volunteers promoted the Association’s activities and served well over 200 cups of our warming brew to residents of and visitors to the town.

Again this year we’ve been able to make a donation to Martha Trust to transform the lives of people with profound physical and multiple learning disabilities and to help them to lead full and active lives. As in previous years, SHTA also donated to the Sandwich Lights Committee enabling them to continue to organise this longstanding event which brings so many people out at this time of the year.

Below you’ll see a photo of Aneela Mirza helping on the SHTA Vin Chaud stall while Steve Thomson perfects and pours cups of the product!

Below is the scene of the Christmas Lights Switch-On in the Guildhall Forecourt from near our stall:

SHTA’s main December event, which 51 members and their guests are, no doubt, looking forward to, is the annual Christmas Dinner & Party atThe Bell Hotel in Sandwich which takes place this year on Thursday 11th December. Many thanks to all of you who have signed up for this and we’re looking forward to a really enjoyable evening. If any of you thought initially that you wouldn’t be able to attend but now find that you can, please do get in touch as early as possible, but by Monday 8th December at the very latest, so that you can be included; these things are always possible!

Our 2025-2026 film season resumes on Wednesday 14th January when we’ll be screening ‘Antoinette dans les Cévennes’, a comedy written and directed by Caroline Vignal, released in 2020. It stars Laure Calamy, winner of Best Actress for her rôle at the 2021 César Awards, while the film itself was nominated for Best Film at the 2021 Cannes international Film Festival.

A review and synopsis from Palace Films goes as follows:

“The Number One comedy hit of the 2021 Alliance Française Film Festival, writer- director Caroline Vignal’s hilarious and life-affirming ‘Antoinette dans les Cévennes’ stars the wonderful Laure Calamy (Call My Agent!, Aurore) as a woman who finds herself on a journey of self-discovery in somewhat unexpected circumstances.

40-something primary school teacher Antoinette (Calamy, in a career-making turn) has been eagerly looking forward to a long-planned weekend escape with her married lover Vladimir (Benjamin Lavernhe), the father of one of her pupils. However, their plans are upended by his wife’s booking of a surprise hiking trip in the picturesque Cévennes mountains in the South of France (a six-day trek made famous by best-selling author Robert Louis Stevenson). Completely unversed in the ways of the wilderness, the spurned Antoinette impulsively decides to follow them, and once paired with an unlikely companion – an obstinate but evidently wise grey donkey named Patrick – discovers much, much more than she bargained for… 

Carried by the remarkable Calamy, Vignal’s wonderfully mischievous film offers both Antoinette and audiences an uproarious and poignant reminder of the virtues of independence, and that the journey, not the destination, is often the reward.  Buoyed by rave reviews and phenomenal word of mouth, this understated, heartfelt charmer outperformed many US blockbusters, becoming one of France’s bighits of the year.”

In case you’re wondering which film we’ll be showing as our 2nd of the New Year, a brief heads-up that you can see ‘Caché’ on Wednesday 11th February. The film was written and directed by Michael Haneke, released in 2005, and stars two of France’s A-list actors, Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche. It won three awards at Cannes, including Best Director; five European Film Awards, including Best Film amongst other honours. It was controversially disqualified for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language, simply due to its director and the language of the film being of different nationalities. ‘Caché’ has been regarded in the years since its release as one of the great films of the 2000s, included in BBC’s 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century.

The plot follows an upper-middle-class French couple, Georges (Auteuil) and Anne (Binoche), who are terrorised by anonymous tapes that appear on their front porch and seem to show the family is under surveillance. Clues in the videos point to Georges’s childhood memories, and his resistance to his parents’ adopting an Algerian orphan named Majid, who was sent away.

The film was shot in Paris and Vienna in 2004. Haneke wrote the screenplay with Auteuil and Binoche in mind, and with a concept of exploring guilt and childhood. When he learned of the French government’s decades-long denial of the 1961 Seine River massacre, he incorporated memories of the event into his story.

In advance of our November film, ‘Ridicule’, we had approached the Head of French at Sir Roger Manwood’s School to suggest that their Sixth Form students might be interested in attending our films at the Empire. We were very pleased to welcome one such student and we are confident that there will be more at forthcoming film nights.

If you’d like to reserve your place for either or both of our January and/or February films, please send me an email on stuartpjones100@yahoo.co.uk. Admission to film nights remains at £7.50 per head and priority will be given to members who book in advance. You can either pay in advance online to SHTA, account number: 42027168; sort code: 30-90-09; or you can pay by cash or card on the night.

SHTA Committee members have started making plans for the Visit to Sandwich by the Honfleur Group from Thursday 14th – Sunday 17th May. Pierre Jan and his own Committee will be bringing a coach with around 40 of our friends from Normandy so we need capacity to handle this size of group. If you think you could help towards this or if you have questions about it, please email or phone me. Thank you in advance. Many thanks if you’ve already informed us that you’d be able to host a guest or two in your home next Spring.

That’s all the news for now. Looking forward to seeing you if you’ll be attending the Christmas Dinner & Party; if not, perhaps in the town over the festive period.

Best wishes and warm Christmas greetings from all of the Committee to you and your families.