Dear SHTA Members and Friends,

Hopefully you’ve been able to enjoy the recent sunshine although gardeners amongst you may be glad to see there’s some rain apparently on its way. If we have a dry and sunny four-day spell while our Honfleur friends are with us in mid-May we’ll be very happy. More of that later on.

Meanwhile, with news of what’s happening at this time of year across the Channel, here’s Vice-Chair, Mark Moorhouse’s introduction:

May in Honfleur, Normandy & France:

“Sunday 24th May is Pentecost Day (le jour de Pentecôte) which means that over in Honfleur it is the 165th Fête des Marins on Saturday 23rd May and Sunday 24th May. This annual Pentecost weekend event dates back to 1861 to honour sailors. It features Mass at Saint Catherine’s Church, in the heart of the sailors’ quarter, which will be decorated for the occasion, followed by a solemn blessing of the sea in the Baie de la Seine. Held over two days, the highlight is the procession during which models of boats are carried from the main square to the Notre-Dame de Grâce chapel located on the heights of Honfleur at Équemauville

On Saturday 23rd May it is the The European Night of Museums. This is a nation–wide UNESCO-backed initiative where museums across France remain open, free of charge, to visitors until midnight supported by the French Ministry of Culture. The country’s finest cultural offerings can be in an entirely new light, quite literally, and is a whole new museum experience.

The 17th edition of the CIC Normandy Channel Race (27th May – 7th June 2026) is a 1,000 nautical mile double-handed Class 40 race that features intense navigation through the English Channel and Irish Sea. While the exact course can be adjusted for weather, the route traditionally passes several key, treacherous lighthouses and maritime landmarks:

• Start : Ouistreham / Caen: The race starts off Ouistreham in the Baie de la Seine.
• Iles Saint-Marcouf: The fleet passes this archipelago off the Normandy coast.
• The Gatteville Lighthouse (Phare de Gatteville): Located at the Pointe de Barfleur on the Cotentin Peninsula, is a 75–metre high granite tower and one of the tallest onshore lighthouses in the world. It was constructed between 1829 and 1835.
• The Needles Lighthouse (Isle of Wight): Standing at 33 metres high it has marked the entrance to the Solent on the south coast of England since 1859.
• Wolf Rock Lighthouse (Land’s End, Cornwall): This 41–metre high structure serves as a navigational point as competitors negotiate the south-west tip of England. Construction took place between 1862 and 1869.
• Tuskar Rock Lighthouse: A 37–metre tall mandatory rounding point off the south-east coast of Éire. This white granite tower located off the County Wexford coast has been guarding treacherous waters since 1815
• Fastnet Lighthouse: Standing at 54 metres high it is often referred to as “the teardrop of Ireland,” this famous lighthouse to the south of Éire is another rounding point. Located off the coast of County Cork and completed in 1904, it is the tallest and widest rock lighthouse in Éire and the United Kingdom. It is crucial for maritime safety and weather reporting.
• Guernsey (Channel Islands): The return leg often includes a mandatory waypoint near Guernsey.
• Goury Lighthouse (Phare de Goury / Phare de la Hague): At 50 metres in height and completed in 1837, it is another critical, challenging checkpoint for the sailors in the Channel.
• Raz Blanchard: Located at the tip of the Cotentin Peninsula, this is a major challenge for the fleet. It is considered one of the most dangerous tidal currents in Europe, known locally as “liquid hell” if wind opposes the current.
• Finish: Ouistreham / Caen: Return to the Normandy coast.”

Many thanks, as ever, to Mark for the contribution above.

May and June SHTA Films at The Empire Cinema:

The penultimate film for the SHTA film season will be ‘L’Effrontée’, which we’ll be showing on Wednesday 20th May. The film’s English title is ‘An Impudent Girl’; it is directed by Claude Miller and stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, who won the César Award for Most Promising Actress, and Bernadette Lafont, who won the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Feeling insecure, ugly, and worthless, Charlotte drives her father crazy, torments little Lulu, and is generally bored. In a film that explores the first stirrings of adolescence, the shy and self-conscious 15-year-old girl idolises Clara, a pianist her own age. Between rebellion, family squabbles, and extreme modesty, Gainsbourg captivates the screen with her moving shyness, fragility, and sensitivity. It’s already clear she’s a great actress.

Rotten Tomatoes has this verdict:

“A stunning performance by a very young Charlotte Gainsbourg. For all those who enjoy contemporary French films, the hypnotic debut of Gainsbourg makes this film required viewing. And it’s not only her performance that’s remarkable. The entire film is compelling and wise, insightfully exploring different kinds of love: between friends, between parents and children, in a first, off-balance romance. All in a beautiful summery world that is distinctively French. The film effectively communicates the depth and awkwardness of discovering love – as experienced by the fierce and tender Charlotte (the character).”

The film also won the Louis Delluc Prize and received further César nominations for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, Best Costume and Best Sound. 

Our final film of the season will be on Wednesday 17th June when we will be screening ‘Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu’. ‘Portrait of the Young Lady on Fire’ is a 2019 French historical romantic drama, written and directed by Céline Sciamma, and stars Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel. Set in France in the late 18th century, the film tells the story of a brief affair between two young women: an aristocrat and a painter commissioned to paint her portrait. It was Haenel’s final film role before retiring from the film industry in 2023.

‘Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu’ was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Sciamma also won the award for Best Screenplay at Cannes. The film was theatrically released in France on 18 September 2019.

It was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Awards and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top five foreign language films of 2019. The film was one of three shortlisted by the French Ministry of Culture to be France’s submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ was voted the 30th greatest film of all time in the Sight & Sound 2022 critics’ poll. It has also been considered one of the best films of 2019, the 21st century, and of all time. I think you’d agree that all of these reviews suggest that it’s worth a watch!

If you’d like to reserve your place for either or both of our May and June 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 pay in advance online to SHTA, sort code: 30-90-09; account number: 42027168; or you can pay by cash or card on the night. The cinema doors open at 7.00 pm.

Visit to Sandwich by the Honfleur Group

So, now on to news of the Visit to Sandwich by our friends from Honfleur, our Twin Town. As you’ll have seen in previous newsletters, this is just around the corner, and our hosts, all geared up to receive their guests, will familiarise themselves with the rest of the hosting group and the finer details of the itinerary on Tuesday 5th May.

The Honfleur coach and this year’s group of 36 roll into town late afternoon on Thursday 14th May. Hosts and guests will spend their first evening together, some renewing old friendships, others meeting for the first time.

Friday 15th will see the Honfleur contingent travel to Chartwell, near Westerham, the family home of Sir Winston Churchill. They will rejoin their hosts in the evening for a grand joint function at St Mary’s Arts Centre which will feature one of the best Elvis Presley impersonations you’re ever likely to see! SHTA members who aren’t hosting on this occasion are invited to join us for the evening but do need to let us know asap.

On the Saturday morning our friends from Normandy will be familiarising themselves with or getting to know Sandwich during a variety of town trails. They will then set off for lunch and an afternoon in Canterbury, taking in the recently re-opened Canterbury Tales and some retail therapy. Some hosts may opt to entertain their guests at home for the evening, while some may decide to eat out in town, perhaps teaming up with others in the group. Non-hosting SHTA members may wish to find out who’s going where to join the fun.

The four days end after breakfast with fond farewells on the morning of Sunday 17th May when the Honfleur group board their coach for the return journey. Look out for photos in the June newsletter!

Other SHTA Events coming up

• Monday 8th June: Picnic on the Quay Green. Bring your lunch and a deckchair to join others for a relaxed chat from 12.30 p.m. onwards.

• Saturday 13th – Sunday 14th June: Le Weekend in Sandwich. If you’d like to take part in the running of this now-traditional highlight of the Sandwich calendar, please contact event organiser and our Vice-Chair, Mark Moorhouse on mark.moorhouse@btconnect.com. Furthermore, if you’d be able to help for an hour on the SHTA stall on either the Saturday or the Sunday to promote the Association, please let Christine Ratcliffe know on christine.ratcliffe@outlook.com.We do need a few more volunteers for this one.Both Mark and Christine would be pleased to hear from you. Thank you.

• Thursday 25th June: Bangers & Boules at The Anchor Pub Wingham. Join those who have already signed up for this annual sporting classic, either to participate or spectate.

• Thursday 16th July: Annual General Meeting: Come along to the Jury Room at The Guildhall to have your say and catch up on the round-up of the SHTA year.

That’s all the news for now. Hoping that you’re well and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes from Stuart & the Committee