Dear SHTA Members and Friends,

With predictions for the start of June looking like a return to ‘normal’ temperatures with occasional showers, the majority of us might consider that a welcome change after a couple of weeks of unusually sweltering heat. Fortunately that wasn’t a concern for our friends from Honfleur during their recent visit to Sandwich. You can find details of those fun-packed four days further on in this newsletter. Meanwhile, with news of what’s happening at the start of Summer just across the water, here’s Vice-Chair, Mark Moorhouse’s introduction:

June in Honfleur, Normandy & France:

Honfleur celebrates the Summer Solstice (solstice d’été ) with the Fête de la Musique

on Sunday 21st June. This free, popular event brings together professional and amateur artists throughout the town. Festivities centre around two main highlights:

• The Musical Picnic: Held annually at the Jardin des Personnalités – an opportunity for festival goers to enjoy open-air concerts in a lush, green setting facing the Seine estuary.

• Town Centre Concerts: The historic centre of Honfleur with its iconic squares (Place Sainte-Catherine, Place de la Lieutenance, Quai Sainte-Catherine, Place

Arthur Boudin, and Place du Puits) host bands from various musical backgrounds (pop-rock, jazz, traditional French chanson, and wandering brass bands. Normandy is hosting the 20th D-Day Festival from Saturday 30th May to Sunday 14th June 2026, marking the 82nd Anniversary of the Allied Landings. The festival features over 100 events along the D-Day coastline (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches), including parachute drops, historical reenactments, military vehicle parades, 1940s-style dances, and fireworks.

Key Events and Highlights

• International Ceremony (Saturday 6th June): The official 82nd-anniversary commemoration will take place at Langrune-sur-Mer (Sword Beach) to honour veterans and Allied forces.

• Grand Parade of Pipes and Drums (Saturday 6th June): A large-scale military band performance held at Colleville-Montgomery on Sword Beach.

• Military Vehicle Base Camp (Thursday 4th June to Monday 8th June): A display of authentic WWII vehicles at Radar Station 44 in Douvres-la-Délivrande.

• Standing with Giants Exhibition: An outdoor commemorative art installation on display in Ver-sur-Mer.

Elsewhere in Normandy the Cabourg Mon Amour Festival will be taking place on the Promenade Marcel Proust in Cabourg, this 3 day family-friendly beach music festival runs from 19th June to 21st June. Famous for its “feet in the sand” vibe and ocean sunsets, it features an eclectic mix of indie pop, electro, rock, and French chanson.

Many thanks to Mark for his monthly contribution above.

June SHTA Film at The Empire Cinema:

We’ve shown eight films since September; our ninth and 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 our June film, 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 with the film programme starting at 7.30 pm.

Visit to Sandwich by the Honfleur Group

So, how was the Visit to Sandwich by our friends from Honfleur, you might well be wondering. Well, the general consensus was that everything went according to plan; guests and hosts had fun together; the weather behaved itself; and some wonderful memories were created. The coach arrived on time on Thursday 14th May with 33 from Honfleur, two from their Belgian twin town of Visé and a Portuguese driver! Hosts and guests then spent their first evening together, either at home, someone else’s home or out and about in town. Some were renewing old friendships, others finding out about each other for the first time. On Friday 15th the Honfleur contingent set off for Chartwell, near Westerham, the family home of Sir Winston Churchill, which they found fascinating, many learning for the first time about the wartime hero’s artistic ability. The evening saw a variety of Rock ’n Roll outfits appear at St Mary’s Arts Centre as guests and hosts enjoyed a grand joint function. A well-received, three-course, American-themed meal was followed by an appearance by the King himself, Elvis

Presley! Between his two sets there were speeches from Michel Lamarre, former Mayor of Honfleur; Emmet Csuka, Mayor Sandwich; one delivered on behalf of Nicolas Pubreuil, newly elected Mayor of Honfleur; and Stuart Jones, Chair of SHTA. The second half saw more dancing, clapping, singing, and that was just Tony Hilton! A great night was had by all.

On the morning of Saturday 16th most of our friends from Normandy convened at the Sandwich Medieval Centre, visited the museum and boarded The Nicholas, the replica Medieval warship, before setting off in three groups. A Town Trail entailed each group on a mission to find the answers to 20 questions; their companion was one of our hosts who could either help or hinder them! All 3 groups finished at Sir Roger Manwood School where the winning team members received their prizes. The Honfleur group then set off for lunch and an afternoon in Canterbury, heading for the recently re-opened Canterbury Tales and some retail therapy. The evening was spent as the first: some hosts entertained their guests at home, while some opted to eat out in town.

The four days ended after a leisurely breakfast on Sunday morning with fond farewells and a group photo. The Honfleur coach set off for the return journey, but all were reassured that it would return to Sandwich in 2028.

(Above: Elvis at St Mary’s, approved by Emmet Csuka, Mayor of Sandwich on left)

(Above: Honfleur Guests & Sandwich Hosts say farewell before departure)

If you go to our website at sandwichhonfleurtwinning.org.uk, you’ll find further photos of the visit

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, either to wear a high-vis jacket and be a marshal, or to help with the organising, 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. Thanks to all of those who have offered their time so far but a few are doubling up and it’s always nice to have company on the stall, so a few more volunteers would be great. Both Mark and Christine would be pleased to hear from you. Thank you.

• Saturday 20th June. This year’s New Members’ Get-Together will be slightly different this year; rather than taking place one evening in a pub, we’ll be holding the event between 3.00 pm and 6.00 pm in the courtyard garden of Carly & Phil Cooper who live at “Thrums”, on the corner of King Street and Short Street. If you’ve joined SHTA in the past 12-18 months and you like cake and Crémant, it’ll be great to see you there along with other new members and those on the Committee.

• 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. Arrival time will be 5.30 pm to start games at 6.00 pm, and the Bangers & Mash plus seasonal veg and the apple crumble & custard will appear at 8.00 pm. Go on, give it a go, simply send me an email to let me know you’d like to be included.

• 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. As usual, there’ll be summaries of events and accounts, election of a new Committee and free wine and nibbles, all starting at 7.00 pm. That’s all for now folks. Hoping that you’re well and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes from Stuart & the Committee