AVTA - Alcester Vallet Twinning Association

1977 - 2011  The Association was formed in 1977 to foster friendship between the people of Alcester and the people of Vallet, France. Vallet is a lively town situated in the Loire Valley south-east of Nantes and is the capital of the Muscadet wine region.

Every other year a party of about 50 people travel from Alcester to Vallet by coach.  Vallet visits Alcester in the intervening years. New members are twinned, as closely as possible, with French families with similar ages and interests and are given priority placing on the coach.

These visits, lasting about 3 - 8 days, are the ideal way to build and strengthen friendships with host families.  To fund the entertainment of the French on their visits to Alcester there are a number of events every year. These provide for enjoyable social exchanges between Twinning members.  A good example of this is the Cafe de Vallet which the AVTA run at Alcester's annual Street Market, which is organised by Alcester's Court Leet.

As friendships grow people tend to visit independently, or in small groups, and there are many friendships flourishing that started in the early days of the exchanges.

As well as personal friendships, there are many group exchanges that started through the AVTA.  Some examples of these are; School, Football, Artists, Musicians, Tennis and a branch of "L'Ordre des Chevaliers Bretvins" an organisation dedicated to the wine, food and culture of Brittany.  The list of groups exchanges continues to grow.

An important part of the Association's programme is encouraging students both from Alcester and Vallet to spend time in each other's Country during their summer holidays.  The AVTA finds accommodation with a family in Alcester, tries to arrange work experience, and provides some entertainment to break the ice.  In Vallet the same service is provided for Alcester students.  New members are always welcome and if you would like to become involved in experiencing French culture first hand, then please contact our Membership Secretary, Sue Frazer Alcester 766683, fraser.sue@virgin.net or Chairman Eric Williams Tel. Alcester 765877 or Via e-mail link below.

Visit to Vallet 2007

Following on from a most successful week long visit in 2005, AVTA members have just returned from this years visit.  Again it was a week long from 22nd August to 29th. August with two nights in Rouen on the way out and one night in Lisieux on the way back.  These stop-overs gave us the opportunity to spend a day in Paris and also visit Monets Garden in Giverny before arriving in Vallet.  This years visit was a special occasion as it celebrated 30 years of the AVTA.  On the morning of Saturday 25th August the group of AVTA members were ferried from Vallet to the outskirts of Le Pallet, in procession of vintage cars from the local motor club, for the inauguration a new road roundabout named after Alcester.

"Le Rond-Point D'Alcester" commemorates 30 years of Twinning, it has beeen decorated with two mosaics depicting St. Nicholas Church and the Town Hall.  The mosaics were designed in Alcester by Mr Bill Bayley, who also designed the AVTA logo.  Saturday evening we were treated to a dinner dance in "L'Hotel de la Gare" Clisson.

Monday 27th August the "Comité Jumelage de Canton de Vallet" (Vallets twinning comittee) had organised a trip to the Chateau D'Oudon, a picnic on the banks of the Loire and a boat trip on the Loire.

In all a very enjoyable week.

Visit to Alcester 2008

The French visited Alcester during the week-end Thursday 8^th May – Sunday 11^th May, those of you who visited Vallet last year enjoyed splendid hospitality in Vallet to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Twinning and we were faced with a tough act to follow.  They arrived at St. Benedicts School around 6 pm where we welcomed our guests with a couple of brief speeches a drink and a toast, before they all dispersed to stay with their host families.   

Friday we had arranged a Visit to Coventry Cathedrals, the old and new side by side.  Despite arranging two French speaking guides with the cathedral, at only a couple of days notice, the cathedral e-mailed to say that they could not supply two guides and that one would be French speaking the other would have to be English speaking only!  Luckily new AVTA member Kate Burke, who some of you who had been attending the French evening classes at St. Benedicts will know as a French teacher, saved the day providing a running translation for the group with the English speaking guide.      

Next it was back on the coach to Stratford for lunch at the  “Dirty Duck” pub in Waterside where we had laid on a buffet lunch and we enjoyed not only a private room that opened out onto the garden but also the use of the garden as for once the English weather was kind to us!  Our guests spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Stratford. 

Saturday morning saw everyone gathering at the wine press in front of Globe Hose for the official unveiling of a mosaic commemorating the 30^th anniversary of the AVTA and our links with Vallet.  This was followed by a drinks reception in Globe House, my thanks to Sue Adams and the Alcester Town Council for their help in arranging this.  Our guests spent the remainder of the morning in Alcester which had a number of events taking place that day.  The Court Leet Ale Tasting and the British Legion coffee morning at the Memorial Town Hall, which together with the normal hustle and bustle of a Saturday and the historical interest of the Roman Museum all combined to give the French an interesting insight into life in Alcester.

Saturday evening saw a highly popular Band Dance at the Greig Centre featuring Herbal Remedy with Bi-lingual caller Stephen Woodcock.

Visit to Vallet 2009

Dates have now been agreed with the French for our Summer 2009 visit to Vallet.  As in previous years Johnsons are organising the trip for us.

We’ll be leaving on Wednesday 19^th August, returning Tuesday 25^th August.  As in previous years we are planning to break the journey both outbound and return.  We will stop for two nights in Caen in Normandy at the Hotel “Le Dauphin”, en route to Vallet, which will give us the chance to visit either some of the Normandy Beaches or the historic town of Bayeux.  On the return journey Johnson have suggested Evreux, which is just south of Rouen, at the Hotel Mecure.

If you contact AVTA - Alcester Vallet Twinning Association please tell them you found them using alcester.co.uk.