Annual General Meeting 22nd February

 

The AGM will be held at the Crossroad Christian Centre at 7.30 pm on Friday 22nd February. It is hoped that as many members as possible will be present for this important event. Agenda items include election of all the committee including officers, changes to the constitution and membership subscriptions, a review of a the last year, an outline of the next and also your chance to let your views and ideas be known. There will be suggestion box for those who prefer to put their ideas on paper, (this itself a result of a suggestion by one of our newer members). It will not be all business however, there will also be the usual refreshments, a raffle, and a quiz based on popular films and TV programs. Please try and be there!

Thury-Harcourt Place

Good news about the Public Consultation on the naming of the public realm that took place before Christmas. Many members have worked very hard on this topic, not only those on the committee, but also many others who turned out to lobby and to man the stalls, and although it is not over yet, things are looking good for a naming ceremony when our visitors come in July. In the end, some 80% of responses approved of either the french "Place Thury-Harcourt" or the anglicized "Thury-Harcourt Place" with a small majority for the English form. Accordingly on Monday 14th January, Seaton Town Council voted unanimously to go ahead with the name Thury-Harcourt Place. It has to be approved by the District Council, but this should be a formality. Many thanks for everyone who worked so hard to achieve this. We had to go through a lot of bureaucracy to get the result, so well done everybody. A special thanks also to the previous Secretary Glyn Roberts who did a lot of the legwork in the early days.

Christmas Dinner 19 January 2013

Thirty members attended the Association's Christmas Dinner at the King's Arms in Seaton on a Saturday 19 January. It was an opportunity to socialize, plan and generally get together. As usual we had a well supported raffle which produced a welcome contribution to our funds. (photo) Thanks for everyone who worked to make it such a memorable evening.

MP supports place naming

Seaton's MP, Neil Parish, has endorsed our efforts to naming an open space in Seaton in honour of Thury-Harcourt. In an email to Graham Jones, he writes :-

Dear Mr Jones,

Thank you for your recent email regarding the open space commonly known as “The Public Realm”.

I would be very happy to support Seaton and District Twinning Association in their desire to name the area, either “Place Thury-Harcourt” after French usage, or the anglicised equivalent form of “Thury-Harcourt Place”.

I would be very happy for you to make public my support for the naming of “The Public Realm”. I am a big supporter of Seaton twinning with Thury-Harcourt in Normandy. I believe that the way to create greater understanding between ourselves and the continent is for exchanges to take place between individuals, rather than politicians pontificating on the matter!

I wish you a very Happy Christmas and hope that all goes well with the public consultation.

Yours sincerely,

Neil Parish

 

 

Place Thury Harcourt - A very important message

During the next week the people of Seaton are going to vote on a proposal to name on open space in honour of Thury-Harcourt. Notices should appear in next weeks "View From" and "Midweek Herald" with details. This is an Association initiative, and we want it to happen. To ensure it, it is vitally important that our supporters get out and vote. Please vote yourselves, and get all your friends to the same. A press release form our Chairman is copied below.

Press Release

THIRTY YEARS A TWIN AND STILL NO NAME!

The town of Seaton has been twinned with the town of Thury-Harcourt in the beautiful Suisse-Normande in France since 1982.
The town council and people of Thury-Harcourt have shown their affection and respect for Seaton and our country by naming streets after us: rue de Seaton; after the twinning: chemin des Jumelages; and other locations after British regiments, some local, involved in the Liberation.
In this the 30^th anniversary year of the twinning, Seaton Town Council and the Seaton and District Twinning Association want to reciprocate this kindly feeling and respect by naming the area known as the Public Realm ‘Thury-Harcourt Place’ or ‘Place Thury-Harcourt’.
WHY THE PUBLIC REALM
The Public Realm is the place many visitors see on their arrival in Seaton, perhaps increasingly foreign visitors to the area. This naming would express our welcome to all visitors to the town and our openness to the world beyond our borders.
Still thriving after 30 years, the twinning is a part of Seaton’s evolving story, as well as a civic commitment. It is a name that expresses something that is part of Seaton’s identity. This is important in an area where visitors arrive.
We get few opportunities to name new areas in Seaton. We have a debt of honour to our friends in Thury-Harcourt. This is the right time to carry out this naming. The public realm is we believe the right place.
We hope that the people of Seaton will support us. There will be voting slips at the Town Hall. If you do support us but can’t get to the Town Hall or the consultation on the Public Realm itself, please write to the Town Council.

Skittles - A Good Night

Some two dozen members turned out for a very pleasant evening of skittles with a buffet supper at PJ's on Saturday. There was a good atmosphere, and the buffet was excellent given the cost. Several people suggested that we use PJ's more often. Let the committee know what you think.

Skittle Social at PJ's 8th December

Advance Notice
There will be a social evening with snacks and skittles at PJ's in Seaton on Saturday 8th December. Details to follow. Try and keep the date free.