On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of their twinning, Worcester Lions Club met with Orleans Doyen Lions for a weekend in Normandy and Brittany.

Twenty-one Worcester members and their partners met in Poole for a warm up dinner prior to crossing to Cherbourg on Saturday 26th May. There we were met by our hosts, who had planned an entertaining day and a half of activities.

We started at a marine museum in Cherbourg, where we were shown round a nuclear submarine. After lunch, our coach took us to the coastal beauty spot of Cap de La Hague where we were able to wander around the rocks with views out to Alderney.

Then it was on to our hotel in Coutances, for a gala dinner. Club presidents Janet Long and Dominique Ugarte spoke of the close relationship between our clubs dating from 1972. Orleans took us down memory lane with photos of past exchange visits. Lion John Turner presented Orleans Lions with a black pear tree to commemorate the visit along with gift books on the history of Worcester for each Orleans member present. Lions June and Trevor Lloyd-Adams gave an update on the Dallu project, a shared fund raising effort which had recently resulted in the advance of money to purchase a truck to assist the trading efforts of the women street vendors in Katmandu.

The next day we started early for Mont Saint-Michel and a tour of its Abbey there. This was followed by a visit to an Oyster farm, tasting included. We then wound up with some free time in the port of St Malo before returning to our hotel.

It was again an early morning call on Monday for the coach ride back to Cherbourg and our “au revoir” to our Orleans friends. Our warm thanks go to them for their generous hospitality and a wonderfully organized trip.

Gordon Templeton
Worcester Lions Club