Market Drayton Twinning Association look forward to first trip to France since Covid-19
Members of a twinning association are looking forward to their next trip visiting friends overseas – the first since Covid-19 took hold.
For more than 20 years, visits have taken place between residents of Market Drayton and people living in Pezenas, in the Languedoc region of Southern France.
Since the pandemic hit, visits to and from the town have been put on hold, but now members of the Market Drayton Twinning Association are excited to being out there in May this year.
Alison Bates, secretary of Market Drayton Twinning Association, said: "We were supposed to be going over to Pezenas in May 2020, just as the pandemic hit.
"It does seem ages since we’ve seen all our friends there and we’re really excited about going this May. Emails just aren’t the same."
The trip is expected to be an extra special one for Alison, who is being admitted to the Pezenas Confrérie du petit pâté de Pézenas – an organisation created in 1991 to preserve and promote the tradition of Clive of India's pies.
Clive of India was a controversial figure who led a gang running a protection racket among the town's shopkeepers and played a role in establishing British rule in India.
On his journey home to Market Drayton in 1767 – returning via the French town of Pezenas– he stopped and requested a local bakery to make him up some pies to his own recipe.
While meat pies are a regular dish in Drayton pubs, they are not as common as a food in much of Europe.
So taken were the people of Pezenas with Clive's recipe, that they made the pie the emblem of their town council and the local bakers continue to make the pies – a mix of mutton and sweetened lemon peel – to this day.
Alison's invitation to become a part of the Confrérie du petit pâté de Pézenas is said to be the equivalent of being given honorary membership of the town, which involves a ceremony and the award of a symbolic pie.
She said: "It’s a huge honour – they only give it to about seven people per year for services to the town of Pezenas.
"Former recipients from Market Drayton Twinning include the late Nigel Woods who signed the Twinning Treaty, and Jill and Peter Wallace and our ex-Chair Ann Parkinson who were founder members.
"I’m pretty overwhelmed about it all and quite terrified about the day itself.
"There’ll be a formal ceremony and then a procession through the town with fifes and drums behind the famous “Poulain” (a kind of historic pantomime horse, the symbol of Pezenas and the subject of the weathervane above our Council Offices).
"Then in the evening there’s usually a reception. So I’m going to need lots of moral support from the whole Twinning Group."
Pezenas has maintained its historic link with Market Drayton over the years and a number of local people have made permanent homes there.
During the biennial trips, the twinning organisation stay in the homes of local French families who have volunteered to host them and enjoy local cuisine and sight-seeing trips.
Efforts are made to pair people up according to their age, interests and need to stay with someone they can communicate with.
For more information about the Market Drayton Twinning Association please contact Alison on 01630638818 or at alison@bates-family.net.
