The latest visit
The original group, the Caen-Portsmouth Group d’amis, is still continuing. A couple of weeks ago we were delighted to welcome our French friends. On Saturday we showed them Mottisfont Abbey, a National trust property near Romsey and dined at the Brookfield Hotel in Emsworth.
The next day we went to Fort Nelson to see the Royal Armouries, then on to the Red Lion in Southwick for a pub lunch (mightily appreciated by the French) and saw the D-Day revival Celebrations in the village. Later an ex-President of the group, Tony Dudley, bravely entertained all 23 of us to aperitifs and copious canapes at his Waterlooville home.
The local organisers of the visit, Linda Parsons and Elizabeth Rogers, did a wonderful job and the French highly appreciated their work. A few photographs of the occasion accompany this report. You may not recognise many faces but I hope you can see the enormous enjoyment the participants derived from the weekend. It is always pleasurable to see the effects of international cooperation can have on a personal level.
Please note that the group funds itself, without any contribution from the local taxpayer; although some think that this sort of activity is worthy of encouragement by the local administration, even on a minimal financial basis.
