Text on this page written by Andrew Starr (Chair of Portsmouth ECTC and Sue Hopgood
Friends of Portsmouth Twinning 2020 Launch
The Friends of Portsmouth Twinning was launched at the
Twinning Event on Friday, January 24th 2020.
This page from where you should be able to find out everything you need to know about becoming a Friend of Portsmouth Twinning.
An easier to share link is tinyurl.com/ectcjan20
The event took place at Portsmouth Guildhall. The venue was at full capacity. Images of this event are at the bottom of the page.
There was a variety of infotainment, including the launch of our Friends of Portsmouth Twinning Group whose own private information blog can be found here.
In order to access much of that page you will need to have a members pass code. If you do not have one and feel you should then please email the chair of twinning to ask for a code.
How does Friends of Portsmouth Twinning work?
Would you like to………
Make new friends who share your interests?
Learn about different cultures?
Improve your language skills?
Meet people from France and Germany?
Visit new friends and learn about their way of life?
Celebrate British culture with visitors from overseas?
……Friends of Portsmouth Twinning (FoPT) can help you!
Who are we?
We are volunteers who work to promote greater understanding between the residents of Caen, Duisburg and Portsmouth through shared cultural events and links.
What we do
Our activities and events are many and varied, some examples include:
social events with a European flavour in Portsmouth, such as quizzes, cheese and wine evenings.
welcoming visitors from our twin cities, Caen and Duisburg, including several special interest groups, such as the team from Caen who visit each year to take part in The Great South Run.
Organising reciprocal visits to Caen and Duisburg where you can get to know the locals and learn more about French and German culture.
Supporting internships for young people who want to improve their language skills and learn how to do business in a different culture.
Facilitating business links and networking.
Parlez vous francais? Sprechen Sie deutsch?
You don’t need to speak French or German to get involved in our twinning activities. You will find many of our French and German counterparts are only too happy to practice their English!
However, if you are a French or German speaker and would like to practise and improve your language skills, you may be interested in meeting up for social events where you can meet other speakers in the Portsmouth area.
A local business? How could you benefit?
Are you interested in creating business opportunities in France and Germany? Talk to us about our links with local government in Caen and Duisburg to see if we can help with contacts and networking.
Support your local Twinning Committee and receive publicity for your business.We have an active online presence through which you can access wider markets both here in Portsmouth and overseas. Talk to us about how we can help.
Why join Friends of Portsmouth Twinning?
Friends of Portsmouth Twinning (FoPT) is a friendly group, run by volunteers, which aims to promote links with sister cities across Europe. FoPT is open to everyone and anyone from the Portsmouth area. Whether you are interested in socialising with-minded people, welcoming visitors to Portsmouth and sharing our wonderful heritage, visiting our sister cities of Caen in France or Duisburg in Germany, we hope that there will be something for everyone in our packed programme for 2020. Please join us by becoming a member of FoPT.
Membership Benefits
Invitations to our regular social events in Portsmouth and surrounding areas
Opportunities to meet new people who share your interests
Periodic visits to France and Germany where you can make new friends
Regular newsletters
Opportunities to learn, improve or practise your French and/or German language skills
Opportunities to promote your business across a number of social media and other platforms
Networking opportunities with counterparts in France and Germany for individuals and businesses
Membership Fees 2022
Individual:
£10
Couple:
£15
Family:
£20
Corporate:
£50
How to join:
Please complete the Membership Application Form which you can download as a pdf below and return it via email to: friendstwinport@yahoo.com
A photo or a scan of the scan of the pdf is fine if you find it hard to annotate a pdf.
The above poster was the main advertising poster for the event.
FoPT Launch Event and Duisburg 70 at Portsmouth Guildhall
📷More than one hundred guests attended the launch of FoPT in the beautiful surroundings of Portsmouth’s Guildhall on January 24th. Our Guest of Honour, Mr Syd Rapson, former Lord Mayor of Portsmouth and ex-MP for the north of the city welcomed guests and opened proceedings for the evening.
FoPT Membership Secretary, Sue Hopgood, gave a brief presentation outlining the origins and aims of the scheme as a non-political, volunteer-run and self-funding enterprise for the benefit of all Portsmouth residents interested in building and maintaining links with our European twin cities.
Ann Brazier, Events Secretary, introduced the Events Programme for 2020 which includes activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the first twinning agreement with Duisburg. The variety of activities and the mixture of involvement in civic events and social get-togethers was notable and Ann commented that there should be something of interest to everyone.
Following an informative introduction to our twin city of Caen by Andrew Starr, Chair of the Twinning Committee, committee members served a fish and chip supper and The Fine Voice Academy entertained us all with songs in English, French and German!
Syd Rapson gave an interesting and moving talk about his experiences as a young boy visiting Duisburg back in the 1950s. He commented upon the friendship and generous hospitality he received during his visit and stressed the continuing importance of such links of friendship and reciprocal goodwill, both now and into our somewhat uncertain future.
A final presentation from Duisburg-resident Catalina Harang, currently working at the University of Portsmouth, was interesting and entertaining as she encouraged us all to visit this vibrant German city. The evening concluded with opportunities to mingle with other guests and to learn a little about Twinning Groups from surrounding areas.
These photos were taken by Former Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Cllr Lee Mason and the Chair of Twinning Committee Andrew Starr.
A short clip of the Fine Voice Academy performing for the guests.
