In May 2026, four representatives from Bicester travelled to Essarts-en-Bocage, Bicester’s twinned community in France, to take part in their celebration of Europe Week.
Sandra and Krys travelled from Bicester by car and had an easy journey via Eurotunnel (no EES there yet!), with an overnight stop on the way, while Monica and Chris came by train from Paris. Both couples were hosted by local families with whom they had already made friends through earlier twinning visits.
Three representatives from our twin town in Germany, Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, were also present for the occasion.
It was an excellently organised weekend with a full programme of entertainment and activities, spent with a very convivial group.
Sandra reports:
The Comite d’Echanges et de Jumelage, led by their chairman Nadege Chenu, had obviously worked very hard to organise a superb programme for the weekend, with lots to do, see and hear, but also plenty of opportunities to meet members of the local community and get to know each other better.
It all started with a delicious buffet supper on Friday evening held at the “Graines de Vie” venue, with a lively musical accompaniment from local group Panache.
Photo © Sandra Nicholson
On Saturday morning we visited the local library, which had laid on a special display, including a jigsaw puzzle where we all helped to place some pieces in a fine example of international co-operation.
Photo © CEJ
We then moved on to the attractive local park for a picnic lunch in beautiful sunny weather, with the opportunity to try out a variety of intriguing wooden games all made by a local couple.
Photo © CEJ
In the evening two different choral groups entertained us in the magnificent local church with a wide variety of songs ranging from the Renaissance to the modern day. After the concert the music continued at an informal gathering over coffee and brioches.
And last but not least, on Sunday Patricia and Remy Lioret welcomed us all to their home for a barbecue lunch, where we had the opportunity to meet their various animals and marvel at Remy’s collection of classic cars. Unfortunately the weather was less kind that day and we had to retreat indoors shortly after arriving, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the tremendous hospitality, delicious food, and excellent company.
Photo © Sandra Nicholson
During the afternoon Krys gave a short speech thanking our hosts for everything they had done to make the weekend such a success, and the four of us from Bicester returned to our hosts with some wonderful memories and renewed promises of future friendship.
More photos to follow.
Thank you to everyone involved in making this weekend such a joy. Special thanks to Laury and Antoine Valoteau for hosting Sandra and Krys, Aurélie and Christophe Roux for hosting Monica and Chris, and to all of the Comite d’Echanges et de Jumelage.