Breton visitors welcomed once again as twinning celebrates 35th anniversary

A twinning partnership that has linked Caerphilly and Brittany has continued again this summer – with Breton visitors welcomed to the borough to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the twinning.

Since 1991, Caerphilly has been twinned with Lannion, while Llanbradach has been twinned with the Breton town’s neighbouring village, Ploubezre, since 1994.

The arrangement sees families from the Caerphilly area host Breton visitors every other year, while visiting Brittany in the alternate years and staying with host families. The trips are organised and self-funded by the Caerphilly and District Twinning Association and its counterparts in Brittany.

An annual football match between Llanbradach AFC and AS Servel Lannion also forms part of the twinning – with each side taking it in turns to host the other – but runs separately to the official twinning visits.

Like Wales, Brittany – located in the west of France – has a strong Celtic identity. It also has its own language, Breton, which shares similarities with Welsh.

This year, around 30 visitors arrived in the borough for their four-night stay on Friday July 24 – with a Breton flag flying at Caerphilly Castle to welcome them.

The visitors were welcomed to the Twyn Community Centre in Caerphilly on Saturday morning, where they met Caerphilly town mayor Mike Prew and exchanged gifts between Caerphilly and Lannion. They were also treated to a performance from Caerphilly Male Voice Choir, before being given a tour of Caerphilly Castle.

Later that day they headed to Llanbradach, where a plaque was unveiled to commemorate the twinning of Llanbradach and Ploubezre. It was followed by an evening of Welsh and Breton folk dancing at Llanbradach Community Centre, along with a buffet and an exchange of gifts between Llanbradach and Ploubezre.

The Sunday included a trip to Hay on Wye and an evening with their respective host families.

On Monday, hosts and visitors took part in a friendly – but competitive nonetheless – boules tournament in Penyrheol, before heading to Cardiff for a tour of the Principality Stadium.

The final night concluded with a disco and a buffet at Shappelles in Ystrad Mynach.

What are the benefits of the twinning arrangement?

Llanbradach councillor Colin Mann has been heavily involved with the twinning arrangement since the very beginning, and was part of the original cohort to visit Lannion back in the early 1990s.

“A lot of people over the years have learnt more about each other’s cultures,” Cllr Mann explained. “The football twinning has given hundreds, if not thousands of youngsters, from here and in Brittany, the opportunity to experience something they wouldn’t have done before, so it has involved young people, from 14 or 15 onwards, right up to the other end of the age scale, and I think everyone learns from it.

“You learn a lot more staying with people and learning about their way of life than you ever would staying in a hotel and just being served by someone. It’s a different experience altogether.”

Gildas Nicolas, who is from Ploubezre, was among the Breton visitors this year. Mr Nicolas has been visiting Caerphilly and Llanbradach regularly since 2014 as part of the twinning, and praised the welcome he and his compatriots receive here.

“When we come, we are very welcome. The quality of the reception is good. We have very strong links. between all the people here,” explained Mr Nicolas, who visited alongside his wife, Martine.

“It’s a symbol of exchange between the towns, between the countries. There’s a synergy here with Ploubezre and Lannion, and Llanbradach and Caerphilly, because the towns are close. It’s a synonym of openness.”

During his many visits here, Mr Nicolas said he has been impressed with efforts to preserve the Welsh language – something he would like to see replicated in Brittany: “Breton is not dying, but it has suffered because there’s not a lot of people who speak Breton.

“In Wales, you have Welsh schools, Welsh TV channels and radio stations, and they promote the Welsh language. This is a good idea.

“In Brittany, we have to look at the example from Wales.”

Jean-Jacques Monnier, a Breton who has been involved with the twinning since the very start, said: “It’s a lot of work but it quickly becomes worth it when everyone involved is so happy, and so enthusiastic when they return home. 

“The mix of ages and people from different backgrounds is one of the wonderful successes of the exchanges, something that has lasted thanks to a group of volunteers who are always rewarded when they see the smiles on everyone and the true friendships that have developed over the decades.”

Compatriots Claire and Alain Flageul said: “In this troubled world, keeping such contacts and friendships beyond our borders is essential.

“The twinning between our towns and countries is a small but very important part in achieving peace. The twinning has allowed us to make strong friendships in Caerphilly and also in Lannion. It’s up to us to make it last.”

For Elizabeth Bodere, the twinning brings back memories from her childhood. Now president of the Lannion-Caerphilly and Ploubezre-Llanbradach twinning groups in Brittany, Ms Bodere said: “When I was young my parents were members of the Pouldergat–Cwmaman twinning committee. I visited Wales thanks to this twinning and made some wonderful memories.  

“Being a part of the Lannion-Caerphilly and Ploubezre-Llanbradach committee has allowed me to travel with my son. I was hoping to make new memories and share these with my son – this has happened. 

“I have also made some Welsh friends and new friends from Lannion.”

‘We’ve obviously been doing something right over these years’

When Llanbradach’s football club first went out to Brittany to play AS Servel Lannion, Kenny Ball had no idea the fixture would still be being played 30 years later.

Now the club president, Mr Ball told Caerphilly Observer about the origins of the fixture and how it has grown over the years.

“We were asked if we could take an under-15s team to Brittany, which we did. We started off with a couple of cars and a I think one van. When we went over there this year we took a 52-seater bus, so we’ve obviously been doing something right over these years.

“It’s been difficult at some stages because the expense nowadays has gone really expensive with the fuel and travelling, but we still continue.

“We do a lot of fundraising with the boy and we go every other year, so we’ve basically only got one year to raise about £8,000, which is quite difficult – but the boys are so enthusiastic, the parents are enthusiastic. So we all just get together, and we make sure that it continues.”

Mr Ball said the fixture is now a highlight on the club’s calendar, with the senior side hoping to go on tour their next year.

“We didn’t think it would last,” Mr Ball admitted. “When we first went out there, we stayed in big detached houses. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The following year, they come back to Llanbradach, which is, in effect, a mining village with terrace houses.

“You had the odd one or two detached houses, but we didn’t know if they would accept our standard of living. But when they came over, they absolutely loved it.

“They got to see the history and the culture of the village and further afield. We took them to Big Pit, which they’d never ever experienced. And from there then, it went from strength-to-strength. We wanted to go there more and more, and they wanted to come to us more and more.

“I didn’t think it would have lasted, perhaps one or two trips, but it did and it’s continued. We’ve done alright. We will try our best to keep it going without a doubt.”

Dedication behind the scenes

Behind yet another successful twinning visit, is a dedicated team of volunteers working hard to arrange every detail of the trip, ensuring venues are booked, day trips are planned, and visitors have a roof over their heads throughout their stay.

Jayne Reardon has been involved with the twinning association since 1999, and is now the association’s secretary.

“When I look around and I see everybody having a really good time, and the Welsh and the Bretons coming together sharing our culture, it’s really lovely to see,” Mrs Reardon said. “We can see so many smiles on their faces.”

She continued: “There’s a huge amount of work that’s gone into this. We probably started at the beginning of the year. We’ve got a committee, and we meet up every month, and this has been something that we’ve been focusing on for all these months.

“We’ve got a dedicated committee, and we’ve managed to do such a lot to bring this all together. It has been amazing.”

She added: “Everybody works really hard to keep this going. It is becoming more and more difficult as the years go on. But to have reached our 35 years this year, it is brilliant.”

These views were echoed by her husband, John Reardon – the association’s chairman.

“Every place we went, we checked beforehand – from parking to group limits,” Mr Reardon said.

Organisers adjusted schedules to give visitors time to relax, while hosts introduced guests to Welsh culture through traditional food and warm welcomes.

Mr Reardon said seeing first-time hosts connect with Breton visitors made the months of hard work worthwhile.

“Hosting for the first time can be nerve-wracking because people worry about language barriers,” he said.

“But the feedback was wonderful. First-time hosts have already been invited to stay in Brittany next year. Building those personal friendships is the secret of it all.”

Planning for next summer’s return trip to Lannion will now get underway. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact secretarycdta@hotmail.com.