Twinning Association With Vannes

The Warsash Band is an active participant in the Fareham-Vannes Twinning Association (FVTA), and has been holding exchange visits with the Conservatoire de Musique in Vannes since 1985.

We were delighted to welcome our friends from Vannes for a visit in Easter 2012. They enjoyed a packed weekend which included a successful concert and fish and chip supper at the Sarisbury Green Community Centre. We were honoured that the concert was graced by the presence of His Worshipful the Mayor of Fareham, Cllr Trevor Cartwright, who gave the formal speech of welcome, and the Mayoress, Mrs Ruth Cartwright. An evening of ten pin bowling, a day out in Hamble and a visit to Windsor rounded off the weekend and did much to cement Anglo-French relations. We would particularly like to thank the Fareham-Vannes Twinning Association whose generous financial support was instrumental in making the weekend such a success.

Warsash Band members returned the visit at the end of May 2015, taking advantage of the beautiful weather with two outdoor concerts. Many band members were kindly hosted by French musicians and their families, with old friendships renewed and new ones made. As well as playing music together, we enjoyed the social events planned for us by the Conservatoire, including a fascinating guided tour of the historic Petit Mont neolithic burial site. But of course the music was the main reason for the visit and so the highlights of the tour were the successful concerts in Port de Crouesty and beside the harbour in Vannes. The concerts featured music from both bands that had the audience dancing on the streets, and reached a climax with the bands combining for fantastic performances of three joint pieces.