 Our main objectives are to encourage friendship between families, schools, clubs and groups with similar interests and effect the introductions. We actively support younger members as the future is theirs.
 We organise many social events throughout the year: music, choral, barn dance, French wine and cheese, dinner annually, funday on Foresters Green, trips to France to Milly-la-Forêt, plus many others. We all have a lot of fun... even when some of us cannot speak each others' languages.
So what is Milly-La-Forêt like?
 The village itself is really more of a small town, quite a bit larger than Forest Row; however, our Twinning Association embraces many outlying villages around Forest Row, so the populations are fairly evenly matched. Milly is a historic town, having been an important centre of trade and communication, and the character of the town reflects this. It is full of ancient buildings, mostly made from the local sandstone. The most celebrated is the magnificent timber market hall, built in 1567 and still in use today. It stands at one end of a long rectangular market place, lined on all sides with busy shops. Several of them sell the products Milly is famous for: medicinal herbs, mint tea, and watercress. There is also a beautiful chateau complete with medieval towers, a 16th century church, and a circular avenue of chestnut trees built around the site of the old medieval town walls.
 One of Milly's more famous residents was the artist Jean Cocteau. His life is celebrated in the tiny chapel that has become his tomb. At the request of the townspeople, he decorated the interior of the chapel with beautiful floral designs reflecting the medicinal herbs now grown in the surrounding garden. More infamous was the artist-sculptor Jean Tingueley, who has created an incredible 70ft high sculpture/gallery deep in the forest that surrounds the town. This is the biggest mobile you have ever seen. You can climb up inside it surrounded by whirring wheels and trundling iron balls, everywhere meeting works of art by Tingueley himself, as well as many other artists.
It is the forest enveloping this construction that make it an out-of-place eyesore to many of the locals. It is the forest, too, that provides one of the strongest links with Forest Row. We have our Ashdown Forest, a heathland with big open spaces. They have their own forest merging to the east into the huge Foret de Fontainebleau - a magical place with dense trees in parts, open sandy areas in others, and deep rocky ravines opening out into quiet reflective spaces where you will find a mass grave preserved as a memorial to those who died here during World War Two.
And the people?
 Far removed in character from their Parisian neighbours 40 miles to the north, they are warm, enthusiastic people, friendly and generous far beyond initial expectations. Make friends here - and we have many - and you make friends for life. Their interest in and fascination with all things English is mirrored by our own love of France, and this has led to a full programme of twinning events, expanding a little each year.
2007 was a special year for the Twinning Association, being
the 15th anniversary of our founding.
The year started with an excellent annual dinner at the Three
Crowns in Ashurst Wood, followed by a very successful Fun Day on Foresters
Green, in spite of the weather, and a very enjoyable barbeque in July on John
Pears Field.
But the main celebration of the anniversary was when our
friends from Milly-la-Forêt visited in October.
An outing was arranged for them on the Saturday morning to Hever Castle,
which proved very popular with all ages.
But the main event, for 110 visitors and hosts, was on Saturday evening
with a dinner dance at Barnsgate Manor, with dancing into the small hours to
The Buffaloes. A presentation was made
to Monique Paillet, the president of the Milly-la-Forêt twinning association,
of a fine print of Ashdown
Forest.
The year was rounded off with the AGM and social evening and
the ever popular Beaujolais Evening in November.
Committee members are now:
-
Gwenda Kirk (chairman)
-
Don Collishaw (treasurer)
-
Emma Fish (vice-chairman)
- Mike Box
- Ceri Evans
-
Gillian Glover (events)
-
Brian Infield (advertising)
-
Ros Tester (membership secretary)
We welcome new members. Please contact our membership secretary Ros Tester on 01342 321373.
The Milly-la-Forêt web site can be viewed here: http://www.milly-la-foret.fr/
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