Evron

Evron is a town of 7,000 people on the département (county) of Mayenne, due South of Cherbourg and 150 miles Southwest of Paris. The nearest towns are Le Mans and Laval. Evron is a thriving town, based on a blend of industry and farming - it is noted for its meat and cheese.

At the heart of the old town is the beautiful Basilica of Notre-Dame, parts of which date from the 11th Century. The shopping centre is similar in size to Hertford's, having a generous number of café-bars.

Surrounded by pleasant countryside, it is close to the chateaux of the Loire and has many recreational facilities, including sailing on a nearby lake. Evron is an ideal base for a touring holiday.

A highlight of the Evronnais year is the annual meat festival, which is held at the town's showground on the first weekend of September. This agricultural show, which is opened to the straines of La Marseillaise, attracts people from a wide area to witness the judging of the animals and to join in the festivities amidst much pomp and ceremony.

Hertford's friendship with Evron

Hertford's links with Evron were originally formed in 1973, when exchange visits between Hertford's Sele School and the College Paul Langevin first started. Gradually, the links became stronger, and the towns were officially twinned at ceremonies in Hertford and Evron in 1980.

Since then, many exchange visits have been made by the Hertford Friends of Evron as a group and individually, by clubs, and by societies of all types. Each year the Mayor of Hertford attends the meat festival, which is Evron's equivalent of a county show.

A permanent reminder of the twinning is the British red telephone box presented to the town of Evron in 1991. It is in use in the town's market place. More recently, a weathervane in the shape of the hart of Hertford has been installed on the roof of one of the major buildings in the town.

The twentieth anniversary of the twinning was held in Evron in June 2000, when large contingents travelled there from Hertford and also from the German town of Wildeshausen, which is twinned with Evron and with Hertford. A weekend of activities, both serious and light hearted, was very much enjoyed. The Hertford contingent included local Scottish dancers and the Hoddesdon Crownsmen. There's little to be said about the "It's a knockout competition" except that Hertford didn't come first (nor even second) despite a little (alleged) cheating.

Between visits, the spirit of international friendship is kept alive with a variety of cultural and social events organised by the Hertford Friends of Evron. As Britain's future becomes ever more closely linked with mainland Europe, we believe we should encourage friendship and understanding between nations. This is a major objective of the friends of Evron. We are always open to any possibilities of further links and collaboration between the towns.

Friends of Evron Website

If you share our interests and objectives, why not join us? The annual subscription is £7.50 for an individual, £10.00 for a family and £12.00 for a society or club. You will be kept in touch with all the events planned by the Friends. You can be involved in as many of them - or as few - as you like. Simply printout and fill in the
membership form (click here) and send it to:

Councillor Nicholas Wilson, 19 The Squirrels, Hertford, SG13 7UT
Telephone Hertford (01992) 500439