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About Us
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The Membership of the Weymouth & Portland Twinning Association runs from 1st January to 31st December.
The Annual General Meeting is held each January. All paid up members are entitled to attend and vote. The Weymouth & Portland Twinning Association is governed by a written Constitution. The constitution can only be amended at the AGM by a majority vote of its attending members. Any paid up member of the Weymouth & Portland Twinning Association can be nominated and serve on the committee. HOLZWICKEDE is situated on the North West outskirts of Dortmund . You can be in the Center of Dorimund in 25 minutes! |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to take part in every exchange visit or activity? |
No - You are free to choose which exchange activity you wish to take part in.
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Do I have to know German, or any other language to take part in the twinning activities? |
No - many of the twinners cannot speak a word of another language! But that makes for even more fun.
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Do we stay in hotels when we go to a twin town? |
No, you stay with a host family and take part in their family activities and organised events. You see the town and country as the locals see it!
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How much does a trip to Holzwickede cost? |
The only cost is the travelling to and from the town. The host family do not expect any payment at all, though it is usual to take a small gift as a token of appreciation.
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How long is a ‘Twinning Visit’? |
Usually it is over a long weekend. 3 - 4 days and occasionally 5 days. Many of your fellow members have made a deep friendships with families of folk in the twin towns and and exchange visits independently.
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Do we have any other social activities other than twinning visits? |
Yes, we do - Annual Dinners, Bar-B-Qs, Beetle drives, garden tea parties, curry nights and cheese & wine parties etc all make for great times together and an excuse for fundraising.
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Do I have to accommodate visitors? |
No, we have a Social Member type membership where it is recognised that these members only wish to attend social functions.Hosting is an essential and integral part of Twinning. Members host who they want—a single person, a couple or Mother & daughter etc. No pressure.
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How do I find out about pending exchanges and W&PTA activities? |
We also have an active website, www.weymouthportlandtwinning.weebly.com with information on our social events. Also many photographs to show what it is all about.
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How do you arrange the hosting? |
Our Hosting Officer will telephone all members well in advance to see if they wish to participate in the pending exchange.
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Do members have to attend all the events when on an organised visit? |
The events and activities that are organised during a visit could fall flat if the hosts and their visitors did not take part. The more participants the more the fun!
There is always quality time arranged to enjoy the social side of the exchange. |
Can I participate in events, even if I am not hosting? |
Absolutely! Taking part in the trips out or at the dinner helps to make the visitors more valued and welcome.
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What can I do to enhance my membership? |
We are always looking for additional help. Ideas for incoming visit activities, Fund raising etc. If you have a particular talent, don’t keep it to yourself, let us know…..
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How long have we been ‘Twinned’? |
Our first twinning was with Holzwickede, Germany in 1986.
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How often do the YTA committee meet? |
Usually once a month - The committee is in regular contact with their counterparts in the Holzwickede.
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Worldwide there are about 15,000 town twinnings, 12,000 which can be found in Europe. In these Germany has its share of 6,000; and the twinning with Weymouth & Portland is one of them. Annually more than 3 million people meet within this frame of foreign twinnings alone. Therefore these twinnings are seen as the biggest peace movement on earth.
The starting point for the first partnership 65 years ago was the desolate situation in Germany after the war. British occupation officers talked about this in their garrisons at home. Thus first contacts were established. How our twinning with Holzwickede began can be seen in our section on history. Our societies have made rich contributions to the activities of our towns. Twinning or Partnership activities have always had two principle strands:- |
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A Practical Purpose |
First, a practical purpose - to support and encourage language learning and school exchanges, sports, music and culture and involvement in the festivals of our towns which help to strengthen the ties between us and our countries. The personal friendships - many stretching back over the full 25 years of our activities - which are represented here are a testament to the ways that these shared interests and activities have benefited and enriched our communities.
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Philosophical Aim |
The second purpose has a more philosophical aim which had its origins in the determination of ordinary people all over Europe to ensure that knowledge and understanding of friends should replace fear and ignorance of strangers. The warmth of our friendship shows how well we at least have succeeded in this, but the slogans sometimes shouted at football matches and, above all, the alarms that have disrupted travel from Britain in the last few years show that this original purpose is still important. By reminding our communities of the value and richness of diversity, we can help to nurture an environment of tolerance and understanding to the benefit of us all.
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Occasionally, questions are asked about the relevance of Twinning/Partnership in an age of cheap and easy travel. Our activities, spreading knowledge and understanding between individuals and organisations, have reached well beyond our joint membership. We believe Twinning/Partnership still has a broader purpose to fulfill in addition to the encouragement of friendly individual contacts.
The members of our two Societies have put these principles into action over the past thirty years. We would like to pay tribute to the many individuals in both towns who have contributed so much over many years to the friendship we enjoy. So many people give willingly of their time and energy. Our task in the future must be to try to find ways to spread our commitment and enthusiasm to a younger generation so that the next twenty years are just as successful.
The members of our two Societies have put these principles into action over the past thirty years. We would like to pay tribute to the many individuals in both towns who have contributed so much over many years to the friendship we enjoy. So many people give willingly of their time and energy. Our task in the future must be to try to find ways to spread our commitment and enthusiasm to a younger generation so that the next twenty years are just as successful.
