Twinning

Twinning brings communities together in a unique and very special way.

10 people from Newmarket visited Maisons-Laffitte & Mesnil-le-Roi in May 2023, including a representative from Newmarket Town Council. Our residents enjoyed a warm welcome and the French hospitality from their hosts, where new friendships were forged, and old friendships rekindled. The group visited the Racecourse, Maisons-Laffitte Castle, Saint Germain Castle and the Chateau of Breteuil.

On behalf of all the UK members and Newmarket Town Council, we would like to thank our French friends for their amazing hospitality and kindness.

Exchange visits take place in alternate years, and in 2024 Maisons-Laffitte & Mesnil-le-Roi will visit Newmarket with the added significance; this is the 70th anniversary – the oldest twinning link in the country.

We are always pleased to welcome new members. The aim is to encourage contact and friendship between individuals, groups and civic leaders in both towns. Also to organise educational, cultural, commercial and social contacts and visits of all kinds; like encouraging the use of the French language, – especially by young people, by visiting and staying with families in Maisons-Laffitte &  Mesnil-le-Roi; so promoting Newmarket and its surrounding areas to the people in France and making visitors from there welcome in our town and homes.

Newmarket Town Council is keen to increase its activities and offerings. We are always looking for new and interesting ideas to unite our towns.

Some developments in the pipeline include:

– Establish a link between Newmarket Academy with a similar school in France

– Sports events

– Choir and church exchange trips

– Book exchanges between libraries

– Storytelling in French

New members bring fresh ideas and help to keep our twinning activities rich and exciting.

If you would like to join the Twinning or have any questions, please email events@newmarket.gov.uk

We invite you to visit the website of the French Twinning Association https://amisdenewmarket.fr/en/

Also, get the latest stories from Maisons-Laffitte. The best bilingual newspaper, reaching the community through English and French https://thesnippet.fr/

On Thursday 27th May 2021 the first virtual twinning event took place to celebrate the friendship between Maison-Laffitte/ Le Mesnil-le-Roi and Newmarket.
The event started with a short message of friendship from the mayors of all three towns, video presentations, and lively discussions among members.
If you would like to watch the event you can find the video on the official channel of Newmarket Town Council on YouTube.