On Thursday March 20, some sixty people attended a meeting at the Théâtre to learn more about the twinning project. Afterwards, those who were most interested were able to leave their contact details, so that they could be contacted again to help set up the 1901 association that will manage the twinning. "We'll be there to help you launch the committee and draw up the articles of association", assured them Richard Bourgoing, president of Périgord-Québec, which oversees 12 twinning associations (bringing together 28 communes) and has 400 members. It's the biggest federation in France. "We can also help you financially," he added.

From young to old

This Quebecer, who has lived in France for 28 years - 20 of them in the Dordogne - did not abandon his native accent as he presented the commune of Rivière-du-Loup, the workings of a twinning arrangement and, more broadly, that of Périgord-Québec. He listed the areas in which the two communes are working to strengthen their ties: youth (summer jobs, international civic services, etc.), education (French-language dictation, student exchanges, etc.), culture (comic strip competitions, museum exchanges, etc.), gastronomy (food, wine, etc.), and so on.es...), gastronomy, community life, sport ("even if our national sport, ice hockey, is not much practiced here", said Richard Bourgoing with a smile), the environment and seniors. With a common thread: the French language.

To find out more about the twinning, send an e-mail to communication@perigord-quebec.com.

(1) This is the town's second twinning arrangement, after the one with Amberg in Germany, which has existed since 1965. Its 60th anniversary will be celebrated on the first weekend in May.

Source: www.sudouest.fr/