France/Latest News on the Champigné-Warmond (Netherlands) Sister City Partnership
In this era of European integration, sister city relationships bring citizens closer together. The one between Champigné (Les Hauts-d’Anjou) and Warmond has been in place for 23 years. But 2026 saw the arrival of a new team eager to breathe new life into the partnership! Following the Dutch delegation’s visit in the spring, it will be the residents of Les Hauts-d’Anjou’s turn to travel to the Netherlands in mid-October.
On Wednesday evening, September 9, a good twenty people eager to revitalize the sister city relationship gathered in Champigné. In attendance, of course, were the entire leadership team (Hubert Meslet, president; Christian Huet, vice president; Katia Rossignol, secretary) and the three elected officials from Hauts-d’Anjou representing the town in this twinning (Véronique Langlais, mayor; Christelle Buron, deputy mayor of Cherré; and Annie Riveneau, deputy council member). It was therefore with enthusiasm that the president outlined the main objectives of this twinning: first, to ensure the continuity of this historic twinning; second, to avoid falling into a rut; and finally, and most importantly, to successfully engage young people.
After reviewing the highlights of the Dutch delegation’s visit in the spring (a visit to the Tatin Museum, a banquet shared with the Freu twinning delegation, and lunch in a troglodyte cave) and provided a brief, satisfactory financial summary, the bulk of the discussion focused on the planned trip to Warmond scheduled for October 16–19. After the long bus ride late Friday night, participants will be welcomed into host families for some rest before discovering a surprise program…
Involving Young People
Currently, 27 participants have signed up, but new registrations are still open. Communication with the Dutch is always cheerful and smooth, as many speak English perfectly and some speak French, so there’s no need to know Dutch (a difficult language) to participate!
When asked about future projects, Hubert Meslet said: “My hope is to involve young people. Why not apprentices? Perhaps by finding a joint project centered on plants, since this field is a shared strength of both Anjou and the Netherlands.” A great idea, to be sure!
Source: www.ouest-france.fr/
