Vivre Le Jumelage Orbec and Kingsteignton

On Wednesday 9th July at 1.30am our troup of Kingsteignton Twinners returned from Orbec.
We enjoyed a heavy itinerary. Orbec had asked us to take part in a programme that would gain them an award from Europe. By visiting different sites in Le Pays D'Auge we would be able to discuss and learn from each other how we live Europe locally.


We walked to the River Orbiquet's tributary of la Touques to see how river cleansing aided the Trout swimming upstream to spawn. Five Communities have signed up to a committment to reach a good ecological state by 2015. This includes development of works crossing or blocking the streams and the management of cattle and effluence.


Our second tour was to a Recycling Centre. The last European Directive in August 2008 asked for Waste Disposal as a last resort. The centre is a collection point for specialist organisation to collect refuse kept in containers and taken to be treated and made use of in other areas. For instance Tyres are used as material for road making. Wood waste is crushed and massed and used for fuel.


On we went to visit a farm managed to European Standards. Managed by a family of three brothers with 20 years farming experience. In 1996 an agreement was set up to manage a farm of 210 hectares for 96 cows including breeding, up to 120 female calves and 100 bulls.
There were other European Business we went to see including Furniture Manufacture where a subsidy is given for 3 years to employ 25 people.


After the first day we were all exhausted but we had to save our energy to see Monet's Garden, The Cathedral at Evereux and ofcourse to the Mairie in Orbec to see our Mayor Mike Walters and Mayor Ettiene Cool sign the Twinning Seal, followed by a banquet and a display of National Dance and singing.