Residents at Shockerwick House care home recently enjoyed a picnic alongside visitors from the French village of Artannes-sur-Indre in the Loire Valley, which is twinned with Bathford.
Enjoying the visit | Photo © Shockerwick House Bupa Care Home
Exchanges between the two communities occur regularly, with the Bathford Twinning Association raising money to support local students studying French to visit Artannes, funding their transport and stay.
Maureen Breeze, chair of the Twinning Association, selected Shockerwick House as the venue for the picnic as she has a special relationship with the care home.
Her mother-in-law was a resident there and Maureen volunteered at the home for several years. She has always been passionate about connecting the care home with the wider Bathford community.
Resident Anne-Marie Rideal is originally from France and her children are members of the twinning committee.
She said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the picnic, especially speaking in my native language to the guests.”
The French visitors also enjoyed speaking with Anne-Marie and hearing her stories about her younger life in France.
Olivia Harris, home manager at Shockerwick House, said: “To see Anne-Marie and the other residents interact with members of the association was extremely heartwarming.
“To see how much she enjoyed speaking fluent French was a real treat for all.
“We are overjoyed to have opened the doors and welcomed the association back.
“We are looking forward to future opportunities to come together and will always work to ensure our residents feel a part of their local and wider communities.”
