Vitré Visit May 2022

LITA exchange visits restarted  Twinning trips and visits with our French, German and Spanish partner towns have been paused for the last two Covid-defined years. But now LITA has again visited Vitré. The group of 20 (somewhat reduced because of travel issues) included Lymington’s Mayor James Hoare. He addressed the formal reception - in French - at the medieval Mairie, the Town Hall, with gifts exchanged  (photo  right).
But our Mayor’s speech was upstaged as the lift bearing our Chairman, Vanessa Ainsworth, with other members became stuck half-way between floors. The incident brought Vitré’s Sapeurs et Pompiers, the fire and rescue service, to the scene. The photos shows how elegantly Vanessa coped –with just a hint of Bridget Jones Diary about it–as the gallant pompiers returned her safely to ground level.
The remainder of the visit passed without incident. It included a delightful visit to a country garden at Parc Botanique Le Chatellier. After a gap of over two years, renewing old friendships and making new ones marked the successful restart to our exchanges. Links to our German partners in Mosbach, and the Spanish in Almansa are also being keenly restarted. Details about LITA are available via leaflets at St Barbe’s Museum and our website lymingtontwinning.weebly.com.


(Photos here mostly from Vanessa Ainsworth)

Vitré Mayor, Isabelle Le Callennec (centre) with
Lymington’s Mayor James Hoare (centre-right)
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​Drama at the Vitré Mairie (Town Hall)
The lift stuck between floors. After a careful assessment by t​he team (left), Ness 'enjoyed' a dramatic rescue by the brave Pompiers! (right)
(Nobody even thought of Bridget Jones ...)

A Fine Day Out

 (left) LITA and hosts on the roof of the Vitré Marie

(below)  The visit to Parc Botanique Le Chatellier
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