The Association is subsidised by the Town Council, but it also has its own funds : the result of the membership fee (30 francs) and the financial participation requested from the members of the trips. This participation amounts to about half of the real cost for the adults, and much less for teenagers and children. The Noyon Hexham Town Twinning Association
A general meeting takes place once a year in October. The president makes a summary of the activities of the preceding year and presents the accounts. The programme of the year to come is prepared in common by all the members : the dates and details of the trips to Hexham or the reception in Noyon of our Hexham friends are discussed.
Then the committee (15 people) meets several times to organise all the practical details. Generally, a meeting of all the participants to a trip or of the hosting families when we welcome a Hexham party is organised in March. Most of the trips take place in Spring.
Apart from that, the association has other activities : the organisation of exhibitions, the reception of school groups or other groups from the Hexham area passing through Noyon, etc.
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The trips
So that all those who want to join can do it, the trips, whether from Noyon or Hexham, take place during a long week-end in spring including a bank-holiday (usually Easter or Whitsun).This what a trip to Hexham is usually like.
We travel on a Friday. The trip is long but pleasant as we cross the Channel by ferry and therefore can indulge in some shopping. On the coach, the atmosphere is warm and pleasant. We arrive in Hexham on the Friday night and can appreciate a first evening with our host falmilies. Most of the time, on the Saturday afternoon, we are offered the visit of some stately home or tourist site. On the Sunday, the host families do whatever they please with their guests, but on Sunday night, everybody gets together for a ceihleid, that is some nice folk dancing. Everybody joins in, the youngest as well as the oldest and everybody has a great time. Sometimes, some local artists put on a show, and all sorts of talents can express themselves. On the following morning , unfortunately, we must leave. Our stay has been short but rich in shared pleasures and emotions.
What happens when people from Hexham come to Noyon?
Mostly the same thing, except that there is sometimes a meal in common, a reception at the Town Hall, a different formula for the "dance party". Each time, the organisation is slightly different anyway.
So, if you feel like joining, if you want to make new friends, if you want to get to know this beautiful place in England, with its wild moor and innumerable sheep, its lively town, charming villages and cosy pubs, contact the Comité de Jumelage Noyon-Hexham, Hôtel de Ville, 60400 Noyon.
