Over the August bank holiday weekend, as Wales was being hit by torrential storms, glorious sunshine fell on a beautiful French medieval village to usher in a twinning contract between Parcé-sur-Sarthe, Pays de Loire, and Raglan.

In a formal ceremony outside the Parcé town hall, Jacques Estival, Mayor of Parcé and Richard Moorby from Raglan Community Council exchanged charters and unveiled new village signs for Parcé.

Both villages were delighted that Mme Penelope Fillon, wife of Francois Fillon, who served as French Prime Minister from 2007 to May of this year, had agreed to be patron of twinning and at the ceremony she spoke of the two countries being distinct but inseparable and of the fond memories she had of time spent in Raglan as a child.

Mme Fillon, formerly Clarke, was born in Llanover, near Abergavenny, where her father was a solicitor.

The ceremony was part of the inaugural group visit from Raglan to Parcé  with 30 visitors being exceptionally entertained with a varied programme including trips the Le Mans Car racing museum, musical concerts, lunches, guided tours of the beautiful medieval village and opportunities to meet many different sporting groups and associations.

The formalisation of the twinning is the culmination of many discussions and informal visits between the two villages going back to 2008.

In 2011, more than 50 visitors from Parcé came to Raglan including representatives of Parcé's European award winning wind band who performed at the popular Raglan Music Festival.

Both Raglan and Parcé share many similarities with both being ancient villages in river valleys with economies focussed primarily around farming. They have similar numbers and types of shops, pubs and sporting clubs and societies.

Perhaps uniquely for twinned villages, both have been burnt to the ground by the English in ancient times.

For more twinning information contact Charles Fountain, chairman of Raglan Twinning Association, on 07977485625 or email [email protected]">[email protected]