Over seventy Raglan residents recently attended a public meeting at the Beaufort Arms to learn about a potential twinning opportunity with the French Village of Parcé-sur-Sarthe.

The audience listened attentively to the benefits of a twinning partnership, heard a presentation about the village and watched a  DVD especially recorded by the Mayor of Parcé for the people of Raglan.

After a question and answer session the audience voted unanimously for Raglan to be twinned with the historic French Village.

Parcé-sur-Sarthe, which has recently been awarded the accolade of "Petite Cité de Caractère", is a beautiful 15th Century village located by the side of the picturesque river Sarthe in the Loire region of France.

Both villages have a great deal in common;  both being farming communities, very similar populations and an almost identical number and types of shops and businesses. 

Parcé's location in the Sarthe valley matches Raglan's in the Usk Valley with both valleys enjoying beautiful scenery, ancient castles and interesting towns and villages.

Travel to Parcé is easy by ferry or air and with advanced booking can be achieved at relatively low cost. Both villages share a rich history

A  number of local community groups have already committed to become involved in the twinning including  Raglan School, Raglan Churches, Pubs, Raglan Music Festival   and a large number of  individuals.  

The  twinning project  aims to achieve social, economic, educational and cultural benefits for both Raglan and Parcé.

The next stage in the process is to elect an independent twinning committee to run the programme – the date for this meeting will be announced shortly.

To see a copy of the presentation given at the public meeting , watch the Mayor's video greeting and learn more about the twinning and the village of Parcé-sur-Sarthe please visit/raglan-parce.blogspot.com/ or call 07977 485625