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Jack has been associated with Hartford Manor Community Primary School as a Governor for more than 25 years and has built and maintains the school's web site. His belief that it is one of the best primary schools in the country is reinforced by fact that its average score in the Key Stage 2 SATS tests over the eleven years up to 2006 is 284 out of a maximum possible 300. In December 2005 Ofsted congratulated the school for being one of only 24 schools and colleges in the country to have been named in its outstanding schools list three times. It was the only school in Cheshire and one of three in the North-west to be included. |
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Mornant, 25km SW of Lyon in France is twinned with our village of Hartford, Cheshire. Both villages have Roman origins and Mornant has a Roman Aqueduct, a medieval centre and many excellent modern facilities, including hotels, restaurants and a three star municipal campsite. Why not pause there on trips to the south of France? |
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As stated above, Hartford is twinned with the French village of Mornant, 25km SW of Lyon. On our Twinning Committee website you can find out more information about our twinning and the exchanges which have occurred since it was formally set up in 1987. There are also our thoughts on things to consider if you are thinking of arranging an exchange with another community. |
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Mornant has a Museum of Local Life (La Maison de Pays) which is well worth a visit. It is also used for exhibitions - Richard and Patricia Kelsall, Beryl Farr and other local artists have had exhibitions there. |
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With our friends in Mornant we worked for several years to help the village of Kignan in Mali. Unfortunately we have had to stop as there is no longer a reliable agent we can use in Mali to oversee the work. Another way to help the Third World is to support Shared Interest, which is a co-operative lending society which gives people in the UK the opportunity to invest positively in Third World enterprise that will benefit poorer people and their communities. |
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If you have read "A Bull by the Back Door" you will know that we met as young teenagers at Jack's cousin's riding school in Spalding in Lincolnshire and have continued to be very fond of horses. When we discovered that the Sanders family, one of Anne's "Big Fans" as they put it, actually run the Heathcote Heavy Horse Centre near Spilsby, Lincolnshire how could we not make a link to their site? Why not pay them a visit electronically and in the flesh too if you are in their part of the country? |
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The Salt Museum in London Road, Northwich records the history of the salt industry in Cheshire which has had a major impact on the town since Roman times. We are members of "The Friends of the Museum" and the Museum Shop stocks several of our local social history books. As well as the permanent exhibitions relating to all aspects of salt and also about the River Weaver it stages a number of special exhibitions each year. |
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We are members of the Northwich and District Heritage Society which holds extremely interesting and well attended monthly lectures on local topics at Mid-Cheshire College, Hartford, Cheshire from October to May. It publishes booklets on local subjects and the website was a new venture in 2006.
Anne has contributed some photos and Patricia Kelsall some drawings for the site. |
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The River Weaver Navigation Society website contains a collection of all sorts of information related to the waterway. One of the features of the River Weaver was Yarwood's Shipyard at Northwich and in his contribution to "Mid-Cheshire Memories" Peter Buckley describes his experiences there as an apprentice in the 1950s. |
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Andrew Jackson of Gate Farm, Poole, Nantwich is a man after our own hearts. We originally met him at a farmers' market in Northwich around Christmas 2004, when we bought the best meat we'd ever tasted. We're not vegetarians but we do want our meat to come from animals that have had stressfree lives – like those belonging to our French farming friends in the Creuse. All Andrew's animals come from traditional Brtish breeds and are outdoor-reared and grass-fed. They live happy, normal lives in the Cheshire countryside. The meat is hung for a long period before selling to create the texture and flavour that we remember from our youth in the days before supermarket butchery. The meat is butchered at the farm by expert butcher Geoff, who serves in the farm shop and who is a real enthusiast for what he does.
We were delighted to learn recently that Andrew's beef burgers had won an award. We tried some and agree that they are really excellent. We can say quite honestly that Andrew's produce fulfills his promise "to bring you the best meat you will ever taste in your life!" |
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Run by one of our long standing readers franceinenglish.com is a directory of businesses that embraces all aspects of life in France including buying & maintaining property, finance, the law, services, and tourism for English-speakers living in or visiting France. The guide to service providers for residents, property buyers and tourists lists contacts to resolve your everyday problems. Missing from that list but important nevertheless is publishing books about having a holiday home or living in France! |
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The Curiosity Bookshop at 52 High Street, Runcorn stocks a very wide range of books including many of our local books. It also specialises in providing a service to schools. |
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As well as stocking our French books Caroline and Don Bunting have, as they put it, "as much France related merchandise as it is possible to get under one roof". They can book your crossings to France and an increasingly popular service they offer is a personal holiday planning service tailored to your specific needs. Visit their site to learn more. |
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Published monthly, Living France carries articles about buying and renovating property and living in France, as well as an in-depth look at a different French département each month. There is a section on property for sale. In past issues it has carried extracts from "A Bull by the Back Door", "The Duck with the Dirty Laugh" and "Only Fools Drink Water". In August 2002 they made "Bananas in Bordeaux" by Louise Castanet their "Book of the Month". |
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The largest circulation UK magazine for francophiles, France Magazine contains wonderful photos and articles about France and the French way of life. As well as carrying extracts from several of our Francophile books they have run a series of articles by Anne on French rural life in times past. |
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"everything France" magazine is a relatively new addition to the Francophile media in the UK but it is growing rapidly and in January 2003 produced the programme for the "Vive La France" exhibition at Olympia. Our books have been reviewed on its book pages and can be bought through them. |
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We use The Finishing Touch at Unit 1, Sutton Oak Drive, Baxters Lane Industrial Estate, St Helens to laminate all our book covers. We are very satisfied with the work they have done for us. If you need lamination, cutting and creasing, encapsulation or UV varnishing work, why not give them a try? Their website may not be working but you can always give them a call on 01744 810786. |
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In recent years, since we had to stop doing our own printing, we have used Poplar Services in St Helens to do the bulk of our printing. We are very pleased with the work that they have done for us and since the installation of their new DOCUTECH - INDIGO digital printing system the quality of the photographs in the books is the highest we have ever had. They are a pleasure to work with. |
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La Grande Maison, 13 Grande Rue, Chénérailles, is a small, friendly guesthouse/chambe d'hôte which offers a warm, personal welcome. The B&B is situated in the Creuse (Departement 23), the beautiful north-eastern part of the Limousin region. Standing in the centre of the town, it has four double rooms, one of which is on the ground floor making it ideal accommodation for the elderly or disabled. A continental breakfast is included in the room price and evening meals and picnics for guests can also be provided on request. La Grande Maison is an ideal base for walking, cycling or motoring holidays to explore the beautiful and peaceful Creuse countryside - and its many fascinating historic sites. |
Pont Noir is a non-commercial English language website serving the Creuse, part of the Limousin region of Central France. It features a Business Directory, Features, Forums, News and Information for residents and visitors.
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