Briec 1992

It didn't take long for Alain and Yves to start singing, and the richly-costumed Gwen ha Du introduced us to Breton dancing.

In the new school, Emrys entertains the children, while events catch up with Eirwyn in Hervé Saliou's art workshop. We also examined a dairy herd, and some enjoyed their first visit to Quimper - but not to buy a hat.

Here are the biscuit and crêpe factories with Nerys doing the sampling, and in Edern we are introduced to the Bilik.

In October 1992 the first group from Ruthin visited Briec - after our Mayor and Town Clerk had visited previously and opened twinning negotiations. This was, then, the first chance for Ruthin citizens to see if this was the kind of place we would like to twin with. We must have made up our minds within a few minutes - the welcome was unbelievable and here were two groups of people determined to be good hosts and guests, to live the good life, and to laugh at every opportunity.

We travelled in cars and took the Plymouth-Roscoff ferry - soon to become a familiar experience. Within a short time we were on a whirlwind tour of the five villages, with a convival reception in each one. At times it was hard to keep up with which village we were in, as we were introduced not only to the usual range of aperitifs and wines, but also to the Breton specialities of Chouchen and Lambic. We had not been warned about these, so a pleasant haze soon enveloped us all.

The hospitality from the welcoming families was brilliant, and we were all struck by the enthusiasm for twinning with a town in Wales. We learned a lot about common cultures in a short time, and remarked on the place-names of Edern and Langolen which have their equivalents in our own local area.

Among the organised visits, we were amazed by the quality of the brand-new nursery/infant school, which provided a lesson in how much more effective genuine local politics can be in France. As Briec is a centre for Breton 'bakeries' we toured the Glazik biscuit factory as well as a small Crêperie. After seeing a dairy farm in operation, the amazing furniture created by Herve Salou in his workshops near Landrévarzec provided another fascinating visit.

Most memorable of all were the convivial meals, at which the shared love of singing and laughing created so much warmth between the two groups of people. The infectious personality and commitment of Alain Kérouedan was appreciated by all. On this trip friendships were forged which are still strong 14 years later.