Beaujolais Bistro a Huge Success

Maralyn Green • November 29, 2022

Glasses raised to this year's Beaujolais

The annual Beaujolais Bistro luncheon, run by the Bognor Twinning Association, was once again a resounding success. One of the highlights of the busy social Twinning calendar, the event also includes a popular sampling of the new Beaujolais, together with a substantial three course luncheon with a French flavour. All held in the spacious Rowland Rank Centre with its 50 places sold out, well before the date.

Mrs Heather Perrott, Honorary Life Vice-President, welcomed members and their guests and mentioned that although all power had gone off in the Rowland Rank Centre some days before the Bistro, no doubt due electrical problems occurring during the heavy storms we’d been having, fortunately it had been restarted in time for the luncheon! Sigh of relief from all involved that heating and cooking facilities were once again working well! Mr Ray Hagger, Twinning Chairman, then followed this good news by leading everyone in a toast to the new Beaujolais of 2022.

The Beaujolais Bistro is held to welcome the arrival of this year’s new Beaujolais wine. In France, the release of the new young wine, on the third Thursday in November, is celebrated with music and festivals. The Bognor Twinning Association decided to have their own festivities and has now been celebrating annually for nearly 30 years. Not surprisingly, places at the luncheon have become hot tickets.

The menu offered this year comprised of a French onion soup, followed by a main course of Poulet au miel et à la moutarde (Honey Mustard Chicken) and a dessert of Clafoutis with plum sauce and cream. All varied dietary requirements are catered for, with a vegetarian alternative also being available. The Bistro finished with tea, coffee and mints, while those lucky enough to win in the raffle, collected their prizes.

The next event on the busy social calendar will be a Morning of Christmas Cheer before a whole new programme starts in January.

Beaujolais Bistro 2023

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AGM celebrates another very successful year

By Maralyn Green • March 1, 2026

At the Regis School of Music, members of the Bognor Regis Town Twinning Association gathered for their AGM and to listen to the Association’s achievements over the past year. Mrs Heather Perrott, Chairman, led the AGM and praised the success of the Town Twinning Association in 2025. The social programme had been much enjoyed comprising rambles, a boules tournament, a quiz evening, luncheons, games evenings, talks, coffee mornings, and the ever popular Beaujolais Bistro, which sold out all 52 places quickly. A second Murder Mystery Evening was as successful as the first when members dressed up as the 14 suspects, whilst the rest of the guests tried to figure out who was the dastardly Murderer. At the Morning of Christmas Cheer, Father Christmas arrived with two rather adult-sized elves and quizzed guests as to the names of all his reindeer. Members were amused by his stories whilst partaking of the mulled wine, spiced apple punch and generous buffet available In May, visitors from our French twin town of St-Maur-des-Fossés, located near Paris, came to Bognor for several days, staying with members of the Twinning Association. A guided walking tour of Bognor, finishing in the Bognor museum, was arranged as well as visits to Petworth House, West Dean and Chichester. In June members of the Association visited Weil am Rhein, in the vineyard region of Southern Germany, and were treated to several days of visits to Switzerland and France, as well as the Black Forest. Members stayed with friends, old and new, and enjoyed evening receptions laid on by the Town Hall and also by the Weil am Rhein Association. Mrs Perrott was unanimously approved by the AGM as the new Chairman for 2026. Mr Patrick Hastings was welcomed as the new President of the Association. Mr Hastings has been a long-term active member, who was Chairman back in 1987 when Bognor initially twinned with Weil am Rhein.