Weil am Rhein visit

Maralyn Green • July 6, 2025

A most enjoyable visit enjoyed by all

During another successful three town twinning exchange to Weil am Rhein, Germany, Diana Stöcker, the Mayor of Weil am Rhein received gifts from Ronny Haase (Mayor of Trebbin) and Heather Perrott (Honorary Vice President of the Bognor Regis Twinning Association), who was representing the Mayor of Bognor Regis, at an evening Council reception for all the visitors in the Town Hall.   

 

Weil am Rhein, the hosts for this year’s 6 day visit, organised an amazing programme for over 40 visitors from the Twin Towns including a day out in France, visiting the medieval village of Kayserberg (once voted France’s favourite village) before being treating guests to a superb 5 course lunch in a mountain top restaurant in the Vosges mountains.   On another day guests were given a guided tour of the old city of Freiburg, on the edge of the Black Forest, and known today as one of the most sustainable cities on the planet.  A cable car ride from the city up the adjacent Schauinsland mountain, was undertaken by many.


Other days were taken up with various visits organised by individual hosts such as a trip to Basle in Switzerland, just a bus ride away, or a nature walk along the wine route, canoeing on the Rhine, Vitra museum visit, Black Forest waterfall and Black Forest Line a 450m suspension footbridge, bicycle rides, canoeing 18.2km up the Rhine etc 

 

As well as the Civic Reception with buffet at the Weil am Rhein Town Hall, on the very last evening a sit down dinner, with musical entertainment, was given for all Twinning members and their hosts.  Bognor members stayed either with individual hosts they already knew or those, taking part for the first time, were welcomed by new friends.  Such an enjoyable and action-packed visit was over too soon.  Next year the visit will be hosted by Trebbin, located to the south of Berlin.

 


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.
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