Looe and Quiberon have been twinned since 1976 and aim for a big revival for the fiftieth anniversary next year.
At their own expense, the Mayors of the two towns, with colleagues, met in Quiberon in October and started to think what a modern twinning might look like.
Mayor Patrick le Roux (left) Stephen Remington (right)
Stephen Remington, Mayor of Looe, said “Quiberon is in many ways a mirror town of Looe with a long history of commercial fishing, about the same size of resident population, many visitors in the summer, delightful shops and restaurants and stunning beaches.”
Quiberon fish Market
Cllr Jon Holmes, also from Looe and who joined the Mayor on the visit, said “We were given such a warm welcome to beautiful Quiberon and met so many organisations, there’s no doubt there are plenty of opportunities for connections between our towns.”.
And making those connections is the next step. Lists of Quiberon contacts are being shared with organisations in Looe. Schools, sports clubs, creative associations, festival organisers, social clubs, conservationists, businesses and more are all invited to chip in their ideas about what could work for them.
As Looe’s Mayor says “How about a Festival of Words across English, French, Breton and Cornish? Or a Food & Drink Festival savouring the delights of both our regions? Celtic singers could surely be celebrating together and dance is a universal language. There may be businesses that might explore a niche market in each others’ towns.
“And why not link up bookshops, souvenir outlets, online radio stations? Retailers could do window displays. Discounts could be offered in both towns to twinning card holders. All kinds of sports could exchange visits, football, tennis, pétanque and bowls, golf, sailing, rowing, diving, sea swimmers.”
Anyone interested in any way, including being part of a twinning association for Looe please contact enquiries@looetowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01503 262255.
Out of hours call: 0330 0433030
