Totnes & Vire – a living friendship in a digital age

On Saturday 7 March, Totnes will take part in a live twinning event linking five European towns, hosted by the Municipality of Vire Normandie. The Totnes gathering starts at 7.00pm (GMT) at the Bay Horse Inn and will connect in real time with Vire (France), Baunatal (Germany), Săcele (Romania) and Santa Fe (Spain), creating a shared civic moment across five communities gathering simultaneously.

The event, titled Full Screen on Our Twinnings, is themed around fraternity. Each town will have a short slot to share something distinctive about its twinning connection, followed by brief addresses from the mayors. Vire Normandie’s mayor, Nicole Desmottes, will speak from Normandy, while Totnes Mayor Tim Bennett will speak at the Bay Horse.

The evening will also feature live music from Devon acoustic folk trio Rypen — Griselda Sanderson, James Dumbelton and Louis Bingham — well known for playing traditional folk music around Totnes and Dartmoor. Frédéric Goldberg, president of the Vire twinning committee, will also be in Totnes for the occasion, underlining that this is intended as a genuinely shared gathering rather than simply a screen-based watch-along.

A friendship with history

The twinning between Totnes and Vire was formally established in 1972, when a delegation from Totnes travelled to Normandy to sign the twinning charter. What began as a symbolic pledge has grown into more than fifty years of exchanges, visits and friendships between the two communities, sustained through changing times, political cycles and generations of local organisers.

The connection is reflected in the geography of both towns. In Vire there is a Place de Totnes, while in Totnes we have Vire Island — everyday reminders of a partnership maintained across generations.

Recent exchanges

In recent years the relationship has gained renewed momentum.

During an Advent visit to Vire in 2024, the Totnes group joined Christmas celebrations and sang carols at a festive concert. Totnes mayor Emily Price was invited to switch on the town’s Christmas lights. Delegates also attended the naming of two roundabouts marking Vire’s wartime history: Giratoire des Libérateurs Britanniques 1944, honouring the British forces who helped liberate the town during the Normandy campaign, and Giratoire de la Résistance, recognising the role of the French Resistance during the occupation.

A road was also named after former Totnes mayor Jim Parkes, recognising individuals who have helped sustain the relationship between the towns.

The exchange continued in November 2025 when a delegation from Vire visited Totnes during Remembrance events. The programme included a civic welcome at the Old Guildhall, an open forum on the meaning of town twinning, and a commemorative concert titled One Shot, combining wartime letters with songs from the period. The visit also included a series of business and community integration meetings aimed at exploring practical links and future collaboration between organisations in both towns.

There was also wreath-laying at the St Mary’s Cenotaph, and the visit concluded with a celebration dinner at the Totnes Boating Association overlooking Vire Island, bringing together visitors, host families and organisers.

Beyond ceremonies

While civic events remain important, the twinning is widening beyond formal receptions and occasional trips. Cultural and creative exchanges are increasingly part of the relationship.

Local artist Fiona Green, aged 82, was selected to represent Totnes as part of a cultural exchange with Vire. Her paintings were exhibited across the town centre in Vire for two months, exploring themes of climate change, displacement and landscape. Influenced by her childhood in India, the Devon environment and the activist performance group Red Rebels, her work offered a contemporary artistic perspective within the long-standing partnership between the two towns.

Sport has also played a role. The Totnes–Vire cycling stage race, associated with the partnership since the early 1970s, remains a reminder that the twinning has at times embedded itself in everyday community life beyond committee rooms.

Why twinning still matters

Town twinning expanded across Europe after the Second World War as a way of rebuilding trust between communities that had recently been enemies. Instead of diplomacy taking place only between governments, ordinary citizens were encouraged to meet, host one another and form lasting friendships across borders.

For Vire this history carries particular resonance. The town was heavily bombed by Allied forces during the Normandy campaign in June 1944, while it was occupied by German troops, and around 95% of the town was destroyed before it was eventually liberated. Much of the town seen today is the result of post-war reconstruction.

Seen in that context, a lasting friendship between a Normandy town and a Devon community represents something quietly powerful: reconciliation built through visits, music, shared meals and everyday human connection.

A practical invitation

The event on 7 March is a small example of how twinning continues to evolve. Digital links now make it possible for several towns to gather at the same moment while still meeting locally.

If you are curious about French culture, European connections, or simply want to see what modern twinning looks like in practice, you are warmly invited to join the Totnes gathering at the Bay Horse Inn from 7.00pm. Come along for drinks, nibbles and a bit of international fraternity, hear about the connection between Totnes and Vire, and share ideas for what the next chapter of the partnership might look like. For those who remember earlier exchanges — school trips, hosting arrangements, choir tours and civic visits — there is an open invitation to reconnect with that living history and help shape what comes next.

At the same time, the organisers are keen to welcome new participants who may be curious about getting involved for the first time. A number of ideas are already being explored, including youth-led video documentary exchanges, language learner meet-ups, arts and music collaborations, and hobby or sports connections that could run alongside the traditional visits. New suggestions are also warmly welcomed, as the aim is to keep the twinning lively, inclusive and relevant for the next generation.

Those interested in supporting the twinning are encouraged to become members of the Totnes–Vire Twinning Association, helping sustain the exchanges, events and visits that keep the partnership active while supporting new opportunities for cultural, educational and community collaboration between the two towns. Annual membership is £20 for individuals or £25 for families, covering the calendar year. Members receive updates about upcoming activities and priority access to events.

For more information or to get involved, please contact the Chair of the Totnes–Vire twinning committee via francescakatieallen@gmail.com.

To stay connected and hear about future events, visits, ideas and opportunities to get involved, you can also join the Totnes–Vire Twinning Association Facebook group:https://m.facebook.com/groups/3297457720408437/?ref=share