Promoting sporting, cultural and educational links across Europe
Reaffirmation in 2025
6th – 8th June 2025
Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben.
(Postponed is not cancelled.)
Three views from different angles of the attractive commemorative mug which has been commissioned by REA to celebrate the reaffirmation.The twinning display in the foyer of the old town hall.
The reaffirmation of the twinning, which had been due to take place in June 2020, will now take place in Richmond from 6th-8th June 2025.
The Richmond in Europe Association has already commissioned commemorative mugs to publicise & celebrate the occasion. These can be purchased, at a cost of £5 each, from the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington or from the Museum of Richmond, which is in the Old Town Hall in Richmond. The museum can be found on the top floor of the old town hall in Richmond, above the reference library.
A permanent display about REA & our twin towns greets you as enter the foyer to the main building. The museum itself is well worth a visit. One particular attraction is the wonderful model of Richmond Palace from which the borough of Richmond derives its name.
Richmond Palace
(For museum opening times please click on the following link).
In place of the celebrations, which had been planned for 2020, 15 town twinning signs were refurbished & seven new town twinning signs, three new information boards about our twin towns of Fontainebleau & Konstanz & an attractive new fingerpost sign were installed across the borough.
The stunning new fingerpost sign outside the civic centre in Twickenham was unveiled by the mayor & leader of the council on 5th November 2021.
L-R. REA Chairman, Alan Mockford, the Mayor of Richmnond, Cllr. Geoff Acton and council leader, Cllr. Gareth Roberts after the unveiling of the new fingerpost sign. This will become the “must have” picture for all our future guests.
Council leader Gareth Roberts issued the following statement on 19th March 2021.
“Little did I think that a year on from advising that we needed to postpone “Celebrating Friendship with France & Germany;” a weekend of activities to mark the reaffirmation of Richmond upon Thames’ twinning agreement with Konstanz, Germany and Fontainebleau, France, that I would be writing now to say that we have to further postpone these festivities. More positively I would like to advise that we will now mark the event in 2025.
I remain grateful to the Richmond in Europe Association (REA) for working with Councillor Penny Frost, our officers & me to work out how we can move forward with the celebrations, in particular to the tireless efforts of Alan Mockford & Hugh Morrison. We have looked at innovative ways of engaging, but ultimately we all have a preference to physically come together as communities and to personally welcome guests to join celebrations in our borough. I’m sure some of our ideas for virtual get togethers will still take place in smaller forms over the next four years and there are currently some ideas about bringing our younger residents together to discuss climate change which I welcome. As you are aware, one of the benefits of our twinning arrangements mean we are not restricted to reaffirmation events. Each of our boroughs is looking at how we will support our communities into the light of Covid recovery and I am sure we will be able to learn from one another about the best ways to do this, secure that we each see that future includes a commitment to our twinning partnership and to Richmond’s close allegiance to Europe.
Here’s looking to a special celebration of the reaffirmation in 2025. I suspect it won’t be exactly as we imagined it was going to be last June as I’m sure we will want to incorporate some of our new thinking and ways of engaging, especially with our younger residents. But we know we will want to welcome guests and our residents to come together in a joint celebration within our beautiful borough.
I send my best wishes to all my friends in the Richmond in Europe Association & hope you all remain safe and well.”
Cllr. Gareth Roberts
Leader, Richmond upon Thames Council. 19th March 2021
Many Richmond clubs & associations already have partners in Fontainebleau & Konstanz & will be arranging joint activities. However any club or association can participate in the weekend of festivities simply by adopting a French or German theme.
For further details please write to
richmondineurope@hotmail.com
The last reaffirmation was held in Fontainebleau in 2015. In order to see a short film of highlights of the event please click on the following link:
The musicians playing at the start of the film are from St. Margaret’s Elastic Band & Union Musicale de Fontainebleau, who are twinned. The orchestra seen later comprises young musicians from Fontainebleau, Konstanz, Richmond & Lodi.
Der treue Jagdhund “Bello.”
In 2010 the reaffirmation was celebrated in Konstanz. To mark the 50th anniversary of their friendship, Fontainebleau presented Konstanz with a sculpture of the faithful hunting dog, “Bello.” It is a life size replica of one of four hunting dogs, originally sculpted in 1603, which surrounded the lost fountain of Diana in the garden of the château of Fontainebleau.
Bello guards the entry arch to the courtyard of the Rathaus.
The inscription on the plaque reads,
“Fontainebleau hat als Zeichen der Treue und Freundschaft, seiner Schwesterstadt Konstanz zum 50-jährigen Bestehen der Jumelage Bello geschenkt.”
For further information please click on the following link.
The postings below reflect the original planning for June 2020. We very much hope that much of this, plus even more, will now take place in 2025.
The reaffirmation was widely promoted in Konstanz, including in the local tourist office.Le Château de Fontainebleau
The celebrations will begin with a real tennis tournament between le Cercle de Jeu de Paume de Fontainebleau & The Royal Tennis Court, Hampton Court, at the Château de Fontainebleau on 13th-14th June. This will commemorate both the 500th anniversary of the famous meeting between Henry VIII & François I on the Field of Cloth of Gold & the 60th anniversary of the twinning.
The famous painting of the Field of Cloth of Gold which is displayed at Hampton Court Palace.
From Friday 19th – Sunday 21st June there will be an exhibition by Richmond Art Society in collaboration with Art Fontainebleau at the Landmark Art Centre, Teddington, as an appetising hors d’oeuvre.
Saturday 20th June. 5 – 7 p.m. Queen Charlotte Hall Theatre, Parkshot, Richmond.
“When the Lights go On Again.”
“Poetry Performance” are using poetry, music, original letters & memoires to mark happenings leading up to Victory in Europe Day & the subsequent 75 years of peace. This event has been planned to co-incide with the reaffirmation of the partnerships between Richmond, Fontainebleau & Konstanz.
Programme for the Anniversary Weekend
Friday 26th June.
5 p.m. Official reception for the mayoral parties at Orleans House. A tree will be planted in the gardens & the mayors will unveil a new information board about the twin towns.
6 p.m. A second reception at Stein’s on Richmond Riverside for all guests.
6.45 p.m. (approx) The mayors will arrive by rowing boat.
7 p.m. (approx.) The mayors will unveil a second information board about our twin towns in the Terrace Gardens.
Saturday 27th June.
10 a.m – 4.30 p.m. Musical performances & dancing on Richmond Riverside Terrace by Richmond Brass Band, St. Margaret’s Elastic Band & Union Musicale de Fontainebleau, two Fanfahrenzuge, die Fahnenschwinger & die Dudelsack Gruppe from Konstanz, plus Morris dancers from England & La Bourée du Coucou from Fontainebleau.
1-2 p.m. A private tour of Turner’s House in Twickenham for our overseas guests with a 50% reduction on the admission price. (Only four pounds). Numbers are limited so please contact
Turner spent some time in Konstanz & Fontainebleau & painted both places.
Konstanz viewed from the Rhine by Turner Image courtesy of York Museums Trust
A guided tour of Twickenham Stadium for our overseas visitors. Timing to be confirmed.
Members of Whitton Park LTC welcomed Jürgen Kern (on the right) from TC Konstanz in 2019
The opportunity to play Lawn Tennis on the grass tennis courts of Whitton Park Tennis Club (free of charge).
A special service at Hampton Hill United Reformed Church on Saturday afternoon to celebrate both the reaffirmation of the partnerships with Fontainebleau & Konstanz & the 150th anniversary of the church
For further details please click on the following link:
Overseas visitors will also be free to visit the local world famous sights such as Kew Gardens & Hampton Court Palace.
Children from the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule, Konstanz at Hampton Court in 2018
4.45 p.m. A revue by the Richmond Shakespeare Company at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham.
6 – 8 p.m. “The Sixties on Thames” at the Eel Pie Island Museum.
The museum, in central Twickenham, celebrates all that has made this tiny island in the Thames so famous – from its heritage working boatyards, nestling side by side with the island’s creative community, to the significant part the Eel Pie Island Hotel played in the 1960s British Blues Explosion, helping superstars such as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Rod Stewart & many more kick start their musical careers. All presented with music playing from the museum’s extensive collection of vinyl records. (Translation packs available in French & German.)
Entrance Free. Wine (small charge) & water (free) available.
To see photographs & archive footage of the island please click on the following link to watch a documentary made by the museum staff.
7 p.m. A formal dinner, hosted by the Mayor, for invited guests at York House.
The Konstanzer Fahnenschwinger will be parading through the streets of Richmond
Sunday 28th June
9.30 a.m. An ecumenical service at St. Mary Magdalene’s, Richmond
11 a.m. A parade from Richmond Bridge, via Marble Hill & Orleans House, to York House. The streets will be lined with the flags of the three nations. There will be marching bands, flag wavers & dancers.
If your group, school or association would like to take part in the parade please write to
richmondineurope@hotmail.com
York House sunken garden. Photo by Rodney Mantle
Approx. 12 noon. York House. Everyone will be invited to picnic in the sunken garden next to York House. The bands will play, there will be a karate display & poetry readings. There will also be a twinning exhibition inside the Terrace Room of York house.
At 1 p.m. approximately the mayors will sign the reaffirmation documents.
The rest of the afternoon will be free for everyone to attend a wide range of community events including:
1 – 4 p.m. Richmond Brass Brand performing a mixed repertoire of English, French & German pieces in the Diamond Jubilee Gardens, Twickenham Riverside. (Entrance free. Seating provided. Refreshments available or bring your own picnic.)
“Polo” by Gwen Spencer of Richmond Art Society (in pastel)
3 p.m. A polo match between Ham Polo Club & their partner club in Fontainebleau in Petersham.
The European Youth Orchestra performing in Twickenham in 2017.
7 p.m. The Hammond Theatre, Hampton School.
A performance of the European Youth Orchestra, comprising musicians from Fontainebleau, Konstanz, Lodi & Richmond. Admission free.
If you would like your club, association or society to participate in the celebrations please write to
richmondineurope@hotmail.com
or telephone 0208 890 0202/ 0208 892 5244
For a downloadable version of the official poster for the event which is copyright free please click on the following link.
In 2010 the reaffirmation was celebrated in Konstanz. To mark the 50th anniversary of their friendship, Fontainebleau presented Konstanz with a sculpture of the faithful hunting dog, “Bello.” It is a life size replica of one of four hunting dogs, originally sculpted in 1603, which surrounded the lost fountain of Diana in the garden of the château of Fontainebleau. 
Friday 26th June. 
A guided tour of Twickenham Stadium for our overseas visitors. Timing to be confirmed.
The Richmond in Europe Association 