E.B. & Barbizon Twinning Association
c/o Hollybank, Burnt Oak,
East Bergholt CO7 6TL
Graham White,
The Clerk,
East Berghott Parish Council,
The Gattinetts,
19 August, 2025
Dear Graham,
Grant Application – East Bergholt and Barbizon Twinning Association
ln August last year, you contacted me on behalf of the Parish Council to advise that East Bergholt and
Barbizon Twinning Association had been successful in its application for a f 1,000 grant. At that time,
the Twinning Committee was developing plans for the May, 2025 visit from Barbizon and this funding
was therefore very much appreciated.
Reference was made in last year’s application to the likelihood that a further grant request would be
submitted in2025 and l’m now confirming that this is the case. ln considering this application, I would
ask the Parish Council to consider the following points:
o On Thursday, 29 May, East Bergholt welcomed 53 visitors from the twinned village of Barbizon
for three nights and the attached article, which appeared in last month’s issue of the East
Bergholt Parish Magazine, provides an excellent summary of what proved to be a very
successful visit.
o A particularly pleasing aspect of the visit was the extent to which the visiting proportion of
children and young people had increased on prior visits….and the related extent to which it
proved possible to find local ‘equivalent’ families to host them. The feedback from visitors and
hosts alike has been positive, with, as always, a few suggestions for the committee to consider
for future such visits.
r On the Saturday evening, after the chairs of the respective associations had expressed thanks to
the organisations which had provided financial support for the Twinning event (.”including, of
course, EB Parish Council), awards were presented to three couples who have been involved in
the twinning exchanges since they started in 1978. However, there were also people from
Barbizon who were making theirlrrst visit to East Bergholt, keen to continue this much valued
relationship between the two communities into the future. Clearly, the hope is that a similar
pattern of participation will emerge as preparations evolve for the next visit from the UK in
May,2027.
r From a financial standpoint, through (1) the association’s own fundraising activities (2) grants
from a number of organisations and (3) careful management of expenditures on the part of the
committee, it proved possible to meet the full cost of the visit without breaking the
Association’s reserve limit of f3,000. This is reflected in the attached half year 2025 accounts,
which highlight, however, that the current combined bank and cash balances are now at their
lowest level in recent past years. With this in mind, the Committee now plans to review the
adequacy of its reserve limit carefully, in conjunction with attempting to restore its financial
position to a level which will enable what we believe will be a significantly increased cost of
travelling to Barbizon in 2O27 . We learned from the Treasurer of the Barbizon Association that
the coach from France this year cost a little over €8,000…compared with around €5,000 three
years ago in2022- an increase of around 60%. Not least because we’want to ensure that
contributions from families least able to afford them are kept to a minimum, we shall have
early contact with coach companies to understand the likely equivalent cost from the UK,
thereby providing a clear short to medium term fund-raising target’

Through local advertising, the annual quiz later this year and other fund-raising activity, the Twinning
Association continues to try to optimise the Twinning Benefits (in particular, for families and young
people in the village) as outlined in the attached updated document. With the cost to implementing
these measures, in addition to the significant cost of the next visit itself, we would like to ask, please,
that the Parish Council gives consideration to making available a grant of f 1,500. This would provide a
welcome increase to our currently depleted resources and could e.g. enable the Association to secure
via a deposit, a cost-effective coach reservation for the 2027 visil.
At the time of the award of last year’s grant, I recall that you advised that it would be helpful if more
detailed information could be provided for any future grant request. The half year accounts summary
and supporting schedules have therefore been made available but, if you feel that the Council
Committee members require more information, I shall be pleased to respond to any specific requests.
As in the past, we would thank you and your fellow councillors for taking time to consider this
application and we, of course, very much hope that it will be looked upon favourably.
Kind regards,
Jerry Leese (Chairman) O12OG 29823A
Lisa Page (Secretary) lisa.hp@btinternet.com
Martin Smart (Treasurer) mr.mssmart@gmail.com