Due to the corona pandemic, no campaigns and reunion celebrations could take place in the past year as part of the city partnerships. The four Rheinfeld circles of friends maintain contact with Fcamp, Mouscron, Neumarkt and the Vale of Glamorgan, mainly by phone and email. Everyone eagerly awaits the end of the pandemic in order to revive old friendships.
Mouscron
The failure of the sidewalk festival last year affected the circles of friends of the four partner cities equally. The visit to the Fte des Hurlus in the Belgian twin town was also canceled for the Mouscron Circle of Friends. “We only had contact by phone or email,” says Freundeskreis spokesman Reinhard Brner. In 2020 a team from Mouscron wanted to come to the Sparkasse Triathlon. But that had to be canceled – a one-week hike with Belgian friends also fell into the water because of Corona. No actions were planned for this year. “Everything is put up for the near future,” says Brner. Further advertising measures by the Freundeskreis to recruit members in the adult education center were also canceled, but like the other campaigns should be resumed as soon as possible. “The connection to Mouscron is personal and friendly. I am convinced that things will go well and that we will soon be able to embrace the friends again, ”says Brner.
Fcamp
Participation in the Christmas market in Fcamp was canceled for the Friends of Fcamp and the mutual artist exchange was also canceled. In private, contact with French friends was maintained by phone, email or Whatsapp, explains Freundeskreis Chairman Jessica Eltz. After the sidewalk festival was canceled, a film was made with contributions from all partner cities. “That was so touching. It was then noticed that the city partnership does not only exist on paper. It really came from the heart, ”says Eltz. The Fcampoises made a second film at Christmas time, disguised as Santa Clauses, they sent Gre to the Circle of Friends. It was also painful that the Freundeskreis could not celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2020. “We want to catch up on our anniversary next year,” says Eltz. As soon as the pandemic allows it, the regular visits should also be resumed, perhaps for this year’s Christmas market in Fcamp.
Neumarkt
A visit to the South Tyrolean community of Neumarkt, a trip to the arbor festival there and mutual visits by students were planned for 2020. “Everything was already prepared,” says Erich Blatter, chairman of the Neumarkt Friends Association. “But everything fell flat. The Corona crisis is very bad for the city partnership. ”The General Assembly of the Circle of Friends has also been postponed because it is to take place as a presence event. Contact is primarily kept by telephone, but Blatter also reads the Neumarkt village newspaper “Die Ritsch” every month, which he receives in the mail. The student visits are also canceled this year. A bus trip to Neumarkt is planned for the end of September and a visit by Neumarkt seniors to Rheinfelden is also being planned. The mutual visits should be resumed as soon as possible. “We are waiting with longing for it,” says Blatter. “Next year the Circle of Friends will have its 25th anniversary. We hope that a lot will be feasible then. “
Vale of Glamorgan
The Food & Drink Festival in the Vale of Glamorgan was canceled in 2020 and will not take place this year either. There were no direct contacts at all in 2020. “It was extremely bad for them in 2020,” says Theresia Wagner-Zipper, spokeswoman for the Vale of Glamorgan Circle of Friends. Contacts to Wales were kept by phone, email and Whatsapp, and Chris Murray’s birthday was celebrated via video conference (zoom) with 50 Germans and Welsh people. The city partnership will be resumed in the old manner after the corona pandemic. “I think that things will go on as normal, both from the Welsh side and from our side,” says Wagner-Zipper, who hopes that everyone will be able to meet again at the city anniversary next year at the latest.
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