“It is important for us to show the inhabitants of Aiseau-Presles our solidarity and our support “, explains Robert Gairaud, president of the twinning committee between Aiseau-Presles and Pomérols, of which he is the former mayor. The municipality of Hérault is mobilizing to raise funds for the victims of the Belgian city located in the suburb of Charleroi and very affected by the recent bad weather which ravaged part of Germany and Belgium. Some inhabitants of the town have seen the water rise in their homes up to two meters high.
The Pomérols twinning committee is organizing this Thursday morning as well as next Thursday, the sale of raffle tickets, the profit of which will be sent to its Belgian counterpart. Others will be sold on Sunday July 25 and August 1. The draw will take place on August 5. An urn is also placed on the Place du Général de Gaulle, in front of the Tourist Office, in order to collect donations. An online prize pool has also been created. It will close on August 7, when the money will be sent. “The more money we collect, the better, of course, confie Robert Gairaud. But the main goal is to show the people of Aiseau-Presles that we want to participate, that we want to help them. And that will make them I believe warm to the heart, especially for those who are affected and who have nevertheless known great miseries. “ For a while, with other members of the twinning committee, he even hesitated to leave by car to give a hand to the victims of the bad weather.
A long history of almost 25 years
This gesture is particularly close to the heart of Robert Gairaud, mayor of Pomérols at the time of the twinning with Aiseau-Presles, in 1997. He still remembers moved by the arrival in 2000 of more than 150 inhabitants of the Belgian municipality, dressed in Napoleonic attire. They had then walked in costume for two days in the village of Hérault. Each year, before the health crisis, some went to each other, alternately. “For the Pomerolians, they are really twins and I trust them to show solidarity, even those who have arrived more recently who are not familiar with the twinning. “
Comments that Raphaël confirms, although he has recently lived in Pomérols: “In fact, the inhabitants of Aiseau-Presles, these are people who are part of the town today, that’s also why we are totally united. But I think it is for all Belgians and all Germans who are going through the same situation. It’s something you easily identify with as it happens frequently in the region. “
While it is still in its infancy, the initiative of the Pomerolians is already bearing fruit: it has greatly affected Marcel Dargent, former mayor of Aiseau-Presles, still a member of the twinning committee on the Belgian side. “This support makes us really happy, he rejoices. But that doesn’t surprise me given the great friendship that binds us. I can’t wait for the moment when we can all meet again, we’ll have a big party. ”
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