The UK went into Lockdown on March 23rd 2020, with France and Germany already having been in lockdown we began to see much of our plans and forthcoming events cancelled.
An easy to share url to this page is: https://tinyurl.com/ectcovid
To see more on music in lockdown from acts associated with Portsmouth Twinning go here: tinyurl.com/ecovmusic
For links to everything on twinning in Portsmouth please go to: tinyurl.com/portectc
March 2021
The Lockdown blog is still needed...
I have completed 4 free online English lessons with some members of the Caen Association for Portsmouth. They went down well and if they are needed I may well be able to do some more. From the end of February I have begun teaching some online French Taster Sessions once more for French. (They are also teaching Italian and German), so I have less time available for such things.
There's been a few online discussions with both Caen and Duisburg about what we might do when all this is over.
At the end of February there was on online conference for twinning associations held by the Bristol Twinning Groups and facilitated by myself. Lots of different twinning associations in England got together and we hope to be able to work with some of them in the future.
There certainly were some good ideas there and we hope to bring some of these to our own activities in the future.
We are still holding socials online for English, French, German and Italian. New ones for the continuing lockdown are here
January and February 2021
The Lockdown blog is still needed... Portsmouth went from Tier 2 to Tier 3 on December 18th and into Tier 4 on December 20th. Christmas bubbles were cancelled here, while in other parts of the UK not in Tier 4, they were limited to Christmas Day only.
The whole country went back into a lockdown from Tuesday January 5th 2021 and it is still in place as I write this on Monday, February 8th in the fine powdery Portsmouth snow, which is currently falling...
Following on from the December online meeting, we are looking at a future arts project with Dusiburg to include Portsmouth street artists to possibly go there and help decorate their grey concrete bridges on the Autobahn 59 see here for further info and talking about the hope for an arts festival that could bring artists from Caen and Dusiburg among others to Portsmouth.
We are still holding socials online for English, French, German and Italian. New ones for the continuing lockdown will be announced here
I have been talking to Debbie Payne who is the editor of the Pompey Mag - You can see the current issue of the magazine here.
December 2020
We are continuing our online socials with people in Caen and Duisburg. Portsmouth is now in Tier 2 of England's Covid-19 Restrictions. This means no socialising in pubs outside of your household or support bubble. So we are still along way from meeting up in person and, of course travel restrictions are still in place.
You can find out about our online meetings here.
We have begun a project with the University of Rennes - Sciences Po Caen Campus and the Yes We Caen Association. You can find out more about this project here.
December 3rd - just before 7pm the Galicia sails into Portsmouth on her maiden voyage. There were fireworks in the harbour and the ship's horn was sounded.
See the Portsmouth News Article here
November 2020
Brittany Ferries launches a new ship (November 27th) and you are all invited
In recent months, Brittany Ferries have been working on ways to involve as many people as possible in the inauguration of Galicia, despite of the challenges of the pandemic.
To mark the occasion, they have planned a virtual inauguration, including a tour of the ship, interviews and beautiful images of the interior.
Measuring 215 metres long, Galicia is the first new-build Brittany Ferries ship in over a decade, and also the biggest.
With her high standards of design and comfort Galicia is truly the ferry of tomorrow, ready to reveal all the riches of travel by sea. She has been designed and decorated to showcase the colours and feelings of her namesake, the fantastic Celtic region of Galicia, easily reached from Santander.
The ship will operate two round trips each week between Portsmouth and Santander in northern Spain, and one weekly round trip between Portsmouth and Cherbourg.
The best thing about the virtual inauguration is that you are all invited - all you need to do is head here at 10am GMT (11am CET) on Friday November 27 to take part!
See the Portsmouth News Article about the launch here.
Various Events were held for Remembrance under Lockdown...
Here's a few which appeared on Facebook (Public Facebook Posts)
The UK went back into lockdown on November 5th.
*********************************************************************************************************
October 2020
If ever you want to see Portsmouth Harbour, then there is most likely (during the daylight hours at least) to be a webcam running from atop the HMS Warrior masts.
Follow this link to be taken there.
The webcam goes live on Facebook everyday (most likely with a different url each day)...
This one was taken on October 28th 2020.
Following the posting of the video below, an article has appeared on October 6th in the German newspaper Rheinische Post
Here is an English translation I have produced for those who don't speak German
*********************************************************************************************************
September 2020
The move out of lockdown is beginning to go into reverse. It therefore is unlikely that we will be able to do anything in the real world before Spring 2021, if we can then.
We were unable to do anything physical to mark the passing of the 70th Anniversary of the link between Portsmouth and Duisburg.
However, the team at Portsmouth City Council came up with a video clip of the history of twinning with Duisburg. Introduced by this year's Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Cllr. Tom Wood, it is a very detailed history about why it all happened.
A wonderful video clip about Portchester Castle has been shared online, so I am also sharing it here for you all.
*********************************************************************************************************
July and August 2020
As the UK slowly moves out of lockdown, I have posted less on here.
As I write this in mid-August we are still not permitted to gather in groups of more than 6 inside buildings. Therefore our usual get-togethers still cannot happen.
All being well as socially distant, hand gel sanitised market from France will be in Southsea on Sunday, August 30th.
This poster will give you the information, you need. There will hopefully be a stand representing the Twinning Committee there as well.
*********************************************************************************************************
June 2020
June 6th 2020
Here is a replay of the feed from the D-Day Story in Portsmouth
Here is a replay of the live feed from the memorial ceremony at the Museum Mémorial in Caen. 10:30 to 11:05 CEST 06.06.2020 (9:30 to 10:05 BST)
June 5th 2020
To see what Caen-Portsmouth twinning did last year for D-Day 75, see this page on the Caen Blog.
We hope to bring you virtual commemoration of D-Day 76 from both Caen and Portsmouth's D-Day Story Museum.
This year in Caen, there will 10 invited special guests, including the Mayor of Caen, Jöel Bruneau. Our Lord Mayor has sent over a few words, which I have translated into French with the help of Nicolas Boblin of Caen City Council to make it more typically 'French' and we hope this can be read out during the ceremony.
In Caen...
...the event will take place on boulevard Dwight Eisenhower, which is very near Place de Portsmouth in northern Caen and in front of Caen's Mémorial Museum.
Normally, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth (Cllr.Tom Wood) would be present and speak to the gathered spectators.
This event should be streaming live from around across many platforms from around 10:30 am (CSET) 9:30 am (BST)...
The first is the City of Caen's Official Facebook page...
The second is the city of Caen's Twitter Feed...
The third is Prefecture of Calvados' Twitter Feed
The fourth is the Museum Mémorial de Caen's Facebook page
I will try to get any video which can be replayed after they have streamed live onto this page once the event is over.
This article is about the event from Ouest France Newspaper.
Portsmouth's D-Day Story Museum...
...will be streaming their event live on their Facebook page from around 10:00 (BST) 11:00 (CEST) ...
Again, if possible, I will add the video linked directly from Facebook here.
A group of bagpipe players from the Portsmouth area were due to play the pipes on June 6th at Pegasus Bridge Museum.
In lieu of this, they have recorded themselves playing in their gardens 'together' and placed their piping in an image of Pegasus Bridge to be played there on June 6th....
June 4th
In Caen, I have learned that the virtual event to commemorate D-Day 76 will take place on boulevard Dwight Eisenhower, which is very near Place de Portsmouth in northern Caen and in front of Caen's Mémorial Museum.
In association with the D-Day Story in Portsmouth - The Commonwealth Graves Commission did a Facebook Live video featuring the D-Day landings
June 1st 2020
Portsmouth Museum while still being closed has now opened its gift shop online, with more goods being added over time.
Portsmouth News is featuring the people who have been taking the aerial shots of Portsmouth during the lockdown and the wonderful weather we have been having.
*********************************************************************************************************
May 2020
In lockdown, Portsmouth City Council inaugurated the new Lord Mayor
The clip relevant to twinning can be seen on the Caen Twinning Blog. The full video is here for anyone who would like to see it.
May 17th 2020
Streams 7 pm Saturday 16th May 2020. We are streaming a live concert to raise money, for Breast Cancer Haven, who are providing support for vulnerable NHS patients through this pandemic.the chorus and of students) raising awareness and funds for BCH this weekend (Saturday 7 pm) on our social media platforms.
The Portsmouth News featured an article on Duisburg Twinning. Quite timely as this would have been the weekend of our big 70th-anniversary concert event here at St Mary's Church in Fratton.
See our Music Blog for a chance to attend a live concert online with the Fine Voice Academy in aid of Breast Cancer Haven... A larger feature on them and other supporters of twinning is featured on our Music in Lockdown blog page.
The Fine Voice Academy who support us in many ways held a concert online this Saturday at 7pm BST 8pm CET.
Here are details sent to me by Kenneth Ebbens of Fine Voice and Southsea Castle Rotary Club. "Below is detail of what our chorus group are taking part in, an online show (videos of the chorus and of students) raising awareness and funds for BCH this weekend (Saturday 7pm) on our social media platforms.
It will be great if you can give it a view and maybe donate something, no matter how small
Streams 7pm Saturday 16th May 2020. We are streaming a live concert to raise money, for Breast Cancer Haven, who are providing support for vulnerable NHS patients through this pandemic.
The youtube link is here which is where the actual streaming can be found, including the just giving page."
May 15th 2020
Team Locals Media in Portsmouth in association with Portsmouth City Council's The Hive Volunteer Project have produced this breathtaking video of Portsmouth in Lockdown. Team Locals Website here
May 10th 2020
Much is happening/has happened in the way of online entertainment by people who are or who have at some point been involved in twinning activities here in Portsmouth or in either Caen or Duisburg and in some cases in both cities.
In order to not fill up this page with lots of music videos. If you are interested in seeing bands, singers and musicians in concert then click here...
An example of such a band is this one from Caen...
Jahen Oarsmen came over to play in Southsea Castle in April 2017.
Today they played an online gig from Caen, which was on Facebook live. It can be seen here. A further online gig by them can be seen on our Music in Lockdown page.
May 9th 2020
The brilliant Fine Voice Academy who would have been performing for Portsmouth Twinning at our Duisburg 70 concert next Sunday here in Portsmouth and then the following weekend in the Notkirche in Duisburg... Hopefully next year!! Here they are doing an online rendition for VE Day and Portsmouth on VE Day 75 Friday. 8th May 2020.
May 8th 2020 - VE Day 75...
People were encouraged to have a picnic in their front garden and hang up bunting and flags etc. Some possibly took that a bit far... News article May 9th 2020
The Silhouette Show featuring Vocalist Karen Etherington
This group of singers did a virtual online concert to commemorate VE Day as they could not do anything in the real world...
The Union Jack flying from a flag pole... Many were added to houses in Portsmouth for VE Day 75.
Flags of some of the nations involved in VE Day 75... Australia, Belgium, Canada, France and the USA...
A downloadable colouring book is available
Produced by Portsmouth based artists.
Here is a free Colouring-in book of scenes from Portsmouth you might find interesting.
*********************************************************************************************************
April 2020
A cycle tour taken around the Duisburg region on April 30th 2020
A drone trip around Duisburg on March 30th 2020.
April 30th
The committee for D-Day Commemoration has announced that the D-Day 76 commemoration will happen behind closed doors with wreath-laying by a few people only permitted. (Click on the image to be taken to the article in French on Ouest France)
A message from Nicolas Boblin of Caen City Council International Relations Department:
"Hello, Andrew. I just wanted to tell you that we have decided to cancel all our internship this summer due to the COVID crisis. Unfortunately, we won't recruit anyone and we won't be able to welcome someone from Portsmouth."
April 29th
In April 2020, Portsmouth based Solent Sky Services were out and about during lockdown getting footage with permission of the city in the glorious weather and in lockdown, where although people are around, the volume of traffic and footfall is much much less than usual, especially on a sunny day.
They shared live videos on Facebook of Portsmouth Museum here Old Portsmouth here and of St Mary's Church in Fratton here. I am not the Andrew who won by the way!
Portsmouth Museum - A wonderful building - originally The Naval Officers Mess, makes me think of J.K. Rowling's Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. .
Historic Old Portsmouth - The main 'hotspot' for all tourists apart from the Historic Dockyard of course.
St Mary's Church, Fratton a view from the centre of Portsea Island - St Mary's Church hosted our D-Day 75 Concert featuring Veni, Vidi, Canto from Caen in June 2019.
Solent Sky Services have a crowdfunding page to make it possible to create a film about Portsmouth in lockdown - it can be found here
In Caen Septième Ciel Images made some videos using drone footage of the city of Caen too.
Here is Part One - Caen - La Belle Endormie
Here is Part Two - Caen - La Belle Endormie
Part Three is of the Caen Region - known as Caen La Mer
For comparison, Septième Ciel Images also produced footage of Caen in January 2018
*********************************************************************************************************
March 2020
Unfortunately due to travel restrictions and the lockdown, the planned visits from Caen in June and Duisburg in August are now cancelled.
As pubs, clubs, cafés and other meeting venues are also closed all ECTC and FOPT are cancelled or postponed until further notice.
Friends of Portsmouth Twinning had been sharing some photos and images at the start of lockdown via Facebook - These were of mugs collected on visits to Normandy - offered as gifts in the main - I have added images of the mugs I collected from Duisburg as well as gifts from Caen.
From Jean Barrow
From Ann Brazier
Here too are some thoughts gathered by Friend of Portsmouth Twinning - Jean Barrow from some of her contacts in Europe.
From Caen
“In Caen we have been living confined in our houses for 8 days already. In the beginning, we were allowed to go out to have some exercise and I could walk on the seaside. But then there were too many people on the beaches. A lot of them had come from Paris thinking life would be easier here than in a small apartment in Paris with the children at home all day long. I understand them very well and would have done the same. Especially as the weather was fine. But some made parties and barbecue and forgot the danger and so the town mayors closed the beaches, the parks. Joggers now must stay next to their houses. Fortunately, we have the internet and are not really isolated. My boys join their friends for "apéro en visio". I ring up my family and friends very often. We have a lot of occupations and don't find the time boring.
The atmosphere is strange: no cars in the streets, all the shops are closed except boulangeries, pharmacies and supermarkets. We enter the boulangerie one by one. There are marks on the ground outside the shop so that people keep at a distance of 1-2 metres from each other. They avoid to speak, don't want to spray the virus. We can't be sure we are not contaminated. It seems that sometimes you don't even notice you've got it. There are no tests.
In the Hospital of Caen, they have just a few persons sick with the virus for the moment but they think there will be much more next week. We feel safe here in Normandy. Then, when we see the images from Italie we are frightened and understand why we have to accept the confinement. On the other hand, I'm very sorry also for all the economic victims of this situation who we will discover later. The situation might go on for a long time. I hope not!"
From Germany
“My husband’s colleague has tested positive for the virus so my husband must be in quarantine until the 6th of April. I am so pleased we have a garden so that he can work there. I can go shopping once a week and by those means, we hope to stay well!”
From Italy
………..all this situation is very weird for me now, I would say surreal... In general, we are all very worried that this situation will last for a long time and, at least for months or years, anything will go back to normal so we take things as they come, day by day...my dad's partner works as a nurse in the main Brescia hospital, one of the most affected areas.. she's exhausted and, most of all, frightened because hundreds or her colleagues are getting sick..she Keeps on telling us to take all the precautions, from wearing masks, gloves and possibly glasses every time we need to go out and to use disinfectant on all the surfaces of the products we buy... it's like living in a sci-fi movie...a nightmare, really... Our little daughter is fine, we are trying to make things seem "normal" for her as much as possible but staying indoors or in the little courtyard of our building without seeing anyone is not normal at all...as she is still so little I guess that she won't remember much of this period in the future and that's a kind of relief for me... it's been a month now that I don't see my family or my friends and my dad and I start thinking that next time I will see them again it will be summer already...