Twinning Association
The towns of Bridport and St Vaast La Hougue are twinned by official
charter, ratified in 1979. The  aims
of the Twinning Association are to forge “closer relationships
in social, cultural, sporting and business activities leading to
mutual understanding and the exchange of ideas”.
Bridport Twinning Association holds a variety of social events including
some with the neighbouring twinning associations of Beaminster and
Charmouth. The Association raises funds to send young people to
our twin town to further their understanding of the French language
and French culture. Members of both communities visit each other’s
town for a weekend visit in alternate years.
In 2005 a plaque was placed on part of the new coastal defence development
at West Bay, dedicating it as Place St Vaast La Hougue.
New members are always welcome. Please contact the Chairman on 01308
423400.
St Vaast La Hougue is a small coastal town just 30 minutes by car
from Cherbourg. It has a thriving fishing fleet of 60 vessels and
a marina with a capacity for 650 boats including 200 visiting craft.
When the marina was built some twenty years ago, the Promenade de
Bridport was dedicated in recognition of the friendship between
the two towns.
St Vaast is renowned throughout France for the quality of its shellfish,
notably mussels and oysters. The shellfish industry provides good
employment for people in and around the town and at low tide the
extent of the industry can be seen when the many shellfish beds
are revealed.
The fortifications, after Vauban, are dramatic. The tower on the
mainland giving the town its name, has a sister tower on the small
off island of Tatihou where fortifications, including L’islet,
encircle it. Tatihou is home to a maritime museum, botanical garden,
bird reserve and hotel conference centre. It is possible to walk
to the island from the mainland at low tide. The annual international
August music festival on the island is built around such a crossing.
St Vaast has a bustling Saturday Street market where a range of
local produce is sold. The area has very fertile soil and the quality
of vegetables and salad is excellent. St Vaast was the first French
harbour liberated in the Second World War. The Normandy D-Day beaches
and the poignant War cemeteries are a short drive away. Bayeux with
its famous tapestry, Caen and the many historic chateaux in the
area are also places of particular interest.
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