Welcome to our twinning!

International events

Our main focus, of course, is our international visits – these are described in more detail below, and the homepage has links to recent ones including photos. 

Local events in Epping

The twinning association in Epping also organises various local events – so there’s plenty on offer even for those members who can’t join us on our visits to Germany. The Epping events combine publicity and fundraising with an opportunity for members to meet socially. They include an annual fish & chip quiz night, and a Kaffee & Kuchen (coffee & cakes) afternoon in the German tradition. We also have a regular Stammtisch, which is an informal get-together in a local pub. And of course there is always an opportunity to meet our friends from Eppingen during their visits to the UK.

The association also has a presence at community events such as the annual Epping Town Show and the St John’s Church Christmas tree festival.

Calendar of events

The Events UK page has details of all forthcoming and recent events, both international and in Epping.

How we are organised

The UK end of the twinning – the Epping-Eppingen Association – operates independently of Epping Town Council. It is self-financing and receives no funding from the Town Council or any other body.

Our twin town of Eppingen is in the southwest German state of Baden-Württemberg. The twinning association there is organised on slightly different lines, but they likewise have their own local activities in addition to the international events.

More about our international visits

We normally organise two of these each year, one in each direction. One is a week-long visit focussing on the other country’s language and culture – one year in Eppingen, and the following year in Epping. There are informal sessions each weekday morning, with wide-ranging talks and discussions tailored to participants’ language levels (anything from zero to fluent). But if you want to opt out of these, that’s fine. The rest of the time is devoted to outings to places of interest – often linked to topics discussed – and social activities. (We used to call this our ‘language course’, but we decided that sounded too serious!)

The other annual visit takes place over a long weekend, and typically includes a day trip and a farewell meal.

There are additional visits to special events, such as the biennial Altstadtfest (Old Town Festival) in Eppingen, which also offers an opportunity to meet members of that town’s other twinnings, Wassy in France and Szigetvár in Hungary.

Over the years, these visits have resulted in many long-standing friendships between members in both our countries.

Accommodation

Accommodation is usually provided by host individuals and families in each country, although some visitors prefer to stay in a hotel or make other arrangements at their own expense. If you join us on our visits, don’t feel you have to reciprocate by offering hospitality back in the UK – we realise that many people are not in a position to do this.

 Travel

Travel is generally by air between Stansted and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, and groups are met at the airport. (The airport in Germany is about 56 miles/90 km from Eppingen.) A few members make the 550 mile/900 km journey by car. Rail travel (London St Pancras – Eppingen) is an environmentally friendlier alternative, and using an Interrail card (available for all age groups) would make this more flexible and economical.
www.interrail.eu

UK citizens travelling to Germany must have passports issued less than 10 years ago and valid for at least 3 months after their planned return. You should also have a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) and adequate travel insurance. Non-Schengen (including UK) passport holders must keep within the visa-free time limit of 90 days within any 180-day period. The Schengen Area digital Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational on 10 April 2026. 
https://uk.diplo.de/uk-en/2735594-2735594
www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-entryexit-system

International Zoom meetings

In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, we began regular Zoom meetings for members in Epping and Eppingen. At the time, this proved the best way for us to keep in touch. Our Zoom get-togethers remain popular with members in both countries today.

Do I need to speak German?

No you don’t! Many of our friends in Eppingen speak good English, and quite a few of the Epping members speak little or no German. On the other hand, if you’d like to learn some German or improve your language skills, the opportunity is there. We try to make everyone feel welcome, and all the arrangements are as flexible as possible.

UK membership

The Epping-Eppingen Association exists “to promote and foster friendship and understanding together with social, sporting, cultural, educational and business relationships between Epping and Eppingen”, and we are open to anyone from any background who shares our values. You don’t need to live in Epping itself – many of our members live some distance away. We particularly welcome interest from younger age groups – this will ensure that our twinning partnership continues to flourish in future years as it has done until now.

Membership is a nominal £5 per household per year. If you’re interested in joining us, or would just like to find out more, message us using the form at the bottom of the page. There are two forms, one for each country – make sure you use the correct one. We look forward to hearing from you!

How we began

European town twinnings, in one form or another, have a long history – according to Wikipedia, the earliest record is from the year 836!  The modern town twinning movement has its origins in the early 20th century, but became properly established only after World War II as part of a concerted effort to rebuild relationships between countries torn apart by that conflict. Our own twin-town partnership began somewhat later, at the beginning of the 1980s, but in the same spirit of international cooperation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_city

UK telephone box in Eppingen, 1987

It’s fair to say that the twinning would never have happened if the towns didn’t have near-identical names. In 1976, several members of what was then Epping & District Silver Band, including Chris Harris and Alan Swann, swelled the ranks of nearby Bishop’s Stortford’s band on a visit to their then twin town of Friedberg, near Frankfurt. On the way they noticed a lorry marked ‘Eppingen’, which aroused their curiosity. During some free time, Alan’s host drove Alan the 160 km (100 miles) to that town, where they were given contact details for Eppingen’s town band and the local council. Back in the UK, Alan liaised with Epping Town Council while Chris, as leader of the Epping band, got in touch with his counterpart in Eppingen, Herbert Höge. Alan’s efforts resulted in the first municipal delegation from Epping to Eppingen in 1979. Then in 1980 the Epping band were invited to visit Eppingen, with a return visit the following year – performances in each town were met with great acclaim. The family who initially hosted Chris Harriss and his wife in Eppingen became lifelong friends – the first of many such twinning friendships.

Formal twinning documents were signed in Epping in 1981, and in Eppingen in 1982. Other organisations forged their own links early on in our partnership, including local Rotarians. School exchanges also took place, but when St John’s School in Epping ceased teaching German these unfortunately came to an end.

Epping Forest Band and the Stadtkapelle Eppingen continue to play an important part in the twinning. For example, Epping Forest Band generally travels to Eppingen to take part in the biennial Altstadtfest (Old Town Festival), and in May 2026 there was a joint performance by both bands when the Eppingen band made a welcome return visit to Epping.

On this page are some photos from the early days of the twinning. The red English telephone box was transported to Eppingen in the mid-1980s, and it remains in the marketplace there as a constant reminder of our friendship.