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. There are also regular Zoom meetings, which enable members in both countries to keep in touch and exchange news.

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. And we have a regular ‘Stammtisch’, which is an informal get-together in a local pub.

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 under the auspices of Epping Town Council. However, we are a non-partisan organisation, and we receive no funding from the Council or any other body. www.eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk

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 visit involves a week-long language course – one year a German course in Eppingen, and the following year an English course in Epping. Informal teaching sessions take place each weekday morning – separate groups for novices and advanced speakers involve talks and discussions on a wide range of subjects. (If you want to opt out of some 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. The ‘extracurricular activities’ when our German friends visit the UK are of course open to all members of the Epping association.

The other annual visit takes place over a long weekend, and typically features 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. There are musical performances and a host of other events and activities. Each of Eppingen’s twin towns – including of course Epping – always has a stall offering traditional food and drink from their own country.

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 here 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 90 km/56 miles from Eppingen.) A few members make the 900 km/550 mile journey by car. Rail travel (London St Pancras – Eppingen via Eurostar) is an environmentally friendlier alternative, and using an Interrail card (adult or senior, allowing additional destinations) would make this a more flexible and economical option. www.interrail.eu 

All UK travellers to Germany, whether ‘twinners’ or not, should 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.

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 – for example the respective tennis clubs and the Rotarians. School exchanges also took place, but when St John’s School in Epping ceased teaching German these unfortunately came to an end.

The present-day Epping Forest Band and the Stadtkapelle Eppingen continue to play a part in the twinning. For example, Epping Forest Band generally travels to Eppingen to take part in the biennial Altstadtfest (Old Town Festival), and both bands perform at major twinning events in their own countries.

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 by one of that town’s ‘twinners’, and it remains in the marketplace there as a constant reminder of our friendship.