News

Bristol Hannover Council has lost its stalwart member. Dr John Veale sadly passed away on 6th December (St Nicholas Day) in Southmead hospital after a short illness. John who had received the German Medal of Honour from the German Government a few years ago, had gone to Hannover as a young school student in 1949 and had witnessed first-hand the devastation wreaked on that city. John was later to write his memoirs about his professional and personal life devoted to Anglo-German relationships, the twinning with Hannover and his lifelong friends in Hannover. Despite being a Bristol Rovers fan John...

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** 'Anniversary II: The Return' was accomplished in mid-September when members of the Bristol-Hannover youth exchanges of the mid-1960s emulated last year's initial friendship revival. Last year German members of the 1965 and 1966 exchanges spent a long weekend in Bristol happily reviving memories and friendships with their long-ago hosts. The event was such a success that, even before the Hannoverians flew home, a date for a Bristolian return had been agreed. Hence a party of 19 flew to Hannover on Friday, September 9, to enjoy the remarkable heat of the late German summer and the warmth...

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Bristol City Councillor Kye Dudd visited Hannover on 16th September on official business to discuss strengthening the relationship between the two city councils in light of the BREXIT vote and the upcoming 70th anniversary in 2017. Councillor Dudd met with Councillor Robert Nicholls who is also the chairman of the Hannover Bristol Association and with the Oberbürgermeister Stefan Schostok (see photos) as well as attending a session of Hannover City Council’s Culture Committee. Councillor Dudd also privately met with colleagues from the SPD and the German TUC in Hannover as part of his programme. ...

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This was the first visit which was organised under the Chairmanship of Councillor Robert Nicholls, and the last visit before we celebrate together the 70th anniversary of the twinning partnership between our two cities! 15 members of Bristol-Hannover Council visited Hannover this summer, the group consisting of long-serving members (the longest being John Veale, who first visited Hannover in 1949) and also a number of new members, who had never visited our partner city before. The programme which the Gesellschaft put on for us was splendid, very varied and of great interest to both ‘old’ and ’new’...

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The Bristol Hannover Council is supporting a six week community development placement for Hannover volunteer Nicole Friedlein. Nicole is here to improve her English and is picking up some choice Bristolian while volunteering at Windmill Hill City Farm each day. Nicole wanted to come to Bristol as her mother took part in an exchange with Bristol many years ago and has maintained contact ever since. Thanks to all those supporting Nicole including Lizzie at the farm and to Catherine, Lynne and Frank for accommodation. Nicole plans to study law for five years at Hannover University in the autumn and is already...

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On Thursday the 21st July 2016 the Lord Mayor of Bristol unveiled a cabinet in the Central Library to commemorate the twinnings that Bristol has with cities across the world. The cabinet is set to remain in the library next to the Twin Cities Reference Section and will be changed every three months. It contains objects that were gifted by our twinned towns to represent the culture of their city, such as a sculpture from Hannover. Many people who have played key roles within these partnerships were present, and it was great to hear from them about how these links between cities have benefited Bristol....

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BHC executive members gathered on Bordeaux Quayside to launch the prize winning logo for the 70 anniversary year in 2017. UWE design student Minjeong Shin (pictured). The logo will be used for both Hannover and Bordeaux events as well as the joint events planned such as the January launch at MShed, the Zoo party in July and the Business Summit in September. Watch this space for more details. Minjeong was given a prize of £100 from the BHC and she is keen to develop her design work.            

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The official launch of the BCCG in Bristol and the South West took place on April 18th at the offices of the law firm DAC Beachcroft, and was attended by distinguished members of the South West business community, including HM Lord-Lieutenant Mrs Mary Prior, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bristol, Councillor Alastair Watson, James Durie (Chief Executive at Bristol Chamber & Initiative at Business West), Tim Illston (Honorary Consul for Germany), BHC Chair Ann Kennard and members of Bristol-Hannover Council committee.  The Bristol BCCG is intended to be first port of call for companies and professionals...

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Teacher Sharon Barnes and Students from the German department at Fairfield Secondary School arranged an informal evening to talk about their trip to Hannover. Students said that after the trip “they could see the relevance of learning German and were much more motivated”. Linking up with counterparts from the IGS Roderbruch secondary in Hannover, the students spent several days exploring Hannover and undertaking some fun based language tasks. One of the highlights for the boys was seeing Hannover 96 footballers training and visiting the stadium for a match. Members of the BHC executive attended...

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About 20 members and friends met up for lunch on Sunday April 17th at this new and lively café, run by two brothers from Bavaria.  The menu is short but very German, and the upstairs room was comfortable, with its quirky tables consisting of doors – ok if you don’t have a handle in front of you!  The top floor is to be converted into a bakery, we hear.  Pflaumenkuchen was a popular dessert!                

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