Following on from the great welcome Rye College students had in Montreuil-sur-Mer in May, it was Rye’s turn to host French students from Lycee Woillez. They were greeted at the college before heading off to the Rye Heritage Centre to enjoy the town’s rich history and see the famous town model.
They then moved on to the town hall, where last year Mayor Pierre Ducrocq and two of his fellow councillors presented the then Rye Mayor Andi Rivett with a small lock to symbolise the friendship established between the two towns. Current Mayor Andy Stuart gave a welcome speech in French, which impressed all the students, before handing every student a small bell as a gift to remind them of the visit. A special cry was given by the town crier, possibly unlike anything the students had seen or heard before, followed by a short talk in the chamber about Rye from him.
An afternoon of fun was had whilst students enjoyed a murder-mystery treasure hunt around the town – a great idea to learn some more about Rye in an entertaining way and the day ended with fish and chips in Hastings Old Town.
They awoke to a morning of sport and team challenges, then a trip to Battle Abbey in the afternoon. The event closed with a lovely meal at the Mermaid Inn, where dancing and merriment ensued before saying au revoir.
Some great friendships were made and students will keep in touch with each other – modern day penpals communicating by WhatsApp and text rather than letters I suspect!
The next venture will see the Mermaid Inn exchanging staff for a few days with Le Patio hotel and restaurant, to learn about different cultures in cuisine and wine. Plus a small cohort from Rye will visit Montreuil to celebrate 80 years since liberation of the second world war, both in September.
Given the success of the student exchanges, we are already planning how to develop this next year for another group of students to enjoy, and we will be working on fundraising plans to help support them in this.
Image Credits: Maylis Ruhla , Rebekah Gilbert .