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Villages officially twinned over WW1 crucifix link

BBC Sign marking the twinning of Tinwell and DoingtBBC
A service was held on Sunday to mark the official twinning of the two villages

Two villages, one in Rutland and one in France, have been twinned after English villagers returned a crucifix retrieved from the rubble of a church in World War One.

The cross originated from the church of Doingt-Flamicourt, which was destroyed during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

It was salvaged by a British Army chaplain and brought back to All Saints' Church in Tinwell, where it remained until last year, when it was returned across the Channel.

Five residents of Doingt visited Tinwell over the weekend to mark the twinning, with the hope of planning more visits between the villages in the future.

Gillian Matthew
Gillian Matthew said the French visitors had "a wonderful time"

Gillian Matthew, a representative of the Tinwell Parochial Church Council, said: "This is such a special event for us all. We have made so many friends.

"We hope the friendships we have made will continue and there is a hope that possibly children will exchange on a French exchange basis.

"We don't know whether it will happen but that's the aspiration."

The French visitors were taken to nearby attractions such as Burghley House, Peterborough Cathedral and around the Lincolnshire town of Stamford.

There was also a village barbecue on Saturday night and a service on Sunday morning to officially mark the twinning.

Douglas Matthew
Douglas Matthew said the bond between the two communities was "strong"

The crucifix was returned in 2023, on the 107th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme beginning.

This came after a boy in the congregation at Tinwell discovered the church in France had been rebuilt and suggested the crucifix should be returned.

Doingt was one of many French settlements wiped out during World War One, but it was later rebuilt.

Douglas Matthew, treasurer of All Saints' Church, said: "We got such a wonderful welcome from the French [last year], who also look after a British cemetery across there for those who fell in the First World War.

"I think the bond became stronger and when we invited them to come back to Tinwell, they were very eager to do that and set up this relationship."

A church service in Tinwell
A special service was held to mark the twinning of the two villages

Mr Matthew described the bond between the two communities as "strong", adding the people of Doingt looked after the graves of British soldiers while their crucifix was kept safe in Tinwell.

He added: "I think they're grateful that we looked after it.

"It's been wonderful to have them here. They were very hospitable when we went across there. Hopefully we've returned that."

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