Manningtree & District/Frankenberg
NEWS: EXCHANGE VISIT TO FRANKENBERG IN MAY/JUNE 2024
CALL 07891 963005

Manningtree & District/Frankenberg
Partnership Association (MDFPA) is a community membership organisation, celebrating our local community and heritage as well as our link with Europe through partnership with Frankenberg, a beautiful, historic town in Germany.
This photo, taken at a summer lunch in 2023, shows members and one of the German language prize winners enjoying sunshine, jazz, lovely food and a good natter.
EXCITING NEWS
Frankenberg has invited the people of Manningtree to visit their beautiful town in 2024 from 30th May to 2nd June.
If YOU think you may wish to join the trip, do get in touch (details below) for more information about arrangements and cost.
The next event for the Partnership is participating in the Christmas Market on Saturday 2nd December. We would love to have some support and help, perhaps join the rota for manning the stall? or help setting up and clearing away at the end of the day? There will be other tasks; just use the contact form or give us a call on 07891 963005.
And what's happened in 2023 so far?
February was AGM month!
But before members could relax over cheese & wine there was work to do!
Some long-serving committee members and our hard-working chairman resigned because they felt that for them it was time to move on. However, members came up trumps and a new committee of seven was elected.
Their first decision was to invite East Bergholt High School to join Manningtree High School to participate in the Partnership's award scheme for students who had made excellent progress in their study of the German language.
Then followed their first social event, a SUMMER LUNCH held in a member's beautiful garden. See photo above. Retro Jazz entertained the guests while they enjoyed a ploughman's lunch followed by an impressive selection of home-made desserts, thanks to the generosity of members!
And it was a special pleasure to welcome two families of prize winners to the lunch. They were very enthusiastic about the Partnership and we hope to keep in touch!
Membership
If you are not yet a member of the Partnership, now is an excellent time to join, just in time for a trip to Frankenberg in Germany.
Please use the contact form
or
call us on 07891 963005
What we do when there is no visit to or from Frankenberg
We arrange occasional social gatherings for members and friends.
A New Year Get-Together has become a lovely tradition, when a glass of "Glühwein", accompanied by some German Christmas goodies has been a wonderfully sociable way to start recent New Years.
Then there are the simple German-style suppers accompanied by musical entertainment which are as popular as our
"Kaffee und Kuchen" afternoons.
A member's garden usually is the venue for a Summer Sunshine Event.
Apart from social activities the Association presents an annual prize and commendations to students of Manningtree High School and of
East Bergholt High School who have made exceptional progress in their German language studies.
And do have a look at the Anniversary Garden, opposite the Fire Station, a joint project with Manningtree Town Council to celebrate 50 years of Partnership between the communities of Manningtree and Frankenberg and their surrounding areas.



Exchange Visits
Regular visits link the people of our towns. This photo shows Manningtree members saying "good bye" to our visitors from Frankenberg after a highly enjoyable visit in June 2022.
Now we look forward to our next visit from Manningtree to Frankenberg.
See "exciting news" above.
Exchanging gifts
Every exchange visit has a celebration dinner and an exchange of gifts! In 2022 our guests from Frankenberg took home a painting of Manningtree and left us two deckchairs with designs by the artist Philipp Soldan, a famous son of Frankenberg.
A local social get-together
The Partnership arranges regular local social gatherings for its members [Covid-permitting].
On this occasion members were enjoying genuine German cakes and live music!

Contact Manningtree & District/Frankenberg Partnership Association
For more information about membership (only £10 pp pa)
please contact the secretary
07891963005