Havre de Grace Twinning Foundation
The purpose of International Twinning is to connect communities which might seem distant and different from one another but which, in fact, share much in common.
Havre de Grace is currently twinned with Mumbles, Wales.
Havre de Grace Twinning (HdGTwinning), was formed in the spring of 2019, as a committee operating under the Community Projects of Havre de Grace. It is also the primary focus of the Cultural Exchange Commission of the City of Havre de Grace.
The goal of the world-wide Twinning movement is to bring people together, creating bonds of friendship and understanding. The concept of Twinning was created after World War II to help populations heal. Today the value of bringing people together is just as necessary as it was then.
Bodies of water define both communities. Havre de Grace is at the mouth of the Susquehanna River where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Mumbles began as a fishing village on the Bristol Channel, near the city of Swansea. The populations of both communities number around 15,000. Both have lighthouses. Both have establishments named Coakley’s, one a pub and one a fishmonger. Both have traditions centered around wood carving, decoys in Havre de Grace and love spoons in Mumbles.
HdGTwinning’s formal relationship with TAM began in September, 2019, when the Charter declaring the twinning relationship was signed by representatives of both organizations during HdGTwinning’s Inaugural visit to Mumbles.
Members of TAM visited Havre de Grace in the fall of 2022. During that visit, the Havre de Grace version of the Charter was signed and now hangs at the entrance to the Council Chambers at Havre de Grace City Hall. HdGTwinning is due to visit Mumbles in the fall of 2023. The two groups also collaborated on writing and publishing a booklet focusing on the similarities of the two communities.
The most important result of the Twinning of Havre de Grace with Mumbles has been the friendships that have been created and continue to grow between the two communities. Each sees itself reflected in the other, and this greater understanding of people who are far way geographically helps all of us to see ourselves more clearly.
To continue and strengthen the connections between in-person visits, members of HdGTwinning and TAM, monthly zoom calls have been held for the past three years, and created a holiday music exchange in 2022. HdGTwinning actively participated in the 2023 Celtic Winter Fest held in Havre de Grace, and is exploring the possibility of creating and hosting a Welsh choral festival. HdGTwinning participates in Havre de Grace’s First Fridays, the holiday Tree Jubilee, the Independence Day Parade, Oyster Feast, and holds periodic social get-togethers for all those who are interested in Twinning.
To find out more and become involved, email the committee at: hdgtwinning@gmail.com
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