VIVE LA FRANCE
FESTIVE NEWS • DECEMBER 2013 • PAGE 13
Say ex-pats
For most folk France is somewhere to go on holiday. For two
Hereford families it has become home.
Festive News asked them to tell readers about life on the other
side of the Channel.
Ten years ago Chris Draper and his wife, Glenys, left
Whitecross and retired to a small village called Placé near
Mayenne. It was a life changing move and they are now very
much part of village life, and can speak French. When they
changed houses the villagers turned up to help and even brought
food for lunch – typically the meal (and the wine) took four
hours. Chris says the French lifestyle is more laid back and
relaxed than Hereford. Like us they are preparing for Christmas,
but it’s a lot different over there. For example, the French do not
send cards but they do put up a Christmas tree and have a crib
for the baby Jesus The main festive meal is on Christmas Eve.
New Year parties go on until 6am – and everyone has onion soup
Chris and Glenys outside their cottage
before they leave. Chris is a former Lions Club president.
Giles and Karen Swancott and their youngest daughter
Rhiannon shipped out to France a year ago, settling in
the historic town of Loches in the Loire Valley, an area
renowned for its wines. Their two older children Alex,
21 and working and Megan, studying in college, stayed
in Hereford with grandparents, Simon and Val Swancott.
Giles has good French and Karen and Rhiannon, who
attends the local High School, are learning fast. They
enjoy the more laid back lifestyle, the weather is much
better and the countryside is beautiful. They enjoy
French cuisine, but are thankful the local supermarket
stocks marmite!.
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Left: The family doing what the French do best –
enjoy an outdoor meal and a bottle of wine.
GREETINGS FROM HEREFORD
When Ian Foster, a member of Hereford Lions Club
was in New Zealand earlier this year visiting his son
he took the opportunity to drop in on a meeting of
Howick Lions Club on the outskirts of Auckland and
exchange club banners with club president Julie
Prentice (left), a worldwide tradition for Lions on
their travels. In fact, later in the year Alan Vickress,
born in Tillington was on a visit back to see family
in Hereford from his home in New Zealand and did
the traditional banner exchange with Hereford’s
former president David Barrett (right) at a meeting in
the Welsh Club.
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