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Sandwich, Kent and Sandwich, Massachusetts
are twins!
Sandwich, Massachusetts, the oldest town in Cape Cod, celebrated its 375th anniversary in 2014.
BASH joined in the celebrations - and the
twinning chain continues...
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Sending
Messages to Massachusetts... To mark the Massachusetts anniversary, and the twinning of
our two Sandwich towns, BASH gathered a parcel of messages from Sandwich UK to our American cousins. Postcards of greeting were collected via our 'Messages to Massachusetts' BASH post boxes in town. We added these to the many letters, photos, documents, leaflets, books, cds
and commemorative gifts generously sent in by local organisations and individuals. There were even some beautiful words and
pictures from children at Sandwich Infant School. The parcel arrived in time for the Sandwich Massachusetts Heritage Day on 14th June
2014, where letters were read out to the assembled crowd, including a greeting from the Sandwich
Mayor Cllr Paul Graeme. Items from the parcel are now on display in Sandwich MA. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the parcel. Here's how the packages looked before they
went in the box...
...and here are some of the items now on display in Massachusetts!
Our BASH post boxes were launched at The Sandwich Food Fayre in early May
2014. BASH volunteers Jan Cooper and Jim Marshall gathered over 70 postcards of greetings during the event. Jim's Cape Cod sandwich tribute - the Lobster Pot - won second prize in the annual sandwich
competition. Here's Kevin
Cook, the Sandwich Town Sergeant, ringing in the news at the BASH stall!
It all started with a 'Sandwich Story Tree' at the
annual Festival of Trees in St Peter's Church, in December 2013.... Using large luggage labels, BASH asked visitors to write messages of greeting to the people of Sandwich MA, or to share their own stories
or memories of Sandwich. They could then hang the labels on the Story Tree. The resulting labels, with the
first greetings from one Sandwich town to another, were included in the Messages to Massachusetts parcel. Here's the tree just as we finished setting up.
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The signing of the twinning charter...
The Mayor of
Sandwich, Cllr Paul Graeme, Town Clerk Laura Fidler and Chair of BASH James Frost signed four copies of the charter in the
Mayor's Parlour on 30th May 2014. Two copies were returned to Sandwich, MA, one is held in the Sandwich Guildhall
and one will remain with BASH. We are delighted to be custodians of this document, which we proudly displayed at our
celebratory Twin Town Tea Party (see below).  BASH hosted a Twin
Town Tea Party on Saturday 21st June in St Peter's Church to celebrate the Messages
project, the 375 anniversary and twinning. Cream teas and an edible version of the twinning charter were
enjoyed by many. Information about the twinning and BASH's related projects was on display, alongside the signed
Twinning Charter and a slideshow of photographs old and new from both towns. BASH's secretary Sonia Frost
read an official letter of greeting from Wendy King of Sandwich MA, and Rev. Mark Roberts gave a short speech. On
the same afternoon (with a 6 hour time lag!) Sandwich, MA held a celebratory heritage
tea in their founding church, First Church of Sandwich., an iconic Cape Cod building. The Massachusetts
tea was given an English theme in our town's honour. Our thanks to the Friends of St Peter's for their support.
Also on display was...
 Henry's elephant!
The first elephant to tread on English soil disembarked at Sandwich in 1255, on its way to Henry III's Tower
of London menagerie. The BASH elephant (above), adapted by Jim Marshall from the engraving by Matthew Paris, has become
an exchange mascot for Sandwich, Kent. Copies of Henry's elephant were decorated by children from Sandwich Infant
School and sent in exchange for a 'Cape Cod' from Massachusetts. The colourful elephants could be spotted
at the BASH Twin Town Tea Party.
 Our first official visitor
from Sandwich MA, Sandy Schrader, arrived in August 2014. Sandy was greeted by BASH, the Mayor and Mayoress,
Deputy Mayor and Consort and Chair of the Sandwich History Society. After a visit to the Guildhall Courtroom, Sandy enjoyed
an afternoon tea at The Salutation, followed by a historic tour of the town. She also presented gifts in response
to BASH's Messages project. Sandy is involved in the US side of the Sandwich epal project (see below). Meanwhile,
Sandy's husband Dave was back home meeting our first twinning pioneer Jim Marshall! Jim took along some Sandwich
Folk & Ale t-shirts, modelled here on the steps of the Sandwich MA Town Hall.
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Sandwich Transatlantic Twinning Association Further links between the towns are being established through a
new twinning association, headed by Jim Marshall. Watch this space for details as they come! Would you like to take part in the Sandwich
twinning? Sign up as an epal... If you would like to correspond with someone in Sandwich MA, please email the Sandwich epal coordinators. Send your name, age and areas of interest to connect with a suitable match. If you belong to a special interest group and
would like to join up with like-minded people in Sandwich MA, please send your group details too.
for images, webpages and
scraps of news about Sandwich Kent and Sandwich Massachusetts. For more information about Sandwich, Massachusetts
and their anniversary events, visit www.sandwich375.com
site created May 2006
BASH
(Bringing Alive Sandwich Heritage) | Promote
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